Bluegrass Alliance I (1968 - 1970)
• Dan Crary - guitar
• Danny Jones - mandolin
• Buddy Spurlock - banjo
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Ebo Walker - bass
Albums:
1. "The Bluegrass Alliance" (American Heritage 1971)
2. "Newgrass"
Dan Crary goes solo.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance II (1970)
• Buddy Spurlock - banjo
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Ebo Walker - bass
• Sam Bush - guitar
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance III (1970 - 1971)
• Buddy Spurlock - banjo
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Ebo Walker - bass
• Sam Bush - mandolin
• Tony Rice - guitar
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance III (1971)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Ebo Walker - bass
• Sam Bush - mandolin
• Tony Rice - guitar
• Courtney Johnson - banjo
Tony Rice joins J.D. Crowe & The New South.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance III (1971)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Ebo Walker - bass
• Sam Bush - mandolin
• Courtney Johnson - banjo
• Curtis Burch - guitar/dobro
Group disbands. Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Curtis Burch, and Ebo Walker form New Grass Revival.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance IV (1971-1974)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Steve Maxwell - bass
• Chuck Nation - mandolin
• Garland Shuping - banjo/lead vocal
• Jack Lawrence - guitar.
Albums:
1. "Tall Grass" LP (Bridges 1973)
Group disbands and leave Lonnie Peerce fall 1974.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance V (1974-1975)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Marshall Billingsley - upright bass
• Glenn Lawson - mandolin/lead vocal
• Bill Millet - banjo
• Marty Hallum - guitar.
Glenn Lawson leaves to join J.D. Crowe & The New South.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance VI (1975-1976)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Vince Gill - guitar/lead vocal
• Bill Millet - banjo
• Al White - mandolin
• Marshall Billingsley - upright bass.
Albums:
1. "KENTUCKY BLUE" LP on American Heritage 1975.
"Kentucky Blue" was recorded in Nashville at Starday Studio during early Dec. 1975 with Pink Floyd's engineer Sundance. Nashville A-list session players Buddy Emmons (steel guitar) and Karl Himmel (drums) play on the recording. Released on LP Jan. 1976 on American Heritage label. Marshall Billingsley leaves and is replaced by Robert Poole on upright bass. Vince Gill leaves to join Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglass newly formed Boone Creek as bass player. This situation does not last long.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance VII (spring 1976)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Thayne Bradford - mandolin/lead vocal
• Bill Millet - banjo
• John Jump - guitar
• Bob Briedenbach - dobro
• Robert Poole - upright bass.
Thayne Bradford leaves and is replaced by Vince Gill.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance VIII (summer-fall 1976)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Vince Gill - electric mandolin/lead vocal
• Bill Millet - banjo
• John Jump - guitar
• Bob Briedenbach - dobro
• Robert Poole - upright bass.
Vince Gill, plays a Gibson electric mandolin and sings lead vocals in this era of The Bluegrass Alliance, which is heavily influenced by Western Swing and Outlaw Country. Band members leave founding member Lonnie Peerce (again) in mass - after performing at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole Wyoming and the Denver Folklore Center - to form LAZY RIVER.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance XIV (winter 1976 - 1977)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Tony Williamson - mandolin
• Garland Shuping - banjo/lead vocal
• Mike Williams - bass
• Keith Sanson - guitar.
________________________________________
Bluegrass Alliance XX (1977 - March 1978)
• Lonnie Peerce - fiddle
• Danny Jones - mandolin/lead vocal
• Steve Cooley - banjo
• Ricky Burch - bass
• Dennis White - guitar/vocals.
________________________________________
This last version of The Bluegrass Alliance was the end of the road for an influential band that helped change the face and sound of Bluegrass music in the post Woodstock generation.
Sounds Like
1952 - April 13 Sam Bush was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
________________________________________
1963 - December Sam, with the help of his parents purchased a Gibson A-50 mandolin.
________________________________________
1967-69 Sam was the winner at the National Junior Fiddle Championship, Weiser, Idaho.
________________________________________
1967 Sam met banjo player Alan Munde, at a fiddle contest in Lexington, Missouri, playing guitar for Lou Berline, Byron's dad.
________________________________________
1969 Sam Bush, Alan Munde and Wayne Stewart recorded Poor Richard's Almanac for American Heritage, later available on Ridge Runner. It was the first recording to marry bluegrass and Texas fiddle in an all-instrumental album. Each took turns overdubbing the bass.
________________________________________
1969 Alan left to play with Jimmy Martin. Sam & Wayne recruited Courtney Johnson to compete Poor Richard's Almanac.
________________________________________
1970 Sam graduated from high school, moved to Louisville, and joined Bluegrass Alliance. Sam replaced Dan Crary on guitar. While at a festival, he saw a skinny guy sitting on guitar case jamming in Reidsville, North Carolina. His name was Tony Rice. Sam invited him to play guitar so Sam could play mandolin instead. The other menmbers were: Lonnie Peerce - fiddle, Ebo Walker - bass, Buddy Spurlock - banjo.
