Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Chris Stuart plays guitar and leads his own band, Backcountry, based in Del Mar, California. His first professional involvement in bluegrass was as a banjo player in the band Salt Run in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1984, and then, after moving to upstate New York, as the banjo and mandolin player in the group Cornerstone, founded in 1991 by Stuart, Pam Daley, Rick Manning and Dana Paul, in Ithaca, New York. The band won the Winterhawk (now Grey Fox) band contest that year and then showcased at the IBMA Convention in 1992.

From an early age, Stuart wrote poetry and stories. He remembers writing a fable when he was ten, and he wrote poetry in high school. Both his parents wrote poetry and listened to a wide range of music. His father was a Disciples of Christ minister and his mother a sixth-grade school teacher. There were always books and music in the house. Everyone in the family liked a different kind of music, so they listened to everything from Hank Williams to Cleo Laine.

It was during his time with Cornerstone that Stuart began writing songs, inspired by the voice of Ms Daley, the lead singer with the band. His first song was Paul And Peter Walked, which Claire Lynch heard and recorded on her gospel album. She also recorded another Chris Stuart song God Spoke His Name, and a Cajun song, Thibodeau, on her next album.

Stuart’s talent as a songwriter was further evident as he won the Chris Austin Songwriting contest at the 1993 Merlefest in both bluegrass‚Äìwith Maggie’s Daughter‚Äìand gospel‚Äìwith God Spoke His Name‚Äìcategories. Both songs are on Cornerstone’s first CD Maggie’s Daughter, along with three other Stuart-penned songs.

Other Chris Stuart songs to find favor with bluegrass singers are Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts, on the Suzanne Thomas album of the same name; Saro, on Sally Jones’ Love Hurts CD; Dale Ann Bradley recorded Julia Belle on her Catch Tomorrow album; and Larry Cordle recorded a Chris Stuart song, The First Train Robbery for his recent album, Took Down and Put Up. Also, Danny Paisley recorded Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away, on his The Room Over Mine album (The song is on the final ballot for IBMA Song of the Year); Michael Cleveland recorded Farewell for a Little While on his Leavin’ Town CD; Bobby Osborne recorded Stuart’s Civil War ballad Shenandoah Wind, and Doyle Lawson recorded a Chris Stuart gospel song, When the Last of Our Days Shall Come, which is on the final ballot for IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year.

In 1996 he moved to California, where, in 2002, with Janet Beazley, he started Backcountry, a band that they put together to promote their first album, Angels of Mineral Springs. Stuart says,

“I’m really lucky to have someone like Janet Beazley to work with. I’ve co-written a couple of songs with her, including “Jealous Crow”, but also she’s able to respond to my songs and suggest melodic and alternate ways of doing things, and also she’s a genius at arrangement and recording, so she’s not only an inspiration, she’s essential to my writing.”

As well as being a great songwriter, Stuart is a writer of high-quality articles about his bluegrass peers. His stories about Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, The Circuit Riders, The Grascals, Cadillac Sky and Blue Highway, among others, have been featured in Bluegrass Unlimited in recent months. He was the IBMA’s Print Media Person for 2008, and he makes a living as a copy editor for several comic book publishers in San Diego. He recently worked on the Transformers, GI Joe, and Joss Whedon’s Angel series. He also works part-time as an editor in the Biology department at the University of California, San Diego.

How many songs have you written and out of those, how many have been recorded?

I haven’t counted, but I’ve probably written well over 100 and about 50 have been recorded by our band or others.

Who has influenced your songwriting most?

Stephen Foster, Carter Stanley, Townes Van Zandt, Jesse Winchester, Bill Monroe, Paul Simon, Tom and Dixie Hall, Lester Flatt, Jimmy Webb, Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, Pete Goble, and on and on. I think Larry Sparks’s John Deere Tractor was the first bluegrass album where I thought, okay, that’s amazing songwriting. There’s a lot of great songs by different songwriters on that album. I believe it took bluegrass songwriting to a new level and it really inspired me. Still does. I think it’s the bluegrass White Album.

Most of your songs have been recorded by your own group; who else has recorded songs by you? Were these pitched to or commissioned by others?

I’ve been lucky enough to have had my songs recorded by Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, Larry Cordle, Dan Paisley, Michael Cleveland, Bobby Osborne, Doyle Lawson, Sally Jones, Suzanne Thomas, Janet Beazley, Eric Uglum, and others; and have a song coming out in the next few months recorded by an Irish group, Cherish the Ladies.

