Epitomizing what has come to be known as the "high lonesome sound," the Del McCoury Band is one of the most respected traditional bluegrass bands in the business. Bandleader McCoury caught his first big professional break in 1963 when Bill Monroe hired him and his Virginia Mountain Boys to open a few New York gigs. Impressed by the young singer's perfect bluegrass tenor, Monroe invited him to join his Blue Grass Boys. While his stint with the legend was brief, it provided the multi-talented McCoury with the momentum to begin his gradual rise to the top of the bluegrass world. As they approach their 10th anniversary together, Del and the boys continue to play a major role in the ongoing explosion of interest in bluegrass. Billboard wrote of the band: "What John Lee Hooker [was] to the blues and the Chieftains to Celtic music, the Del McCoury Band is to bluegrass - ambassador of a genre, possessed of a deep knowledge of its roots and a desire to share it with the masses." Their collaborative album The Mountain with country-rocker Steve Earle in 1999 and high-profile gigs with popular jam bands Phish and String Cheese Incident have won the act legions of new, appreciative fans. The senior McCoury is quick to point out the importance of attracting young fans to bluegrass, and relies heavily on the junior band mates to help keep it contemporary. "I'm still the boss of this house," Del said, "but you know, I take their ideas because they're younger than me, and they have young ideas. A lot of the songs we choose to record come from these guys. They hear 'em or write 'em … or you know, anything like that. I think it takes youth to keep things alive." The band's performance served both tradition and eclecticism. The quartet kicked off their set with the rollicking train song " All Aboard," then aired things out with the Celtic-tinged instrumental "Gold Brickin'," which featured furious picking and fiddling. Richard Thompson's tragic ballad of love and rebellion "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" is beautifully rendered before Del dedicates "Nashville Cats" to all the pickers there and in Austin.
Recorded: 07/31/2001

1. All Aboard
2. Gold Brickin'
3. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
4. Nashville Cats
5. Get Down on Your Knees and Pray
6. Rawhide

Austin City Limits
Recorded: 07/31/2001

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