Fresh off his recent departure from Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Darrell Webb has picked up and moved on, taking the guitar and lead vocal spot with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper.

Darrell has spent many years touring with top level bluegrass bands, including stints with Lonesome River Band, J.D. Crowe & The New South and Wildfire before taking Josh Williams’ place with Rhonda in October of 2007.

He will start with Flamekeeper on December 26 for a show on The Grand Ole Opry, joining founding members Michael Cleveland on fiddle and Jesse Brock on mandolin, with Marshall Wilborn on bass, and second-newest member Jessie Baker on banjo. Jessie joined the band at the end of September, an experienced pro himself while still in his teens.

You can check the Flamekeeper tour schedule online to look for a chance to catch their new lineup when they perform near you.

UPDATE 5:45 p.m.  We just got a note from Darrell about his move to Flamekeeper…

“I am really excited about this new gig with Michael. I have picked and jammed with Mike for years and I never dreamed I’d ever get to be in a band with him. He is one the most incredible musicians that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing music with, a true professional and one of the nicest people I’ve ever been around.

When I heard that he was looking for someone I called him immediately, because I knew he played the same kind of music that I think just suits me to a tee. I knew had to do something real quick because I have a family home to support.

I am so looking forward to a great new beginning as a member of the Flamekeeper band. It consists of some of my favorite musicians and singers that I have ever heard. I am also a big fan of Jessie Brock, Marshall Wilborn, Mike Cleveland, and Jessie Baker.

I know it’s gonna be a blast getting to pick with all the guys in the band.”

Rhonda Vincent’s management has just announced that two members of her band, Kenny Ingram and Darrell Webb, will leave The Rage effective December 31, 2008.

The following statement was released by Upper Management last night (11/5):

Kenny and Kaye have been loyal supporters of Rhonda Vincent for the past 7 years, and will be sorely missed by all of us. A consumate professional, and a legend in the bluegrass world.

Darrell Webb for the past year has been a great person to travel with and has performed admirably. I couldn’t ask for anything more than what these 2 gentlemen have brought to our organization and family of friends.

We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. Replacements will be announced at a later date. We ask you for your continued support for the band, Rhonda, and these 2 fine gentlemen.

The Mashville Brigade may not be that familiar a name to most festival going bluegrass fans, but the individual members of the band should be. The Brigade is comprised of: Aaron McDaris (The Grascals) on banjo and harmony vocals; Darrell Webb (Rhonda Vincent & The Rage) on guitar and lead vocals; Ashby Frank (Special Consensus) lead vocals and mandolin; Jim VanCleve (Mountain Heart) on fiddle; and Randy Barnes (NewFound Road) on bass.

The Brigade is today’s modern version of the Sidemen. Started a year or so ago as a fun midweek gig at The Station Inn in Nashville, The Mashville Brigade releases it’s first CD on April 22, 2008. The CD is produced by the band’s own Jim VanCleve, and contains 16 tracks, all of them standard bluegrass hits. Bearing the title Bluegrass Smash Hits, Volume 1, this disc is the first in a new series of releases planned by Rural Rhythm Records.

Ashby Frank commented on the genesis of the group.

I’ve gotten to pick with these guys at various festivals and in the halls and rooms of events like IBMA, SPBMGA, and the Galax Fiddlers Convention for years. Since we both grew up in North Carolina, I’ve known Jim for the longest, actually before I even really got into Bluegrass. The first time I ever played on a Bluegrass Festival stage was with Jim in Denton, NC. I think we put together a band with my sister and opened up the festival on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.

Randy, Darrell, Jim, Aaron and myself have performed with each other as a part of quite a few different collaborations, through fill-in work or special events like the MACC Festival in Columbus, OH. Once all of us had moved to Nashville, we talked about getting something together to play around town and maybe a festival or two. It took us a few years to get together, but it’s finally worked out, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

The band started basically as a new version of the Sidemen, the infamous group that used to perform every Tuesday night at the Station Inn. The Mashville Brigade started filling that same time slot and as Jim VanCleve tells it, one thing just led to another.

The Mashville Brigade has really grown into something much larger than we ever could have anticipated from when we first began playing at the Station Inn a little over a year ago. It all basically started as an outlet for us to have some fun while playing the music we all grew up on. But since the bluegrass culture around Nashville is really a pretty tight-knit bunch of friends, we suddenly had a good sized audience each Tuesday night, full of friends and family, in a room that is known for bringing out the best in people. This comfortable atmosphere really allowed the music to grow and take on it’s own unique personality. It was really starting to blow up, and the crowds just kept getting better each week. So, after some time, we started thinking, “this band really needs to record something”! Now, after listening back to the masters of the Mashville Brigade’s first album, I can honestly say that we are all very happy with what we were able to do!

The CD was recorded in a rather unique manner for the age we live in. The guys met at the Station Inn, their primary creative outlet, during the daylight hours and tracked the entire thing in under 8 hours with no overdubs. (more…)

Tonight is a big night for Darrell Webb, the newest member of Rhonda Vincent & The Rage. Starting at 6:00 p.m., he’ll be recording a live album at the converted Bellamy’s Hardware building in Surgoinsville, TN. And the boss will be on hand to lend her support.

Rhonda and the band will join Darrell on stage for the live recording, as will fiddle legend Bobby Hicks and award-winning vocalist Marty Raybon. Songs set to be cut include bluegrass favorites like Little Maggie and Molly And Tennbrooks, plus You Can’t Have One Without The Other, which Darrell nows sings as a part of Rhonda’s show.

If you’ll be in East Tennessee, there is no admission charge to attend the taping, but seating is limited. Contact info can be found online.