Clay Hess has been making waves as a guitarist since he first hit the scene in a big way with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder in the 1990s. He has since had a memorable stint with Mountain Heart, and is currently touring with Sierra Hull.

Rick Hayes Instruments, makers of dreadnaught guitars and F-5 mandolins, is proud to announce today that Clay will be endorsing their mahogany guitar. It is a solid wood guitar, made with Honduran mahogany back, sides and neck, and high grade spruce for the top. The fingerboard and bridge are of West African ebony, and the guitar sells for $2999.

As you might expect, Clay speaks very highly of the guitar.

“The Rick Hayes guitar I have been playing for the past year is one of the top five guitars I’ve ever played. I recorded most of my new recording with a 1938 D18, which is my favorite guitar. I recorded the rest with the Hayes guitar. I’ll let y’all try to tell which is which because I can’t.”

More details can be found on Rick’s web site.

Randy Kohrs is in the process of finishing up a new acoustic CD. We don’t have a title yet for the CD, but we’re told an early fall release on Rural Rhythm Records is the plan.

A single has just been sent to radio on the new Rural Rhythm Fresh Tracks CD. The title of the single is Devil of the Trail. The song is based on a true story and written by Randy, Dennis Goodwin, and Ashley Brown.

The players on this particular cut are Ron Block on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Randy on resonator guitar, Clay Hess on acoustic guitar, Tim Crouch on fiddle, and Aaron Ramsey on bass.

The tenor singer on the new Randy Kohrs single is Shannon Lawson. Lawson was a co-writer on the song “Who’s Goin’ With Me” from the last album.

Other special guests on the upcoming CD include Ronnie and Garnet Bowman, the McCrary Sisters, and more!

Here’s a sample of the song through the first chorus. Email your local bluegrass radio show and request the single if you want to hear the whole thing.

Devil of the Trail:   

There was another bluegrass wedding in Tennessee last month.

Guitar gunslinger Clay Hess, currently working with Sierra Hull & Highway 111, married Samantha West on May 22 in Gatlinburg. They were engaged in mid-February and are living now in Ohio.

Congratulations and best wishes to Clay and Samantha!

Sierra Hull has announced that Clay Hess, formerly of Mountain Heart, will be joining her band, Highway 111, effective January 2009. Clay has been performing with Sierra this fall as his schedule allowed, and is now making the switch official.

In addition to Clay on guitar and Sierra on mandolin, the band includes Jacob Eller on bass and Cory Walker on banjo. Both Sierra and Clay will take on lead vocal chores.

Clay finds himself as the “old guy” in the group, with Sierra and Cory still in their teens, and Jacob only 26 years old.

You can check their 2009 tour schedule online.