Lonesome River Band to Host 16th Annual Rudy Fest Bluegrass Festival

Article Contributed by Hope River Ent… | Published on Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Lonesome River Band continues their busy summer tour as they return to Grayson, Kentucky this week to Host the 16th Annual Rudy Fest Bluegrass Festival. The event will be held at the Carter County Fair Grounds June 22-25, 2016 with a stellar line-up that includes: Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Dave Adkins, The Steeldrivers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Volume Five, Balsam Range, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, and many more.  Lonesome River Band will hit the stage Friday, June 23 at 3:00 and 6:30 pm and Saturday, June 24 at 11:00 pm.

Lonesome River Band’s Sammy Shelor is really looking forward to this weekend saying, “Rudy Fest is a beast of a bluegrass festival! Always an amazing crowd to play to and the support an artist needs to perform at their best. The crew there always makes patrons and bands both feel welcome and at home. Love that Gang!”

"Sammy & LRB have been with us a long time.  I got to catch a show couple weeks ago and they had it dialed in and were having a ball on stage! Their new material is top shelf,” says festival promoter Rudy Burchett. Tickets for Rudy Fest can be purchased at the gate for $100 (4-day weekend pass), or daily passes for $20 (Wed) or $40 (Thursday-Friday).  Kids 12 and under free. For more information, please visit rudyfest.com.

Lonesome River Band will perform songs from their Billboard Top 10 Bluegrass Chart album, Bridging the Tradition, released on the Mountain Home Music Company label. The band’s first single, “Thunder & Lightning,” is currently #2 on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction’s Most Played Tracks, and appearing on Bluegrass Today's Top 20 Songs, Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine's Top 30 Songs, and more single and album radio charts.

Last week, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) released the second of three IBMA Awards ballots.  Lonesome River Band are candidates for nomination in the following categories: 

  • Entertainer of the Year
  • Vocal Group of the Year
  • Instrumental Group of the Year
  • Song of the Year (Thunder and Lightning, Adam Wright writer)
  • Album of the Year (Bridging the Tradition, Mountain Home Music Company)
  • Male Vocalist of the Year (Brandon Rickman)
  • Gospel Recorded Event of the Year (Rocking of the Cradle)
  • Banjo Player of the Year (Sammy Shelor)
  • Fiddle Player of the Year (Mike Hartgrove)
  • Mandolin Player of the Year (Jesse Smathers)
  • Bass Player of the Year (Barry Reed)

The official IBMA Award Nominees will be announced in August. For more information on joining IBMA, please visit ibma.org.

Lonesome River Band features Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer and 5-Time IBMA Banjo Performer of the Year, Sammy Shelor. With two stellar lead vocalists, Brandon Rickman (guitar) and Jesse Smathers (mandolin), accentuated by the impressive talents of Mike Hartgrove (fiddle) and Barry Reed (bass), the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace.

For more information on Lonesome River Band, please visit lonesomeriverband.com and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  #LRB

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