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Balsam Range

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Balsam Range
OriginHaywood County, North Carolina,US
GenresBluegrass,acoustic
Years active2007–present
Members
  • Buddy Melton
  • Darren Nicholson
  • Tim Surrett
  • Caleb Smith
  • Marc Pruett
Websitebalsamrange.com

Balsam Rangeis an Americanbluegrassand acoustic music group founded in 2007 inHaywood County, North Carolina.They are 2014 and 2018International Bluegrass Music Association(IMBA) Entertainer of the Year award recipients. Their other accolades include IBMA Vocal Group of the Year (2014, 2015), Song of the Year (2011, 2015), and Album of the Year (2013, 2017).[1]Balsam Range consists of its original five members—Buddy Melton on fiddle and lead vocals; Darren Nicholson on mandolin and vocals; Tim Surrett on upright bass, resonator guitar, and vocals; Caleb Smith on guitar and vocals; andMarc Pruetton banjo.

History

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Founding and early years

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Balsam Range was formed in 2007. "In the beginning, we just got together, five guys from the same county that just wanted to play music together just for the fun of it," said Buddy Melton in a 2018 interview. "We were just living in the same town and happened to be great friends, so it was an ideal scenario."[2]Melton and Pruett had performed together as members of Whitewater Bluegrass Company, and band members had recorded on solo efforts by Melton, Nicholson, and Surrett.[3]Inspiration for a band name came from the Great Balsam Range, which surrounds their home county. "We thought it was a little pretentious to have 'great' in there, so we just stripped that off of it and called us Balsam Range," Melton says.[4]From their initial recording sessions cameMarching Home,the band's debut album, released in October 2007. It included guest appearances byJoe Diffie,Doyle Lawson,Jim Van Cleve,Tony Rice,andJerry Salley,[5]and featured "Blue Mountain", which remains the band's most-requested song.[6]

Albums and achievements

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Balsam Range followedMarching HomewithLast Train to Kitty Hawkin 2009, with the title song hitting number one onBluegrass Unlimited's National Bluegrass Survey in September of that year.[7]"Trains I Missed", the title song of their third album, earned Balsam Range their firstIBMAaward, Song of the Year, in 2011.

Named for their hometown ofCanton, North Carolina,which houses a paper mill, their next album,Papertown,spent five consecutive months at the number-one spot on theBluegrass UnlimitedNational Bluegrass Survey chart.[8]The project garnered seven IBMA nominations for Balsam Range in 2013, and they walked away with the Album of the Year honor.[9]

Since 2012, the band has frequently collaborated withJohn Driskell Hopkins,founding member of theZac Brown Band.Hopkins heard Balsam Range on bluegrass radio in 2011 and was so impressed, he immediately bought all their music. After making an immediate personal and musical connection upon meeting, they decided to join forces and record an album. The result,Daylight,was released in January 2013.[10]Balsam Range recorded and released a limited-run live album,Live at the Altamont,that same year. The recording was made available only for members of Balsam Nation, the group's fan club.[11]

The 2014 albumFivegarnered another accolade for the band. Its leadoff single, "Moon Over Memphis", was named Song of the Year at the 2015 IBMA awards, where the group also took home the Vocal Group of the Year trophy. Balsam Range's next album,Mountain Voodoo,released in 2016, was named Album of the Year at the 2017 IBMA awards.[12]

Through their work with Hopkins, the band became acquainted with theAtlanta Pops Orchestra,which provided accompaniment for Balsam Range's next two albums:It's Christmas Time,a 2017 holiday EP, andMountain Overture,a complete album featuring new versions of Balsam Range's best-loved songs.

Aeonic,released on January 4, 2019, debuted at number one on theBillboardBluegrass Chart. The album remained on the chart for five consecutive weeks and appeared onBillboard's Heatseekers Chart, Americana/Folk Chart, and Current Country Chart.Aeonicwas featured in theWall Street Journal,Rolling Stone Country,Billboard,and other publications.[13]Also in 2019, Balsam Range releasedThe Gospel Collection,a compilation of gospel recordings from past projects. In 2021, they issued their latest record,Moxie and Mettle.

