Lees Boys and McCourys join forces for special tour
Sacred steel and bluegrass bands at Legends January 22

By Jeff Eason

Last month’s Warren Haynes Christmas Jam in Asheville featured a number of interesting stage shows where musicians from different bands joined forces. The most talked about combination came after the sacred steel act the Lee Boys teamed up with the Travelin’ McCourys, an all-star off-shoot of the legendary bluegrass act the Del McCoury Band.

The players in both bands enjoyed the evening so much that they’ve decided to unite for six special shows in the Southeast this month.

The Lee Boys and the Travelin’ McCourys will perform in Boone on Thursday, January 22nd. The show will take place at Legends on the campus of Appalachian State University and tickets are on sale now.

According to a spokesperson for the two acts, the bands will perform separate sets before joining forces in a third set.

The Lee Boys have vaulted to national prominence in recent years with their exciting take on the traditional “sacred steel” sound, originally found in some African-American churches, mainly in Florida. The sound utilizes a solid foundation and the pedal steel guitar plays a prominent role in those bands.

The Lee Boys also found a new fanbase last month when they were the musical guests on the Late Night with Conan O’Brien. They have also toured with a wide variety of acts such as Michelle Shocked, the Dirty Dozen Brazz Band, Susan Tedeschi and Victor Wooten, to name a few.

The Travelin’ McCourys consists of four members of the Del McCoury Band: Ron McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass.

On this tour the Travelin’ McCourys will be joined by three members of the band Dre’s Rude Awakening: Dre Anders on vocals, Shane Theriot on guitar and Johnny Neel on keyboards. The new band is said to “blend the best of the Appalachian tradition with the improvisational magic of jazz, folk and blues.”

If the performance at the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam is any indication, this show at Legends will be one of the highlights for live music in the High Country in 2009.

“The appearance of the Lee Boys for a performance of ‘Celebrate’ was one of the highlights of the first night’s show,” wrote a reviewer from Jambase.com about last month’s jam. “The merging of the soulful gospel of the Lee Boys and the traditional bluegrass of the McCourys left the audience begging for more. On a night full of musical magic, the McCourys and the Lee Boys may have out David Copperfield-ed even the most astute aural magicians.”

Added Fred Mills, editor of Blurt Magazine, “The Lee Boys were absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing at the 2008 Warren Haynes Christmas Jam—in particular, when they jammed with the Del McCoury Band, it was one of those electric, pinch-me moments music lovers live for. The looks on both bands’ faces would suggest they were just as amazed as the audience.”

For more information, contact the Appalachian State Student Union at (828) 262-3030.