Gena Britt Tew is a real bluegrass trooper. Since hitting the scene with her own band in 2001 she’s done time with Lou Reid & Carolina, appeared on all three projects from Daughters Of Bluegrass, won several awards from both IBMA and SPBGMA, and is currently touring as banjo player and harmony vocalist with Dale Ann Bradley.

Her solo project, Doing All I Can, was released in September showcasing Gena as a lead vocalist, banjo player and songwriter. It’s a terrific album with a first rate cast of pickers and singers on a mix of contemporary and traditional bluegrass.

The first track sets the stage, with a clever reworking of Lennon and McCartney’s Help! Gena shared a few words about how this one came to be.

“Well, I spent almost 4 months in Japan back in 1993 and while I was there I picked up a Dolly Parton record that I had not seen in the States. It had a version of Dolly doing Help! on it, and I thought…. ‘Man, that would make a killer grass tune.’

When I had my band – Ashby Frank, Beth Lawrence, Clay Jones and me – we came up with the arrangement, and it just seemed to work. Plus, it’s just fun to play!

It stayed with me until I got ready to record.”

Two alumni from The Gena Britt Band show up on Doing All I Can, Ashby Frank on mandolin and Clay Jones on guitar, along with Greg Luck on guitar, Wayne Benson on mandolin, Tim Tew on resonator guitar, and Zack McLamb on bass. Gena plays banjo throughout.

“All the musicians on this project are some of my best friends. I grew up in central North Carolina around most of these guys, most of them living only an hour or so from me. It has really been a blessing to grow up with these great musicians who’ve all gone on to be some of the best in the business. I asked Shawn Lane to be a guest vocalist on this project, because I absolutely love his singing. He’s one of the purest vocalists that I know of, and I love to sing with him in my car. So, why not ask him to be on my record? It was an honor.

My husband Tim Tew was guest vocalist on a gospel tune called I’m Glorybound that I heard in his dad’s church not long after we started dating. I think he did a great job and this cut turned out being one of the most straight-ahead bluegrass tunes on the album. His brother, David, and I are singing harmony on that tune.”

Greg Corbett, Wayne Joyce and Teresa Hatley Love also contribute harmony vocals. (more…)

Gena Britt-Tew just wrote to tell us about a new addition to her family. She and her husband Tim are celebrating the birth of their second child, Dalsyn Vara Tew. Dalsyn was born on Wednesday November 1st, at 7:59 AM. The new Tew weighed in at 7lbs, 6 oz. and measured 19.75″ long. Her big sister Jalyn seems happy about having a little sister to play with.

Congratulations Tim and Gena!

Dalsyn Vara Tew	Sisters Tew

Back To The Well is the title of the second recording from The Daughters Of Bluegrass, an effort spearheaded by Lorraine Jordan and Gena Britt Tew to highlight the musical gifts and skills of the many female bluegrass pickers and singers currently performing in the US. The first CD on CMH Records, Daughters Of American Bluegrass, was nominated for the Recorded Event Of The Year award from the IBMA in 2005 and featured Lorraine and Gena along with Kristin Scott-Benson, Dale Ann Bradley, Kim Fox, Missy Raines, Honi Deaton, Cindy Cashdollar, Michelle Birkby-Vance, Anita Fisher and Chrystal Franklin.

The new project also prominently features Lorraine and Gena, along with Mindy Rakestraw, Frances Mooney, Donica Christensen, Jeanette Williams, Valerie Smith, Becky Buller, Beth Lawrence, Julie Elkins, Angela Oudean, Louisa Branscomb, Michelle Nixon, Dale Ann Bradley, Heather Berry, Megan McCormick, and Vicki Simmons. From The Well was released on Blue Circle Records in mid-March, and can be ordered from the Daughters web site.

The Carolina Road Band is currently going through some personnel changes. Gena Britt and her husband Tim Tew have joined the band for the first part of 2006. Lorraine Jordan tells us:

Gena and her husband Tim have agreed to join Carolina Road for the start of the upcoming season. Gena and I also play together in the Daughters of Bluegrass. The Daughters of Bluegrass are signed with Blue Circle Records out of Nashville, TN. Carolina Road plans to stay traditional and looks forward to a new show for 2006.

We contacted Gena to ask her about it, and to find out what her future plans were.

For the time being, I will be playing banjo and Tim (my husband) will be playing dobro until about mid-April this year (unless she finds permanent replacements before then). Lorraine is beginning her search for permanent band members and she’s making an effort to find the right people for the job.

After Tim & I finish our free-lance gig with Lorraine, we have alot of great things coming up. I have a new album coming out this year called “Doing All I Can” and I will be re-forming the Gena Britt Band.

Be sure to check back here in the future as we’ll bring you updates about Gena’s new CD and new band.