Art of Music Festival

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In December 2016, the band introduced the Balsam Range Art of Music Festival, a two-day event held atLake Junaluska, North Carolina,in the group's home county.[14]The festival, created with the goal of inviting Balsam Range fans from all over the world to visit their home of western North Carolina, now generates upwards of $400,000 per year in revenue for Haywood County.[15]The event has featured performances by Hopkins, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra,Darrell Scott,Shenandoah,Chloe Agnew,and many more.[citation needed]

Band members

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  • Buddy Melton (fiddle, vocals) won Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2014 and 2018International Bluegrass Music Awards.[16]
  • Darren Nicholson (mandolin, vocals) has released four solo albums, including his 2006 self-titled debut, 2014'sThings Left Undone(featuring John Driskell Hopkins andRhonda Vincent,among others), 2018'sFret a Spell,and the 2023 EPWanderer.[17]
  • Tim Surrett (bass,dobro) has been a member of the gospel groupthe Kingsmen Quartetfrom 1988 until 1996, and again between 2002 and 2005. In 2014, he won the Mentor of the Year award at the IBMAs for his inspiration and work with young artists.[18]
  • Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals) is aluthierwho runs his own company, Smith Custom Guitars.[19]
  • Marc Pruett(banjo) has played on five albums withRicky Skaggs,including his 1974 debutThat's It!and the 1997 Grammy award winnerBluegrass Rules!His music was used for a dozen years in the outdoor dramaUnto These Hills,in Cherokee, North Carolina. He was awarded an honorary doctorate fromWestern Carolina Universityin 2010, for his contributions to bluegrass music.[20]

Discography

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  • Marching Home(2007)
  • Last Train to Kitty Hawk(2009)
  • Trains I Missed(2010)
  • Papertown(2012)
  • Daylight(withJohn Driskell Hopkins) (2012)
  • Live at the Altamont(2013)
  • Five(2014)
  • Mountain Voodoo(2016)
  • It's Christmas Time(2017)
  • Mountain Overture(with theAtlanta Pops Orchestra) (2018)
  • Aeonic(January 4, 2019)
  • The Gospel Collection(2019)
  • Moxie and Mettle(2021)

Singles

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  • "The Girl Who Invented the Wheel" (2018)
  • "Hobo Blues" (2018)
  • "Get Me Gone" (2018)
  • "Richest Man" (2020)
  • "Grit and Grace" (2020)

References

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  1. ^"Recipients & Inductees".IBMA.RetrievedMay 10,2020.
  2. ^Zimmerman, Lee (December 20, 2018)."Buddy Melton talks Balsam Range and the evolution of bluegrass".Bluegrass Today.RetrievedMay 11,2020.
  3. ^Admin."Newly formed Balsam Range features some of the finest".www.smokymountainnews.com.RetrievedMay 11,2020.
  4. ^"Balsam Range Interview, Plus Listen to 'The Rambler' Song Premiere".Billboard.January 3, 2019.RetrievedMay 11,2020.
  5. ^Thompson, Richard (September 29, 2007)."Balsam Range are Marching Home".Bluegrass Today.RetrievedMay 11,2020.
  6. ^admin (June 11, 2018)."Strings Done Differently".Americana Music Magazine – Bluegrass, Roots, Folk, Blues, and Old-Time.RetrievedMay 11,2020.
  7. ^Admin."'Mountain Traditions' concert to benefit Shindig on the Green ".www.smokymountainnews.com.RetrievedMay 25,2020.
  8. ^"Bluegrass Unlimited - Bluegrass Unlimited content".Bluegrass Unlimited.RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  9. ^"Recipients & Inductees".IBMA.RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  10. ^"John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range Release" Daylight "on Jan 22 | Cybergrass Bluegrass Music News".www.cybergrass.com.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  11. ^Thompson, Richard (March 21, 2013)."New Live Album from Balsam Range".Bluegrass Today.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  12. ^"Recipients & Inductees".IBMA.RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  13. ^"Still Riding High!".Balsam Range.February 14, 2019.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  14. ^Hart, Kelsay (November 21, 2016)."New album, new festival: Balsam Range is keeping busy".WLOS.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  15. ^Viau, Carol (December 16, 2019)."2019 Balsam Range Art of Music festival surrounds Haywood in music".The Mountaineer.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  16. ^"Recipients & Inductees".IBMA.RetrievedJuly 13,2020.
  17. ^"Darren Nicholson Music page".
  18. ^"2014 IBMA Winners".The Boot.
  19. ^"Smith Custom Guitars Website".
  20. ^"Musician Tip No. 61 – Marc Pruett".Bluegrass Country.WAMU.Archived fromthe originalon July 7, 2010.RetrievedAugust 5,2016.
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