Review of Concert by Doyle Lawson
& Quicksilver at the Lucy Opry on March 11, 2007
By Betty
Westmoreland
As surely
as spring follows winter, bluegrass music fans in West
Tennessee know that they can count on their annual visit from
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. On March 11, 2007, the tradition continued at
the Lucy Opry in the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center (BPACC) in Bartlett, TN. Doyle Lawson
& Quicksilver is the current International Bluegrass Music Association
(IBMA) Vocal Group of the Year. The band is also nominated this year for gospel
music’s Dove award.
DOYLE
LAWSON ventured forth on his own in 1979 to begin the band which is now known
as Quicksilver. The band has become legendary, with other bands seeking to
emulate their vocal and instrumental styles. Vowing to always keep things
interesting, Lawson has seen the band evolve over the last 28 years—clothing
styles, hair styles, band members—you name it! This season’s presentation was
no less interesting, with Lawson coming onstage in a bright red ‘Nudie’-type
sport coat like one might see on Opry legends Porter Wagoner and Jimmy Dickens.
It was a stunner! Seeing this dignified, usually conservatively dressed
gentleman in a wild Western jacket with sequins, piping, darts, and other embellishments,
made the audience really sit up and take notice. (Nudie Cohn [1902-1984] was
the legendary clothing designer who outfitted Grand Ole Opry stars for many
years.) Doyle Lawson is one of the finest mandolin players in the country, and
his vocals provide that flawless sound for which the band is known. He is from Bristol, TN,
and his roots are deep in bluegrass and Southern gospel music. His Grandpa
Lawson was a Missionary Baptist preacher, and a cappella music with four-part harmony was an integral part of the
worship service.
Among the
many bluegrass music honors and awards which Doyle Lawson has received over the
years, there is the September 14, 2006, National Heritage Fellowship from the
National Endowment for the Arts. Eleven distinguished master artists attended
the Capitol Hill award ceremony in the Cannon Caucus Room in the Cannon House
Office Building.
On September 15, 2006, Lawson and the others participated in a free concert at
the Music Center at Strathmore. The NEA National
Heritage Fellowships program is made possible through the support of the Darden
Restaurants Foundation and the Darden family of restaurants, including Red
Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill.
TERRY
BAUCOM is also a legend in his own right. This superb banjo player hails from North Carolina, home of
more than a few fine banjo players. Baucom started out with Doyle Lawson in
1979. He left the band in 1985, to pursue other musical interests. He rejoined
Quicksilver in 2003, and the two old friends were together once more. Baucom’s
solid, high-quality banjo work and his rich bass vocals are the sounds that the
listener has grown to expect and admire. Terry Baucom’s wife, Cindy, is a
well-known North Carolina bluegrass DJ, who
has a radio show called “Knee Deep in Bluegrass”.
She was named the 2005 Broadcaster of the Year by the IBMA.
DARREN
BEACHLEY, from Brunswick, Maryland, is the most recent member of
Quicksilver. He joined the band in 2006, providing strong, powerful lead and
tenor vocals. He plays guitar and bass, often switching from one instrument to
the other.
JAMIE
DAILEY has been with Quicksilver since 1999, and he has become known as one of
the finest singers and guitarists in bluegrass music. He often switches to the
bass, as he and Beachley have worked out the finer points of who plays what and
when. Additionally, he is the band cut-up. He gently teases and picks at Doyle
Lawson and Darren Beachley to the delight of the crowd. Striving always to
entertain, Dailey is also a fine songwriter. When he and Beachley hit those
soaring high notes, the audience applauds and begs for more. Jamie Dailey is
from Gainesboro, TN,
and now makes his home in Franklin,
TN.
Shelbina, Missouri native, MIKE HARTGROVE, has also
performed during more than one period with Quicksilver, appearing first in
1988, and again in the most recent configuration of the band. In the
intervening years, Mike performed with IIIrd Tyme Out and the Lonesome River
Band. While Hartgrove doesn’t sing in the band, he provides some of the best
fiddle music to be heard anywhere. He is unobtrusive, but his presence is felt
when it comes time to play his fiddle. Play he does!
The Program
- Misery River
- White Rose
- Sail on the Ocean
- Back Up and Push (Mike Hartgrove
featured on fiddle)
- Our Last Goodbye
- Knee Deep in Bluegrass
(Terry Baucom featured on banjo)
- Dig a Little Deeper
- I’m on My Way Back to the Old
Home
- Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong
(featured Darren Beachley)
- I Die a Little More Each Day
- There’s a Treasure in Heaven (Jerry
Salley, songwriter, from album “He Lives in Me”)
- He Lives in Me (title cut of
newest album, written by Frances Simpson of Missouri, charted at #5 in bluegrass
and Southern gospel markets)
- The Redeemed are Coming Home
- Til I See You Face to Face
(Jamie Dailey, songwriter, from album “He Lives in Me,” a cappella,)
- God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds
for Me
- I Am Glad Somebody Obeyed
- Mother’s Not Dead (She’s Only
A-Sleepin’) (Lester Flatt, songwriter, while he was with Bill Monroe)
- Sadie’s Got Her Red Dress On
(Tom T. and Dixie Hall, songwriters, for new album “More Behind the
Picture on the Wall,” due out in March 2007)
- Can You Hear Me Now (guitar
duet with Doyle Lawson on Carter-style “scratch guitar” and Jamie Dailey
on guitar)
- Mississippi
River
Let Your Water Flow
- Sea of Life
Encore: Blue Train of the Heartbreak Line
While there
may be changes in the air, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver are an enduring
presence in the world of bluegrass music. They are a force to be reckoned with:
immaculately dressed, completely prepared, solid in their presentation,
approachable, and admired by fans and musicians wherever they go. For more
information, see the links below:
Doyle
Lawson & Quicksilver: www.doylelawson.com
National
Endowment for the Arts Capitol Hill award ceremony: http://www.arts.gov/news/news06/SeptHeritageInfo.html
Knee Deep
in Bluegrass:
www.kneedeepinbluegrass.com
Nudie
Suits: www.nudiesrodeotailor.com
Lucy
Opry: www.lucyopry.com