Darrel Webb Band to Headline Bluegrass Jamboree

Allegheny Mountain Radio has been hosting the Bluegrass Jamboree for fourteen years, and each year brings acts that are new to everyone, and some that are comfortably familiar.  This Saturday, Southern Rail Express with Willie Smith and friends will be a regular favorite and Flat Broke, mostly from Augusta County, will be there too.  The “headliner” if you can call anyone that, in an evening so full of talent, is the Darrell Webb band from Tennessee.  Darrell spoke with Allegheny Mountain Radio to introduce listeners to the band, and to encourage everyone to come join in the fun on Saturday night.

“Well the band has been together for six years now and it’s been going really good; we have a job that we play in the Smokey Mountains down in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg three to five days a week when we’re not touring.  That’s a place called The Old Smokey Distillery.  We have Cody Hill on banjo, Jared Hensley on guitar, Jake Joins on dobro, and Cameron Keller on upright bass and vocals. “

I asked Darrell who some of the musicians are that helped him become the band leader, and excellent mandolin player he is today.

“Well, I have a lot of those, I could go on and on forever, my main influence as far as being a mandolin player would be- I have to give all the credit to Doyle Lawson.

Growing up, I started playing when I was nine years old,  I listened to a lot of his stuff, and if he was ever close, I went and saw him, and got to meet him, and got to be really good friends with him. And I’m still really good friends with him after all these years.  He would probably be my biggest Bluegrass influence.  But I listen to everything; I get inspired by all kinds of music, you know, I listen to everything from Flatt and Scruggs to Van Halen.”

Another well-known, and much respected musician Darrell has accompanied in the studio and on stage is Rhonda Vincent.

“I played with her in 2008 up to the later part of 2009.  And it was such a pleasure being in her band.  It was my first job I ever had professionally playing guitar.”

I had read about Bill Monroe and Darrell Webb playing together, so I asked him how that came about.

Darrell Webb,

“We played at a place in Nashville. It’s called 12^th and Porter.  It’s a Rock and Roll Club.   We were doing a tour for Rounder Records.  It was us and Lorie Lewis’s  band, and the Del MaCory Band, all on the same tour.  We were at 12^th and Porter, and JD kicked off one of his songs, and Bill came out and sat in the audience and watched the show, and as the song went on he just got to where he couldn’t stand it any longer and he just walks up on stage, and he grabbed the microphone, and started singing, and me and him were singing together on stage, and that was pretty cool.”

Darrell and his band have played throughout this region, and well beyond.  While he describes Arizona, as one of his favorite place to travel and play, the band especially enjoyed a trip to Manteo in the Outer Banks of North Carolina last year.

“If you’ve never been to that place, it’s pretty amazing.  The stage is right in front of the ocean.  You can see all the way completely through the stage at the water. It’s beautiful.”

For a little more about the Darrell Webb Band, and the upcoming Bath Bluegrass Jamboree stay tuned to Allegheny Mountain Radio.