One of the most esteemed and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass, Blue Highway excels at every facet of the music, from instrumental dexterity to impeccable vocal interplay to literate, powerful songwriting.
Individually, Jason Burleson (banjo, guitar, mandolin), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals), and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals) are at the forefront of their respective roles, appearing on innumerable projects as sidemen, songwriters, and solo artists. Together, in Stafford’s words, they are “a democracy in the best sense of the word”: five gifted artists selflessly merging their talents into a seamlessly brilliant group sound. It’s a BAND in the best sense of the word. Five egos merged into one group ego, with everyone singing from the same songbook and tuned into the same frequency, can be a powerful force.
There are several truly great bluegrass bands on the circuit right now, but not one of them brings to the table the same combination of instrumental, vocal and songwriting chops possessed by Blue Highway. Each member plays his role to perfection, so the band moves from strength to strength, more mature and impressive with each new album.
The Beatles had three gifted songwriters in their ranks; Blue Highway has five. Rob and Jason turn out the heart-pounding instrumentals, while Wayne, Tim and Shawn give Blue Highway a depth of songwriting talent unprecedented in sixty years of bluegrass bands. All three are intelligent and polished writers, and each writes with a distinctive, personal voice and style.
Blue Highway has released seven acclaimed albums, received two Grammy nominations, topped the Bluegrass Unlimited radio charts multiple times, won a Dove Award and an astonishing 14 International Bluegrass Music Association awards, individually and collectively. Refusing to coast on past glories, Blue Highway continues to push their music to new levels of accomplishment. Boldly balanced between tradition and innovation, it remains one of the handful of bluegrass bands able to spread the popularity of bluegrass in the 21st Century.
