We’ve reported several times this year about the many personnel changes going on within Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, with both Terry Baucom and Mike Hartgrove leaving, and Jamie Dailey announcing his departure by the end of 2007.

But to paraphrase the old Timex watch commercial, Doyle takes a lickin’, and keeps on pickin’. Chris Warner has come on board to play banjo, and Alan Johnson on fiddle.

Who better to make the announcement of the newest member than Doyle himself?

"I’m happy to announce that the new member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (replacing departing member Jamie Dailey) will be Ron Spears. Ron will be playing bass and handling lead and harmony vocals. Ron is a longtime student and fan of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and he understands the style‚Äîwhen we got together, the vocal blend with the trio and quartet was extremely pleasing to my ear. I’m looking forward to his vocal input as well as having another songwriter in the band."

One of Ron’s songs, Ocean Of Teardrops, was included on Doyle’s latest release, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall.

Ron had been playing mandolin with Special Consensus, and will start working with Quicksilver some time this season, at a yet-to-be-determined date.

Doyle and the boys have a busy schedule this next few weeks. They are heading for Merlefest for an appearance on Sunday (4/29), and then off to California’s gigantic Stage Coach country music festival a week later (5/6). Then it’s the Doyle Lawson festival in Denton, NC (5/10-13), and a trip to New York City for a show at Brooklyn’s Southpaw on June 1.

We’ll update with news about Ron’s start date with the band as that is announced.

UPDATE 4/28: Greg Cahill asked us to clarify that Ron will continue to peform with Special Consensus until he starts with Quicksilver, and that he will be with Special C for their upcoming trip to Switzerland in July.