________________________________________
1971 Buddy Spurlock left Bluegrass Alliance, and Courtney Johnson replaced him.
________________________________________
1971 (Labor Day) Tony left to play with his brother Larry in J. D. Crowe's band. Curtis Burch replaced Tony on guitar and also played Dobro.
________________________________________
1971 - October Sam, Courtney, Curtis and Ebo left the Bluegrass Alliance to form their own group, New Grass Revival.
________________________________________
1972 The first self-titled New Grass Revival album was recorded in three days for Starday Records. It is now found in truck stops on Starday under the title Today's Bluegrass.
________________________________________
1973 March-May Hooked up with "largest Billboard Attraction," Leon Russell. Butch Robins had played Leon's Hank Wilson album and recommended New Grass to open on the tour.
________________________________________
1973 Ebo left New Grass, and Butch Robins played bass for a little over a year.
________________________________________
1974 John Cowan replace Butch Robins on bass.
________________________________________.
THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO ALL FORMER BAND MEMBERS OF THE BLUEGRASS ALLIANCE FROM 1968 to 1978. THERE IS NO PROFIT MOTIVE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ENDEVOUR, ONLY TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A VERY INFLUENTIAL BLUEGRASS BAND.
THE ALLIANCE - OR "APPLIANCE" AS IT IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO - WAS UNIQUELY DEFINED BY THE AWESOME INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCAL TALENTS OF MANY OF ITS MEMBERS. THIS STARTED WITH FOUNDING MEMBER AND GUITAR VIRTUOSO DAN CRARY, WHO POPULARIZED THE LEAD FLATPICKING STYLE THAT FUTURE APPLIANCE MEMBER TONY RICE WOULD ELEVATE TO A WORLD CLASS LEVEL. OF COURSE, WHAT SAM BUSH BROUGHT TO THE TABLE DURING HIS YEARS WITH THE BAND, CREATED AN ENTIRE NEW DEFINITION OF THE GENRE - NEWGRASS - WHICH REMAINS ONE OF ITS DOMINANT FORCES. AND VINCE GILL WOULD CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE ON THE RECORDING OF THE KENTUCKY BLUE LP THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO ON THIS SITE, THAT HE WAS DESTINED TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST SUCCESFULL COUNTRY MUSIC ARTISTS OF ALL TIME. MANDOLINIST TONY WILLIAMSON SET THE STANDARD FOR THE INSTRUMENT THAT IS ON PAR WITH THE WORLDS TOP CLASSICAL AND JAZZ INSTRUMENTALISTS._________________________________________.
THROUGHOUT THE MYRIAD OF CHANGES THAT BESET THE APPLIANCE, FIDDLER LONNIE PEERCE REMAINED A CONSTANT, ALBEIT WITH LIMITED INSTRUMENTAL AND MUSICAL ABILITIES. BUT HE HAD A NOSE FOR TALENT AND COULD ATTRACT AND KEEP HOT, YOUNG ARTISTS BY VIRTUE OF KEEPING THE BAND CONSTANTLY BOOKED AT SHOWS AND FESTIVALS. THAT WAS HIS STRENGTH AND TO HIS CREDIT, IS ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT HELPED MAJOR ARTISTS SUCH AS VINCE GILL, SAM BUSH, TONY RICE AND JOHN COWAN REACH A LEVEL OF ARTISTRY WHOSE INFLUENCE IS STILL FELT TO THIS DAY.______________.
THIS TRIBUTE SITE WILL BECOME MORE ROBUST AS TIME GOES ON, BASED ON INPUT AND DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE BY FORMER MEMBERS OF THE BLUEGRASS ALLIANCE, WHO PLAYED FULL TIME WITH THE BAND DURING THE PERIOD OF 1968 TO 1978.__________________________.
BILL MILLET |
Banjo player for THE BLUEGRASS ALLIANCE (1974-1976)
www.billmillet.com |
www.myspace.com/billmillet
The Bluegrass Alliance Tribute's Friend Space (Top 40)
Thanks for the add.... Lonnie Pierce was my great uncle, his sister Louise is my grandma, I grew up listining to your music. Brings back alot of memories hereing these songs again.
Hi....Welcome, and thanks for dropping by our site for a visit.
<br />
<br />Thank you too for the add, and for the friendship.
<br />
<br />
<br />Look for our new CD, "MAGIC" at
<br />www.cdbaby.com
<br />
<br />
<br />Here's hoping you have a fantastic week.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RADIO COUNTRY CLUB
<br />1st March 2006 - 1st March 2009
<br />The Biggest French Radio
<br />Country Music - Best Regards
<br />http://www.radiocountryclub.com
Thanks for the Add. It is a pleasure to have you as a friend. Your music is Awesome. Keep up the great work and stop by our page and say hello sometimes.
The Bluegrass Hotel, a Tribute to the Newgrass era in Kentucky - featuring the original members of The Bluegrass Alliance and NewGrass Revival - Press announcement & live performances
Tue. Sept. 30 @ 6:00 pm.
2008 IBMA World of Bluegrass Nashville Convention Center 2nd Floor | Rooms 204 - 205
