This past Sunday night, my husband and I had the treat of listening to the Del McCoury band in a concert setting, indoors, in comfortable seats. (I'd only ever heard them outside, at festivals, usually while I was sitting on the ground or leaning on a tree.)
The first time I heard Del, his band was called The Dixie Pals. It was the 80's and I was just beginning to learn about bluegrass music (one of the rare gifts from my ex husband). Del had already been in the biz for decades and was a permanent fixture in the bluegrass scene.
Although Del had a devoted core of fans, the general buzz seemed to be that he was just another of the "old generation" bluegrass boys who had worked with Bill Monroe. This isn't anything disparaging, mind you. This is a good thing. I remember the 80's as a time of tension in the bluegrass world. All these hot young kids were dabbling in "new grass," and all the old geezers spat on the ground and remarked "'Tain't bluegrass." Most of us walked the line. We loved and appreciated all the new stuff, but we didn't want the good ol' traditional bluegrass to get lost amidst all this new noise.
Anyway, I was getting a bit saturated with all this bluegrass information from my then husband and his bluegrass friends. I loved the music and I was quickly learning a lot about it. But there were a lot of people in bluegrass history to keep track of, and some of the people kind of ran together in my mind because there were just too many of them. It seemed that everyone who ever played with Bill Monroe instantly had enough credibility to run off and start his own successful band.
So we were at this festival in Ohio, and I forgot what we were doing or who we were with. When we got to the concert area, the Dixie Pals were in the middle of their set. We listened for a bit, and I recall liking the jaunty rhythm and great harmonies. We didn't stick around, for some reason - I can't recall why. We had somewhere to be or something. I recall a bit of regret as we walked away from the stage area.
I dug out one of my husband's Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals CD's and played it quite a bit. I jokingly referred to Del as "my pal."
Anyway, fast forward a decade. The marriage ends, and I anticipate a welcome break from a steady diet of nothing but bluegrass. I'm thinking I won't listen to bluegrass ever again as long as I live, if I can help it.
But I can't help it.
Probably the best thing that emerged from that marriage was an appreciation and understanding of this kind of music. I found myself replacing a lot of the CD's that my husband had gotten custody of. I found myself showing up at concerts and shows. Is it a coincidence that the man I fell in love with and eventually married is a total music-head and appreciates this kind of music?
So now it seems Del McCoury is all over the place.
Now, get this:
Bluegrass bands, especially the big ones, tend to tour the Southern states during the winter. Those in the Northern states don't usually get to see their favorite names unless it's summer.
Here we are, in Canada, for crying out loud, at the end of November.
Follow me on this.
It's 15 degrees BELOW zero. Fahrenheit. Can you imagine that kind of cold?
After plowing themselves out of a blizzard in Vancouver, Del McCoury & his guys made their way to Calgary. They arrived just an hour before the concert. Their instruments were still thawing onstage.
And they gave us one hell of a show.
And I realized that Del McCoury is not just one of a cavalcade of ex-Bill Monroe associates, thumping on his instrument, trying to keep the old brigade front & center in our minds. It's probably because he has two sons in his band, two very, very talented sons who push the boundaries and who want to bring the element of their own musical generation into the mix.
Del McCoury embodies the entire history of bluegrass music. And he still looks pretty darned good onstage.
To see the Del McCoury Band website, go here: Del McCoury Band
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