One of my most recorded songs has been Twenty Naked Pentecostals in a Pontiac, based on a true story, which I wrote as a challenge from someone on bgrass-L [the bluegrass listserv run by Frank Godbey at the University of Kentucky]. I’ve never had a song commissioned‚Äìthat would be a daunting project to have someone give me specs for a song, although it would be interesting to try.

All the cuts I’ve gotten were due to some odd bit of serendipity where the artist heard the song done by our band or someone else, or I handed them a CD at a festival we were playing. As soon as I hand someone a demo, I forget about it because it’s such a long-shot to get a song cut. I just assume no one would be interested, so I’m always surprised and happy to hear that someone wants to cut one of my songs. I seldom actively pitch songs, though.

What advice can you give if someone wanted to write a song for a hard-core traditional bluegrass band, as opposed to a contemporary group?

If you’re trying to write a traditional bluegrass song, you still need to make it sound fresh. That’s the challenge, to make it feel like it was written fifty years ago, but also like it’s something you haven’t heard before. To me, the hardest song to write is an up-tempo bluegrass song, just for that reason. My advice is to listen to how Monroe and others did it and pick out things you like and build on that. Not enough songwriters really listen to the first generation. Listen to those old songs until you just have to write one of your own.

You have won prizes for your songwriting; tell me about them ….

I won the Chris Austin songwriting contest at Merlefest in 1993 in both the bluegrass and gospel categories. And I was nominated by SPBGMA as Songwriter of the Year in 2006. To me, though, the greatest award a songwriter can get is when you hear a song of yours played by a group jamming around a campfire at a festival when they don’t know you wrote the song.

How did Dale Ann Bradley pick up Julia Belle?

Janet Beazley recorded it on her album 5 South, and Dale Ann heard us do it, I think, at IBMA one year. It was quite an honor to have her record it. She is an amazing singer, a wonderful person, and a great songwriter. She’s also one of the best rhythm guitar players out there, something she doesn’t get enough credit for.

Which songs have you had on The Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey and what was the peak position for each? Were they your own recordings or by others?

I can’t recall, but I think it’s up to eight or nine now. Our band song Crooked Man, the title cut of our new album, is at #8 for July [#6 in August]. Danny Paisley’s version of Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away, which I co-wrote with Ivan Rosenberg [former resonator guitar player in Backcountry] was at #7 for January 2009. I think Claire’s version of Paul and Peter Walked got to #4 a few years ago.

I really try not to remember these things‚Äìit takes time away from actually writing new songs. I heard someone say that for an artist there is no past, just the blank slate of the future and I really believe that. Once I finish a song, I’m always terrified that I won’t have another one in me.

You have worked at several songwriting workshops; tell me a bit about them.

I’ve taught short songwriting workshops at festivals, but also week-long workshops at Sorrento, in British Columbia, and at Sorefingers in the UK. At Sorefingers, I think I started to find a way to get people to actually begin writing‚Äìwhich is the point of it all‚Äìby having them come up with scenarios that suggest a song. There is no tablature, though, to songwriting. It’s a creative process where you have to respect the muse and play by her rules. It can be daunting, but it’s worth it when you discover a song that you didn’t know existed before.

People ask which comes first, the words or the music, and I have to answer, “yes.” Sometimes it’s one, sometimes the other, or both at the same time. The main thing is to work at it and listen to that voice in your head that tells you when something is not quite right. It’s work, but there’s no greater feeling than when you get just the right words with just the right melody.

Do you look for literal usage of language or for metaphors? Where does each fit in the scheme of things?

I look for detail that is meaningful, but primarily detail that brings the listener into the song. If you’re too generic in a song, then the listener loses interest. On the other hand, if it’s so specific that it doesn’t have anything to do with them, then you lose them that way too. It’s a fine line, but I think it’s better to have literal images in a song that then emotionally move the listener.

Sensual imagery‚Äìsight, smell, taste, touch, sound‚Äìis the best way into a song. But I try to teach that we’re really looking for diamonds in the gutter. It’s that narrow space between heaven and earth where we want to find our songs. One of my songs, Angels of Mineral Springs is really about that space that makes us human, where the divine is in the mundane. I want people to react to my songs emotionally more than intellectually, but a well-crafted song does both. And I’ll study those successful songs that do that.

To what extent do personal experiences help in songwriting?

