Updated 6/16, 7:00 a.m.
The recent history of bluegrass music has seen the occasion of a number of “part time” bands, made up of members of other full time touring acts. Perhaps the most prominent was The Bluegrass Album Band, featuring Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, JD Crowe, Bobby Hicks and Todd Phillips, whose CDs still are top sellers, and whose few short tours were something of a bluegrass sensation. Longview made, and continues to make their mark in this realm, with James King, Dudley Connell, Don Rigsby, Marshall Wilborn, Joe Mullins and Glenn Duncan – though current membership has changed considerably for their 2006 dates.

White House was a Nashville-area outfit that produced a CD and performed a few shows with David Parmley, Missy Raines, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson and Jason Carter, and The Dreadful Snakes and The Sidemen were Nashville favorites at The Station Inn.

A new group in the VA/MD area sure to generate a similar sort of buzz is Seneca Rocks! Band members include Dudley Connell, Marshall Wilborn, Sally Love, David McLaughlin and Tom Adams. Students of 1970s era bluegrass will recognize that the four gentlemen in the group were all part of The Johnson Mountain Boys, a dynamic and engaging band that developed a large and loyal following for their brand of traditional “old school” bluegrass.

Each has remained active in bluegrass since JMB disbanded. Dudley now plays guitar and sings with Seldom Scene, Marshall is in frequent demand as a free-lance and session bass man, and has worked for quite some time with his wife, Lynn Morris. David has been most active as a recording engineer and producer, and has released an instructional DVD for mandolin. (more…)

The Lynn Morris Band website has some photos of Lynn at last month’s SPBGMA Convention in Nashville, where she both performed with the band and accepted the 2006 Grand Masters Gold Award. This award is given to artists who have won any award from SPBGMA ten times, and Lynn has been their Female Vocalist Of The Year (Traditional) the requisite number of times.

As many of our readers may know, Lynn suffered a stroke during knee replacement surgery a few years ago, and was unable to perform for quite some time. She has been making a slow but steady recovery ever since, and her husband Marshall Wilborn has this comment posted on their site:

Lynn does indeed continue her recovery in a very positive way. Thanks so much, once again, to all of you for your good thoughts, prayers, and well wishes over these last three years. You can’t imagine how much it’s meant to us!

We look forward to seeing you at the festivals.

The site also indicates that cards and notes can be sent to Lynn at: