Regular readers of The Bluegrass Blog should be accustomed to reading rave reviews here of the work of Ron Stewart. Ron has established himself as perhaps the premier session player in and around bluegrass – on both fiddle and banjo – and a highly sought-after producer as well.

Over the past ten years, he has been a member of The Lynn Morris Band, JD Crowe & The New South with high-profile fill in work with Lonesome River Band. He was the subject of two popular instructional DVDs for AcuTab (banjo and fiddle) and released his own solo CD, Time Stands Still.

Ron is featured on two current CDs, Longview’s Deep In The Mountains where he plays fiddle, and Wheels, the just-released project from Dan Tyminski, on banjo. He has also developed a reputation as a first rate set up man on both instruments, and has long been a go-to-guy for folks looking for restored fiddles for sale.

I have heard Ron expound on banjo set up and construction many times, a knowledge he developed over many years of studying the classic pre-war flatheads, and refined through both examination of and discussion with JD Crowe and his collection of fine flatheads. Now, he has taken his banjo experience to the next step, pairing with builder Warren Yates in the development, set up and marketing of a new line of instruments, the Ron Stewart Signature Series banjos.

Ron shared his thoughts with us recently, explainng what brought him to work with Yates, and describing these new banjos that carry his name.

“I first met Warren Yates in July of 2006 at a show in Morganton, NC, while working with JD Crowe. I was also filling in on banjo with Kenny and Amanda Smith that same day. Warren introduced himself, and showed me a couple of his Rattlesnake banjos. I was impressed with the craftsmanship and the tone of the banjos, so we exchanged contact info, but aside from a couple of emails and a phone conversation or two, didn’t get to know each other really well until the next summer (I had a baby boy due in August, so as many of you know, that first year is, well, really intense and busy!).

I was once again playing in the area in July of ‚Äò07 and Warren and Joel Marley (who works at Yates banjo, inlay) came out to our show, and brought a Studio model Yates for me to play. It blew me away, and we started talking about doing a Ron Stewart model Yates at that time. The Studio model was the banjo I played at IBMA on the Dan Tyminski Band showcase in’07, which I sold to a gentleman in NC when I got my Maple model, which I used to record the new Dan Tyminski Band CD. (more…)

Ricky Wasson, long-time guitarist and lead vocalist with JD Crowe & The New South, will soon have his own solo project on Rural Rhythm Records.

Entitled From The Heart and Soul, the CD is due to be released on August 12. Joining Wasson will be J.D. Crowe on banjo, Ron Stewart on fiddle and banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Harold Nixon on bass, Randy Kohrs on resonator guitar and Don Rigsby, Sonya Isaacs and Ben Isaacs on harmony vocals.

The first single from this release, Merle Haggard’s Losin’ In Las Vegas, is included in the recent Rural Rhythm sampler, Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks, and we have a brief audio sample you can hear right now.

Listen now:

This one we will certainly be looking forward to hearing in full.

Our friend David Conner shared this YouTube link with us. It features a number of videos shot during an appearance by The Dan Tyminski Band at The Birchmere on March 1 of this year.

Ten songs from the show are posted, including the title track from Dan’s upcoming Rounder CD, Wheels, several cuts from his previous solo release (Tiny Broken Heart, Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere) and a few bluegrass classics (Rocky Road Blues, Man Of Constant Sorrow, Muleskinner Blues, Mary Ann).

The band includes Tyminski on guitar and vocals, Ron Stewart on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Barry bales on bass and Justin Moses on fiddle.

The video was shot with a hand held camera, so it’s a bit shaky at times, but the audio is terrific and they give a fine taste of how strong this band is in concert. This show in March took place one day after I saw the band perform in Roanoke (review here).

You can find all the videos on YouTube, and we’ve included the Wheels video for your enjoyment here.

Rick Hayes, mandolinist with The Gibson Brothers, is in the studio putting the finishing touches to his first solo CD, Fly By Night, due for release in May. Rick plays mandolin, guitar and bass on the project with Ron Stewart on banjo, Jim VanCleve on fiddle and Josh Swift on dobro.

Hayes handles the lead vocals as well, with the exception of a guest lead each by his bandmates Eric and Leigh Gibson. Harmony vocals were provided by Dwight McCall, the Gibsons and Clay Hess. The CD will also include a bonus track sung by his father, Green Hayes.

Hess contributed three new songs to the project, and Mark Cole, formerly of Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, has two.

Fly By Night was recorded in Rick’s studio, Hayes Productions, where he has previously tracked projects like Dwight McCall’s Kentucky Peace of Mind and Clay Hess’s Red Haired Boy. It will be released under his new label Kang Records ‚Äì an homage to the bluegrass pronunciation of the legendary King Records.