A lot. But, I also teach that we’re given imaginations in order to try to walk in other’s shoes. It’s good to “write about what you know” as people always say. But it’s also possible to write about something you ‚Ä®know very little about and still come up with a good song. I just wrote a song about the first train robbery in the US. Now, I’ve never robbed a train, but I can put myself into the shoes of that train robber and imagine what it was like in 1867. I think people are sometimes scared off from writing about something outside their own experience. I encourage people to do that, because it gets you away from the “poor me” syndrome in songwriting where all your songs are about your inability to stay in love or get a hit song in Nashville. I’ve heard way too many of those. I tend to like story songs for the reason that it gets you outside yourself. The only rule in songwriting is that there are no rules.

At what point do meter and phrasing come into the process?

From the very beginning. I think rhythm and phrasing are essential in determining early whether a song should be a ballad or an up-tempo song. In the workshop, we’ll take short phrases of words and put melodies to them to try to find the “perfect” melody for any kind of phrase. One of my exercises is to walk around the area and find signs and put music to those words.

Footnote: Sorefingers is a week-long gathering of bluegrass artists in the Cotswolds in the UK–a series of classes where students can learn from a wide range of experts in their respective fields.

Orrick, guitarist/vocalist with Lost Highway, a band originally from Orange County, California, was a founder member and stayed with them until the mid 1980s when the group disbanded. Lost Highway was reformed in 1996 with Orrick, who was originally from Smithville, TN, as the band leader.

He was the band’s primary lead vocalist. His approach to singing was influenced by Carter and Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks, Lester Flatt and Melvin Goins. Fellow singer/songwriter Chris Stuart described his singing as “smooth and clear, yet distinctly bluegrass-influenced”.

As well as having a voice that has gave the band its signature sound, Orrick wrote many fine original songs, written in the best traditional style and putting Lost Highway firmly in the solid, driving, hard-core bluegrass category.

Over the 30 years in which Ken Orrick was associated with Lost Highway, he contributed great songs like Lord, Let Me Die (ironically), This Road Leads Home, Shake The Master’s Hand, Roll On River, Guilty Of Love, I Don’t Believe I’ll Fall In Love Today, Time Waits For No, I Can’t Go On Loving You, Dreams and It’s Gonna Rain. All are excellent songs that would be worthy additions to the repertoire of discerning bands in the future.

Kerry Hay, of Hay Holler Records, who released six albums on which his good friend features, remembers Orrick ……..

“I spent many hours with Ken in recording studios, at concerts and at IBMA. He was a good conversationalist and was obviously in love with the music. He was a congenial person and had good things to say about almost everybody. He had strict guidelines (e.g. dress, punctuality, practicing/rehearsals etc.) for band members, and enforced them. In recording, he was somewhat of a perfectionist. Ken and I had minor differences from time to time, but always resolved them without acrimony. I considered Ken Orrick my good friend, even after he left Hay Holler.”

Chris Stuart, who wrote the sleeve notes for Lost Highway’s album Headin’ Down That Lost Highway (HH CD 1345), says this of Orrick ‚Ķ.

“He had one of the best voices in bluegrass music. Incredible tone and feeling in his singing and I always admired him for that. I also remember travelling with him in Oman when our band and Lost Highway toured together. He always warmed up his voice before going on stage and he could always connect with an audience. He was just a natural singer and performer. Ken had his own personal demons, but on stage he was at his best. He was the source of some great stories and we’ll miss him.”

Long term enthusiast Penny Parsons is shocked by the news ……

“I had been a fan of his singing and song writing with Lost Highway for many years. I heard the band long before I saw them live. My friend Kirk Brandenberger made me a tape of some of their material in the 1980s, with Stuart Duncan on fiddle. I was immediately struck my how powerful and authentic their music was. There was something about Ken’s voice that just resonated with me. He knew how to hit the nail squarely on the head. I remember the first time I saw the band, at IBMA (don’t know the year, but it was in Owensboro), and how exciting it was to finally see them perform live. My memory is that Ken projected a vitality and a joy about the music that was contagious. I am truly saddened to learn of his passing. Bluegrass music has lost a great friend and proponent.”

Carol’s show, Lonesome Pine RFD, is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon (EST) on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

Chris will be on with Carol at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 21.

Chris currently has two songs on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey in September, both recorded by notable bluegrass artists – Larry Cordle’s version of First Train Robbery, and the Danny Paisley cut of Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away, co-written with Ivan Rosenberg.

There is also a Stuart song, Farewell for a Little While, on the new Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper CD.

He also records and performs with his band, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, and they have a new CD which features 10 of his new compositions. Crooked Man is their first release in several years, with Chris on guitar and vocals, Janet Beazley on banjo and vocals, Austin Ward on bass, Christian Ward on fiddle and Eric Uglum on guitar and mandolin.

