By Graham Lees

(....Continued from July 2000)

GL: When I've spoken to American artistes in the past, they have said that the people who hold the purse strings in Nashville, don't like country music and it's a sad state of affairs when they're running the asylum.

RS: Yes, I'm just amazed. If they don't like country music they ought to produce something else. They ought to go somewhere else, let us make the kinda music that we want to make and I'll tell you... we are setting a pattern for a whole lot of people in Nashville. Just coming out of the mainstream business there and starting our own label, is really opening the eyes of a whole lot of people. The record labels are watching us and a lot of the artistes are as well. We've come into this thing with very, very little debt. We don't owe are souls to the bank,we are paying our way as we go. Which is very important to me because, biblically even, I don't want to be into the debtor. So we are trying to do it the right way and the fans want to hear the music, so we know there is a market out there for it. Of course radio are not doing a whole lot to help us, because they are still trying to keep their share of the market and they're all afraid, everybody's afraid of each other. There is just this fear going around, so if you operate in fear there's no faith and you have no faith to try anything radical. So for us to do something radical like we did, to just walk away from a country music career. To walk back to something that the world would look at, or the business here in Nashville would look at and thinkwas so petty and so insignificant, a small thing like bluegrass. To see it go straight to the top and win two Grammy Awards has really caused people to look and say wait he might be on to something. You know we are just doing what is in our hearts, we haven't come up with some great strategy you know! We are just doing what's in our hearts for the people to follow.

Bobby Hicks, Luke Buka (fdles); Mark Fane (bass), Clay Hess (gtr), Ricky (mando/vocals),
Paul Brewster (rthm guit/vocals), Jim Mills (behind Paul) bjo/dobro. Not pictured: Darren Vincent (guit) Photo courtesy Ted Silverman. Read Ted's article

RS: Well that's really great, because I think this as a perfect opportunity for us, because we are not getting rich to come over and do it, which to me still doesn't matter, because we are OK we are doing well financially now. To be able to come over and play right before Reba comes out, because by then they will have heard some pretty good sized bands playing lots of different sounds, a lot of different styles of music. For us to walkout with all acoustic instruments and play heart and soul Appellation, Kentucky music that has the Celtic sounds, the sounds of home for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. To have those Celtic roots and those English and Welsh sounds, I think people are going to be really, really impressed. I'm hoping that they will be impressed by just the musicianship. My band is such a great band and these guys play so good, I hope that they will be impressed by just the sounds of the music and will be somethingthat will satisfy a hungry ear.

GL: Well I hope so. We have just come back from the North Wales Country Music Festival and they had The Acme Band (bluegrass & Gospel) on last night and received the best applause of the weekend.

RS: Well that's just wonderful Graham, are they a local group?

GL: They come from the Midlands of England.

RS: I hope I can get the chance to meet them and encourage them to keep going for it. That is one of the things that we have in our heart. To encourage other young musicians that have the gift and talent to play acoustic music, because they can get so disappointed sometimes when they don't have the big sales like the other big groups or electric groups do. We just want to encourage people to hang in with it. If it is in your heart, if it is a passion, then the passion over-rides the desire to make big bucks. Passion is a thing that will sustain you through the hard times, because it really has with me!

GL: You alwayssee the light at the end of the tunnel when you have passion!

RS: That's right, when you've got passion you see it. No matter what comes your way, passion will drive you over the next wall...  (Continued in Feb 20001....)

Graham Lees, Dewesbury, W.Yorks, UK Write to | Website

1st Dec 2000