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Lonesome River Band

1 upcoming festival

Long-running bluegrass outfit anchored by banjoist Sammy Shelor, with a hard-driving band sound and stacked vocal trios.

The Lonesome River Band came together in Virginia in the early 1980s and became one of the defining groups of the modern traditional scene, with a lineup that at various points included Tim Austin, Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminski. Sammy Shelor took over the banjo chair in 1990 and has led the group since, keeping a roster that turns over while the sound stays put: driving tempos, and vocal arrangements stacked into trios that sit high above the rhythm. The band records regularly and works a heavy schedule of bluegrass dates, drawing on a large catalogue of material that has become standard repertoire for other bands.

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