extended the musical capabilities of the mandolin and the fiddle to incorporate a seamless blend of bluegrass, rock, jazz, and reggae. As the founder and leader of
pioneered and guided the evolution of modern hill country music. Together with the bluegrass supergroup
, he pushed the traditions even further. During a five-year stint with
. On his own,
has continued to explore an eclectic musical spectrum.
was exposed to country music and bluegrass at an early age through his father's record collection and, later, by
' television show. Buying his first mandolin at the age of 11, his musical interest was further piqued when he attended the Roanoke Bluegrass Festival in 1965. A child prodigy on the fiddle, he placed first at the national fiddle contest in Weister, ID, three times in a row. Together with childhood friends
, he formed a band and recorded his first album, Poor Richard's Almanac, in 1969. The same year, he made his debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
Attending the Fiddlers Convention at Union Grove, NC, in 1970,
Bush overheard the pioneering progressive bluegrass band
the New Deal String Band. Inspired by their rock-flavored approach to bluegrass, he formed
the New Grass Revival in 1972. Over the next 17 years,
Bush and
the New Grass Revival revolutionized the music of the hill country, incorporating everything from gospel and reggae to rock and modern jazz into their tradition-rooted sound.
The New Grass Revival went through numerous personnel changes, with
Bush remaining as the sole original member. Bassist and vocalist
John Cowan joined in 1973, with banjo ace
Béla Fleck and acoustic guitarist
Pat Flynn being enlisted in the early '80s. In 1980, the group toured with
Leon Russell, opening the shows and backing
Russell during his headlining set. A live performance at the Perkins Palace in Pasadena, CA, was released as
Leon Russell & the New Grass Revival: The Live Album in 1981.
Beginning in 1980,
Bush and
Cowan periodically jammed with the Nashville-based Dockbusters Blues Band.
Bush recorded his debut solo album,
Late as Usual, four years later. In 1989,
Bush and
Fleck joined
Mark O'Connor,
Jerry Douglas, and
Edgar Meyer in an all-star bluegrass band,
Strength in Numbers, at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. When
Fleck and
Cowan elected to leave
the New Grass Revival in 1989,
Bush disbanded the group and joined
Emmylou Harris'
Nash Ramblers. He toured and recorded with
Harris and the band for the next five years. In 1995,
Bush worked as a sideman with
Lyle Lovett and
Bela Fleck's Flecktones. He formed his own band, featuring
Cowan and ex-
Nash Ramblers Jon Randall and
Larry Atamanuick, shortly before recording his second solo album,
Glamour & Grits, in 1996. He released his next album,
Howlin' at the Moon, in 1998, with many of the same players and special guests, including
Harris,
Fleck, and
J.D. Crowe. In the winter of 1997,
Bush and
the New Grass Revival reunited for an appearance on The Conan O'Brien Show as the backup band for
Garth Brooks. On March 28, 1998,
Bush's hometown of Bowling Green, KY, honored him with a special "
Sam Bush Day" celebration.
Bush continued to be a much in-demand session player as the 21st century dawned, and continued to release solo projects.
Ice Caps: Peaks of Telluride appeared in 2000 from Sugar Hill, followed by a collaboration with
David Grisman,
Hold on, We're Strummin', from Acoustic Disc in 2003. Two more solo efforts appeared from Sugar Hill,
King of My World in 2004 and
Laps in Seven in 2006. A year later his first live DVD, On the Road, was released and was followed in 2009 by the new studio album
Circles Around Me.
–
Craig Harris, Rovi