Chris shared a few words about the new CD…

“Originally, we were going to just do digital singles, but as we got into writing the songs and recording, we realized that there was a unifying theme. The band decided that we would release a full album project of thirteen songs, and sell it as an album for a few weeks until it shows up on iTunes and the other digital download sites.

The theme is about aging, which I guess is ironic since we have a couple of teenagers in the band. But hey, I turned fifty this year!”

Bandmates Beazley and Ward also have original songs on Crooked Man. All of the material is tuneful, with lyrics that stand out for their maturity and thoughtfulness. The performances are top flight as well, with both the singers and the pickers shining in turn on music that runs from modern bluegrass to Celtic, with plenty of authentic American acoustic music in between.

Audio samples, lyrics and photos from the sessions can be found on Chris’ web site, along with online ordering.

Crooked Man is expected to be available in early June, with eight new Chris  Stuart originals, a couple by banjo player Janet Beazley, and one from their teen aged fiddler, Christian Ward. Eric Ulum is on mandolin along with Austin Ward on bass and Stuart on guitar.

Chris shared a few words about the material on Crooked Man…

“The songs include one about Mary Surratt (hanged in 1865 as part of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy) and one by Janet called Lantern Bay Inn about a murder in the San Juan Islands off Washington state. I have a song about a murder that happened in West Virginia in 1931, and a song about a dog called Ofer and Yesbuddy . . . .another happy CSB recording!”

Chris told us that they will produce manufactured CDs for press and radio promotion, but will primarily distribute the project through digital download sites. A new band website will be created with album artwork, lyrics, studio photos and credits plus download purchases offered in either MP3 or AIF formats. It will also be available through download sites like iTunes and CD Baby.

Each tip will be run for a week in BluegrassCountry.org’s 24/7 bluegrass programming, and then be archived on their web site. You can hear the first in this series, from noted songwriter Chris Stuart, on the Musician’s Tips site, where you can also subscribe to the series as a podcast.

BluegrassCountry.org’s Katy Daly says that they have quite a lineup of artists in the pipeline.

In weeks to come we’ll feature tips from Bill Emerson, Jaime Daley, Sonya Isaacs, Joe Carr, Alan Munde, Ralph Stanley, Honi Deaton, all the Stringdusters, all the Steep Canyon Rangers, Mike Auldridge, Missy Raines, and Randy Kohrs, just to name a few.

Eric Uglum’s two mega-talented stepsons, Christian and Austin Ward, became members of Chris Stuart & Backcountry a few months back. Just recently, Chris’ Backcountry label released a new CD from Eric and his young wards, and now comes the announcement that Eric is the newest member of Backcountry.

Eric will be featured on both lead guitar and mandolin, and joins Christian Ward on fiddle, Austin Ward on bass, Janet Beazley on banjo, and bandleader (and chief songsmith) Chris Stuart on guitar.

Uglum had previously performed with Weary Hearts, Copperline and Lost Highway, and operates New Wine Studio in Hesperia, CA where all of the Backcountry releases have been recorded.

You can find the band’s schedule on their web site.

The interview is quite readable and contains a lot of background historical information about the camp. They also talk about the goals they have for the camp this year and in the future. And in describing the camp’s atmosphere, they bring up one of my favorite things about this music, the accessibility of the players.

The instructors for this year’s camp are some of the best players bluegrass music has to offer including, Janet Beazley, Noam Pikelny, Casey Driessen, Rob Ickes, John Lowell, Chris Stuart, and others.

"The event is up there with any other camp," says John, "but it’s uniquely British in the social aspect and the humour." Most of the tutors get stuck in to the socialising without difficulty, mingling in the bar and taking part in the sessions. "I love seeing the kids jamming with the tutors," says John.

What a great opportunity for these youngsters.

If you missed the last interview UKBluegrass.com posted you might want to check it out as well. It’s a good interview with current IBMA Board Chairman, Greg Cahill. You’ll find that interview here.

Aspiring songwriters should take note at Chris describes the thought process he uses to write songs like Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts, Julia Belle, and Mojave River. There is also a preview of the title cut from Chris’ upcoming release, The old Road to Jerusalem. The song was written by Chris and is performed by Eric Uglum & Sons, Austin and Christian Ward.

I’m listening to the show online as I type, but if you miss it today it will air everyday this week. Here’s the schedule:

• Monday, November 27 – 10:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, November 28 – 9:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 29 – 7:00 a.m.
• Thursday, November 30 – 5:55 a.m.
• Friday, December 1 – 11:00 p.m.
• Saturday, December 2 – 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday December 3 – 6:00 p.m.

