Grasstowne is a new band comprised of three very well respected veterans in bluegrass and acoustic music. Phil Leadbetter and Steve Gulley have known each other since the mid-1970s when they performed in local bands in the Knoxville, TN area while in their teens. It was during this time through their friendship their paths crossed with mandolin ace Alan Bibey. Well, here we are 30 years later and we find all three men as partners in the hot new band Grasstowne. On December 1st 2008, on the group's one year anniversay, their CD "The Road Headin' Home" hit number 1 on the BU National Chart. The album remained there for January and February 2008 (3 straight months). In February 2008, the single "Dixie Flyer" also hit number 1 on the BU National Chart, with the project occupying both the number 1 album and the number 1 song spot for February 2008! The group also picked up 11 nominations at the 2008 SPBGMA Awards. The band picked up "Album Of The Year" for The Road Headin' Home. The band's first year was awesome
STEVE GULLEY (Guitar / Vocals):
Guitarist Steve Gulley had already won esteem for his lofty tenor voice and emotional delivery as an entertainer at Kentucky's historic Renfro Valley before he joined Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, bringing him before a wider but no less appreciative audience. Steve was also a founding member of the bluegrass group Mountain Heart where he recorded five highly acclaimed CDs as the lead singer for that band. He has been tapped as a harmony and featured singer on projects like the widely-praised Keith Whitley album, "Sad Songs and Waltzes, and many others including projects by Ronnie Bowman, Dan Tyminski, Tim Stafford, David Parmley, Dale Ann Bradley, Jeff Parker and Grasstowne's own Phil Leadbetter just to name a few.He has also earned multiple Male Vocalist of the Year nominations from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America
PHIL LEADBETTER (Resonator Guitar/ Vocals):
Phil has been playing resonator guitar since 1975. He was a member of JD Crowe & the New South for 10 years, and also a founding member of the bluegrass band Wildfire where he recorded 3 highly acclaimed Cds. He also worked with Grandpa Jones and also CBS recording artist Vern Gosdin. In 1995 he was part of the Crowe recording Flashback which received a Grammy nomination. He has several SPBGMA and IBMA Dobro Player Of The Year nominations. Phil also has a solo project entitled Philibuster which is on Rounder Records. In 2005, Phil released his 2nd solo CD "Slide Effects" on Pinecastle Records. The tune "California Cottonfields" charted 1 for two consecutive months (October and November 2005) on The Bluegrass Unlimited's National Chart with the CD itself reaching the 4 spot. "California Cottonfields" also charted 1 on Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass. It was also a "Hot Pick" by quite a few Bluegrass Now reporting DJs, and also 1 several months on the "America's Bluegrass" chart. In October 2005, "Slide Effects" was voted "Best Instrumental Album", and Phil was awarded "Dobro Player of the Year" at The International Bluegrass Music Awards which were held at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2008 and 2009, he was awarded "Dobro Player Of The Year" by the SPBGMA organization in Nashville, TN. His credits are found on quite a few CDs such as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Wildfire and JD Crowe & the New South to name a few.
ALAN BIBEY (Mandolin / Vocals):
Since first hitting the scene in the early 1980s, Alan Bibey has made a name for himself as one of the most creative and technically gifted mandolinist in bluegrass and acoustic music. A stylist who turned heads as an original member of the New Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out, and BlueRidge, his tasteful innovations and pristine execution earned him inclusion in the Young Mando Monsters project and Mel Bays 2000 mandolin book, The Greatest Mandolin Players of the Twentieth Century. Alans contributions to The AcuTab Sessions: Knee Deep In Bluegrassthe respected tablature publisher of Alans Instructional Book and Videohelped the compilation to earn the IBMAs Instrumental Album Of The Year in 2001. Alan also won for Recorded Event Of The Year in 2001, while his solo project "In The Blue Room" featuring a dazzling array of the musics top names friends and admiring colleagues all as well as the smooth vocal style he brings to BlueRidge, met with critical acclaim and was voted 2 Instrumental Recording of The Year by County Sales. In 2007 and 2009, Alan was voted "Mandolin Player Of The Year" by the SPBGMA organization in Nashville, TN. The Gibson Company has just introduced The Alan Bibey Signature Mandolin, reaffirming his status as one of the most influential mandolinist in acoustic music.
JASON DAVIS (Banjo):
Jason Davis hails from Ford, Virginia. He discovered bluegrass at the age of 10. Jason got his first banjo at age 11. He also landed his first professional gig at age 14 with Michelle Nixon & Drive where he remained for 3 1/2 years. He recorded 2 projects for Pinecastle while a member of Michelle's band. He was also featured on the Huber Banjo project called "Cuppa Jo". He then moved onto the Kenny & Amanda Smith Band where he recorded a Gospel album. After departing from Kenny and Amanda's group, he spent the remainder of 2006 filling in with Blueridge. He is now very excited and proud to be a member of Grasstowne.
DALE PERRY (Upright Bass / Vocals)
Dale hails from the town of Crum, WV, but now makes his home in Clarksville, TN. He is a true veteran in bluegrass which included stints with The Bluegrass Cardinals, The Lonesome River Band, Doyle Lawson And Quicksilver, and David Parmley And Continental Divide to name a few. He can also be heard on many of their albums. Dale is also one of the very best bass singers in the business. He joined Grasstowne in June 2009.
