It turns out that the info we got from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver last week about Alan Johnson returning to the band was only half right.

Big Al is indeed taking over the fiddle spot from Brandon Godman, but only on an interim basis until a new full-time fiddler is hired. He is still working for the US Postal Service and is unable to handle Doyle’s heavy touring schedule.

Doyle is auditioning fiddlers now, and we’ll report back when a new one is announced.

Just six months after announcing his retirement from the band this past spring, fiddler Alan Johnson is back with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

I guess you can take the picker off the road, but you can’t take the road out of the picker?

Alan’s summer replacement, Brandon Godman, tells us that he left the group in order to finish his college education.

“Everyone says it’s harder to go back as you get older, so I thought now would be a good time to do so. I enjoyed working with DLQ and learned a whole lot, and I look forward to hearing Big Al with them again. He’s one of my favorite fiddlers!”

Brandon will continue to perform as his schedule allows, and will do some shows with Dale Ann Bradley in 2009.

Big Al Johnson has gone postal. No, not like that. He’s working for the US Postal Service. That doesn’t mean he’s not playing music though.

Alan has a solid background as a fiddle player and bass singer, having toured with a number of bluegrass and country artists, including Doyle Lawson, BlueRidge, Larry Cordle, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Terry Clark, and Doug Stone. After leaving Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Johnson took a job at the post office, while quietly getting involved in bluegrass music in new ways.

He’s been filling in with various artists who need a fiddle player when touring the Western part of North Carolina and Eastern part of Tennessee. He’s been teaching fiddle workshops at regional festivals. He’s also been helping his brother Kenny Johnson with the promotion of the High Country Bluegrass Festival in Boone, NC. The festival is coming up in early September. They have a stellar line up of bluegrass artists, including a fiddle workshop taught by, you guessed it, Big Al Johnson, along with Adam Haynes.

In addition to his work with the festival, Alan tells me he’s putting together his own band. This is something new for him since he’s always played the part of the sideman previously. He’s considering band names and players at this time, but expect an announcement soon, and look for them next summer at your favorite bluegrass venue.

In the meantime, you can keep up with Alan on his MySpace page.

We hear from Suzanne Lawson that Alan Johnson, fiddler and bass singer with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver since March of 2007, will be leaving the group at the end of May.

Alan has accepted a full-time position with the U.S. Postal Service, and will be taking a break from performing as a bluegrass musician for the time being.

“Doyle is trying out fiddle players now. We’ll miss Alan’s fiddle work and bass singing.”

We hope to have an announcement about the newest member of Quicksilver soon.