In addition to his songwriting, Stuart performs with his band, Chris Stuart & Backcountry, and is a regular contributor to Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. He has a feature in the November issue on Lou Reid & Carolina.

Chris has been awarded the Chris Austin Songwriting prize at Merlefest, and has been selected for the IBMA Songwriter Showcase. His songs have been recorded by such bluegrass notables as Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, Larry Cordle, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones, and many others. Five of his songs have appeared on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, including Julia Belle, recorded by his bandmate Janet Beazely, which recently spent several months on the chart. Janet will also be an instructor at Sore Fingers, teaching banjo classes next spring.

Here’s how Chris described his songwriting class:

My songwriting workshop will focus on the craft of writing songs in the bluegrass, roots, country, and Americana tradition, with emphasis on the structure and inspiration of traditional songs and how to write within a tradition but still be original and fresh. Throughout the week, students will listen to songs from a wide range of roots sources–from the 17th century to Bob Dylan’s latest work–play their songs for the class, partake in discussion, sing, play, and develop a sense of the joy and heartache that comes with songwriting. Other topics will include how to pitch your songs, the business side of songwriting, developing word play, melodic invention, and keeping a sense of humor throughout it all. It will be a busy and fun week!

Rob Ickes, Tim O’Brien and Noam Pikelny are also tentatively booked to teach next April at the week long camp. You can find more details at the Sore Fingers Summer School web site.

Both Chris and Austin were chosen to represent the best of young bluegrass musicians when ABC News did a feature for the CMA Music Festival which was televised in the fall of 2005.

Chris was also selected as a recipient of the first Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend Scholarship in 2005 when he was just 13 years old. He traveled to VA from his home in CA for the chance to study for the weekend with some of the top fiddlers in the country, and made quite an impression on both the faculty and the students alike.

You can find a video clip of Chris jamming along with the other scholarship recipients from 2005, Haley Stiltner and Aaron Williams, on Haley’s web site. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the video clip.

Best of luck to Chris Stuart & Backcountry with their youth movement!

He’s had five of his songs appear on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, won the songwriting contest at Merlefest in both bluegrass and gospel categories, been selected for IBMA songwriter and band showcases, and has toured with his band Chris Stuart & Backcountry in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and the Middle East. Chris writes feature articles for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. His songs have been recorded by Claire Lynch, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones, Tina Adair, and others, and he’s taught songwriting at the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop and at festival workshops and will be teaching at the Sorefingers bluegrass school in the UK in 2007.

It should be an informative and fun chat. If you are interested in songwriting, be sure to log on at BluegrassGuide.com.

Three bluegrass bands from California are currently on tour in Oman, where they will perform at a variety of venues for both Omani and American/European audiences. The bands are Lost Highway, Chris Stuart & Backcountry and Eric Uglum & Sons. The tour was organized by Bud Bierhaus, a bluegrass musician who performed with the band Copperline in southern CA before going to work for Halliburton in Oman.

Last summer, Bud contact Eric Uglum to see if he and his boys (Christian and Austin Ward) might be interested in a tour in Oman. Eric’s enthusiasm for the idea led Bud to suggest that some other bands be involved as well, and before long, an 8 day tour was scheduled. It began with a show yesterday (2/9) at the closing night of the Muscat Festival, a 30 day event which celebrates the many cultures and musical flavors of the diverse Omani workforce and populace. The remainder of the tour includes both concerts and workshops, some for American citizens groups and schools, others for the American Embassy staff and guests, and a couple for private interests.

Eric Uglum is the guitarist and mandolinist with Lost Highway, which also includes Ken Orrick (guitar), Dick Brown (banjo), Mike Tatar Jr. (fiddle) and Joe Ash (bass). Chris Stuart & Backcountry is made up of Janet Beazley (banjo), Mason Tuttle (bass), Brian Wicklund (fiddle) and Chris (guitar).

Chris Stuart also shared some thoughts about the trip:

“We’re really looking forward to going to Oman. It’s going to be an adventure and I’m particularly looking forward to playing the big Muscat Festival. I’m also taking some IBMA ‘Discover Bluegrass’ DVDs to leave in a few of the schools over there. Who knows, maybe someday there will be an Omani bluegrass band!”

Stacey Uglum (Eric’s wife and Christian and Austin Ward’s mom) is also going on the trip, and she promised to get back to us when they return, and send photos from the tour. We’ll pass along her report and some photos later this month.