On January 10, 2024, lifelong bluegrass singer and bandleader Audie Blaylock passed away unexpectedly at his home in Auburn, Indiana, at just 61 years old. Blaylock’s final role was as lead singer and guitarist with his own band, Redline. On the first anniversary of Blaylock’s passing, a very special song will be released to fans and radio.
In the wake of Blaylock’s passing, Reed Jones, bassist and primary songwriter with Redline and a close friend of Audie’s, shared memories with Bluegrass Today. “Audie was a very passionate person, and once you were his friend, you were in for good. Extremely loyal. Over the course of the past 13 years, Audie became like a brother to me. Traveling together, you form a very special bond,” Jones said. “Most bands tend to have a revolving door with personnel, but Redline has had a core that stayed. Audie called it a brotherhood.”
The bonds formed by members of Audie’s band remain a testament to the clarity of Audie’s musical vision, his relentless pursuit of excellence, and his complete love and acceptance of those he allowed into his close circle of bandmates and friends.
Now, the brotherhood has found a way to honor their lost leader and work toward healing from the loss with an original song crafted by Reed Jones. “Ran Out of Road” was inspired by what appeared to be a posthumous sighting of Audie. “It was like he was reminding me that he was still right there with me,” Jones says. “And I know he is. This song was written for me, my Redline brothers, and everyone who has experienced the pain of losing a loved one. Each of those groups gets a part of this song, and I hear Audie all over it.”
Jones reached out to the brotherhood of former Redline members for this very special collaborative song, which will be released on the anniversary of Blaylock’s passing, January 10, 2025. Appearing on the track are Patrick McAvinue (fiddle and mandolin), Evan Ward (banjo), Russ Carson (banjo), Mason Wright (fiddle), and Darren Nicholson (baritone vocal). Reed Jones plays Audie’s own guitar and provides bass and lead vocals for the song. A musical visionary and teacher, Audie’s influence provided a powerful foundation for growth and advancement for those who played with him. McAvinue went on to play for Dailey & Vincent, and then the U.S. Navy Band. Russ Carson moved on to Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder. All who played with Redline were touched by Blaylock’s mentorship, and those friendships, Jones says, remain lifelong bonds.
Special guests on “Ran Out of Road” include Harry Stinson on snare and Vince Gill on tenor vocals.
“Ran Out of Road” (615 Hideaway Records)
Written by Reed Jones, Deadwax Pilgrim Publishing, BMI
Mixed and mastered by Scott Vestal at Digital Underground Studios
“‘Ran Out of Road’ is my love letter to Audie, his band, his music, and all the beauty those things have brought, and continue to bring, into my life,” Jones says.
Blaylock was a veteran of the genre who dedicated the bulk of his adult life to bluegrass. In 2004, he released the Grammy-nominated A Tribute to Jimmy Martin: The King of Bluegrass. In 2011, he released the highly praised I’m Going Back to Old Kentucky: A Tribute to Bill Monroe, showcasing his commitment to the traditional first-generation sounds of bluegrass music. He played with many of the greats, including Red Allen, Jimmy Martin, Lynn Morris, and Rhonda Vincent, before forming and fronting Redline. He continued to work with some of the finest talents in bluegrass, such as Del McCoury, Michael Cleveland, Bobby Osborne, and J.D. Crowe.
Blaylock, who also had a passion for vintage automobiles, chose a perfect name for his band. He had a clear vision for his sound, involving an occasional glance in the rearview mirror but with a heavy foot planted on the accelerator, driving his sound firmly into the future. He demanded that his music be played with passion and precision.
He could be intense, opinionated, and driven but always sensitive. Never content in the passenger seat, once he took the steering wheel into his own hands, he charted a unique course with a distinct sound. Redline earned International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) nominations and awards, including Instrumental Group of the Year, Guitar Player of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and a Grammy nomination.
The band released six albums, traveled to three continents, and performed in nearly two dozen countries. Blaylock was an innovative writer, composer, arranger, and devoted student of the genre he so passionately loved.
“He listened tirelessly. He loved deeply. He lived passionately and intensely,” Jones says. “He was fiercely loyal and incredibly sensitive. He was a musician’s musician, a singer’s singer. He was a kindred spirit. He was my brother. In our first conversation, he told me, ‘We play bluegrass music, but we play it like rock stars.’ I could get behind that, and I found out very quickly he meant it. I also found out quickly that when he said, ‘I love you,’ he meant that, too. In fact, I think that pretty accurately sums Audie up: he meant it. All of us in Redline needed something like this to do together as part of our healing. We hope that healing is evident to everyone who hears this song and that they can experience it themselves.”
MORE ON AUDIE BLAYLOCK
Born in El Paso, TX, Audie Blaylock grew up in Lansing, MI, where he began playing guitar and mandolin in regional bands while still in school.
In 1982, he was offered the mandolin position in Jimmy Martin’s band and spent nearly a decade as a Sunny Mountain Boy. He later played with Red Allen and Harley Allen while based in Nashville. When Red passed away in 1993, Audie took a position with The Lynn Morris Band and, for a brief time, played with Chris Jones & The Night Drivers.
Audie played guitar and sang with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage from 1999 to 2003. Soon after, he launched his solo career and formed Redline, save for a one-year stint with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper as a featured performer.
He considered A Tribute to Jimmy Martin: The King of Bluegrass one of his finest achievements. Audie coordinated the album and played guitar, covering Martin classics with top musicians of the day. The all-star effort included Sonny Osborne voicing an introductory tribute to The King, J.D. Crowe and Kenny Ingram on banjo, Ben Isaacs and Jason Moore on bass, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, and Jesse Brock on mandolin. Paul Williams, Sonya Isaacs, and Ben Isaacs provided harmonies. The album was nominated for a Grammy award.
Playing the Opry with Rhonda Vincent and sharing the stage with Andy Griffith were among Blaylock’s career highlights. Griffith was another hero to Audie.
MORE ON REED JONES
A native of West Liberty, OH, Reed was fascinated by blues and traditional Americana music from an early age. By the time he was 16, Reed was playing in a Christian rock band with musicians three times his age, and by the time he went to college, he was playing mandolin in a bluegrass band. While in college, he completed an original research project on the now-legendary recording The Bluegrass Album, and his research was later cited in the official Tony Rice biography Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story.
From 2005 to 2010, he played bass with several bands, including Unlimited Tradition, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, and Billie Renee and Cumberland Gap. In 2010, he took the bassist role for Redline, a post he held until Blaylock’s passing. Reed also teaches history in secondary school. He is a prolific songwriter, having penned the song “The Road That Winds,” which Redline recorded as the theme for the Travel Channel series Back Road Gold. He holds the distinction of having told some of the best jokes in bluegrass music, and you might find him browsing an antique store near you.
