NEW YORK (McCoury
Music Records) - The Del McCoury Band, reigning International Bluegrass
Music Association Entertainer of the Year, added a new jewel to their crown this month with the publication of the July issues of the genre's leading magazines, Bluegrass Now and Bluegrass Unlimited. In a clean sweep for their latest release, the Grammy-nominated It's Just The Night, the McCoury outfit broke new ground by earning the #1 position on the industry's leading monthly retail chart and the #1 position on its respected album airplay chart while holding down the top 3 positions on the singles airplay chart - the first time ever that a single artist has so thoroughly commanded the charts. Making the occasion even more gratifying, the album is the debut release for the the group's own label, McCoury Music.
The news punctuates a busy summer that finds the quintet - Del, sons Rob (banjo) and Ron (mandolin), bassist Mike Bub and fiddler Jason Carter - hard at work entertaining the bluegrass faithful and reaching new audiences with their trademark blend of instrumental and vocal virtuosity, cutting edge material and an energetic yet easygoing stage presence.
Recent weeks have seen them appear before millions of television viewers on CMT's 100 Greatest Love Songs Concert, taped during Nashville's Country Music Association Music Festival (aka Fan Fair), wow tens of thousands of listeners at the youth-oriented Telluride and Bonnaroo festivals, and revisit both the historic Ryman Auditorium, where Del made his Grand Ole Opry debut with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys more than 40 years ago, and the modern Opry House, where he joined the show's distinguished cast last October. The band's summer and fall itinerary includes shows with the Grand Ole Opry American Road Show also featuring Vince Gill and Patty Loveless. The range of appearances is typical for the band, widely known as "bluegrass music's best ambassadors."
Though they're enjoying their latest accomplishment, Del and the boys - already the most awarded group in bluegrass history, with eight Entertainer of the Year honors and a slew of other collective and individual trophies - are hardly resting on their laurels. The remainder of the summer is packed with personal appearances, including visits to Alaska and more than a dozen other states, and this fall will see the completion of a radio special celebrating Del's career. Narrated by Grand Ole Opry announcer and long-time friend and associate Eddie Stubbs, the show will offer fans a biographical sketch of Del's achievements and plenty of McCoury music, including highlights from It's Just The Night.
CONCERT APPEARANCES
07/23/04 Marshall, MO Crossroads Amphitheatre
07/24/04 Monticello, IA Jones County Fair
07/31/04 Wolfeboro, NH Great Waters Music Festival
08/05/04 Front Royal, VA Warren County Fair
08/06/04 Teaneck, NJ Mexicali Blues Cafe
08/07/04 East Hartford, CT Podunk Bluegrass Festival
08/10/04 Fairbanks, AK Tanana Valley State Fair
08/11/04 Anchorage, AK Alaska Ctr. For Perf. Arts
08/14/04 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair
08/15/04 Floyd, VA Floyd Fest
08/16/04 Hamburg, NY Erie County Fair
08/17/04 Detroit, MI Michigan St. Fairgrounds
08/18/04 Interlochen, MI Interlochen Center
08/20/04 Cherokee, NC Happy Holiday Campground
08/21/04 Godfrey, IL Lewis & Clark College
08/27/04 Chicago, IL Old Town School Of Folk Music
08/28/04 Bayfield, W IBig Top Chautauqua
08/29/04 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post
09/04/04 Woodstown, NJ Bluegrass Festival
09/05/04 Brunswick, METhomas Point Beach
09/10/04 Boone, NC High County Fairgrounds
09/11/04 Wind Gap, PA Mountain View Park
09/16/04 Mount Pleasant, MISoaring Eagleino
09/18/04 Spencer, IA Clay County Fair
09/25/04 Flat Rock, NC Camp Ton-A-Wanda
09/25/04 Pigeon Forge, TN Dollywood
09/26/04 Pigeon Forge, TN Dollywood
10/01/04 Ridge Top, TN Smiley Hollow
10/02/04 Ridge Top, TN Smiley Hollow
10/03/04 San Francisco, CA Strictly Bluegrass Festival
10/09/04 Silk Hope, NC Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival
10/13/04 Winters, CA The Palms @ Winters Opera House
10/14/04 Santa Clara, CA Redwood Amp. @ Great America
10/15/04 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
10/16/04 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fairgrounds
11/12/04 Augusta, GA Imperial Theatre
11/19/04 Burlington, VT Flynn Theatre
11/20/04 Lebanon, NH Lebanon Opera House
11/21/04 Albany, NY Kitty C. Hart Theatre @The Egg
12/03/04 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
