Recent Grand Ole Opry inductee and veteran bluegrass musician Del McCoury is performing with his band, the Nashville-based Del McCoury Band, tonight at The Blue Gator, 63 N. Court St.
Having started the band in 1964, Del McCoury said the lineup of musicians, which now includes his sons Ronnie on mandolin and Rob on banjo, has changed over the years. The current lineup of the McCourys, fiddle player Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub, has stayed in place since the early 1990s.
The Del McCoury Band has garnered a long list of accolades, including 2003 International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year. Del McCoury also said their music video for the song My love will not change moved up to the No. 9 slot on Country Music Television's Top 20 Countdown this week.
His induction to the Grand Ole Opry in October 2003 was a highlight for McCoury, who began listening to the radio show in the 1940s.
It was really an honor for me to be inducted; it's a show I've listened to all my life
McCoury said.
The band plays traditional bluegrass music and has attracted a wide fan base, including original fans from the 1960s and younger, more modern fans. The band attracted a following when they performed with jam band Phish. McCoury said their fans enjoyed the hardcore bluegrass music.
We didn't lose any of our old fans; we just gained new ones he said.
Performing with family and a group of musicians together for years makes things easier, McCoury said. The band knows all of his material, including music I recorded before they were born.
The band does not follow a program; instead, they perform songs from their most recent CD, It's Just the Night and then ask the audience for requests. This keeps the show interesting for everyone, he said.
McCoury said the band is performing on the Grand Ole Opry American Road Show along with Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and Rebecca Lynn Howard this summer, as well as playing their own shows.
Curtis Manley, entertainment director at The Blue Gator, said the venue was a goal of his when he arrived in January. He booked shows for the band in the past, and said tonight's show is one of the few club dates for the Del McCoury Band this year.
It'll be one of the smallest venues they'll play all year
Manley said.
Also performing is Americana roots rock group Big Leg Emma, who are based in Jamestown, N.Y. John Streed, who manages and books events for the band, said the band has performed in Athens five times; their first Athens performance was with Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root in January 2003 at The Blue Gator. Amanda Barton, Steve Johnson and Charity Nuse of Big Leg Emma will open the show with an acoustic trio, and the entire band will perform following the Del McCoury Band.
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Megan Chew
