Big Country Bluegrass
Artist Library
Events
- 3 Past Event
Past Events
Music
Videos
Big Country Bluegrass / Melissa's Waltz
About
Tommy Sells was 29 and had never been involved
in music when a fellow coon hunter inspired him to learn the mandolin and start
a band. That hunting buddy was Jimmy Martin, often called the “King of
Bluegrass.” Sells named his band Big Country Bluegrass after a Martin
instrumental. Over 30 years later Sells, his wife Teresa, and their bandmates
remain stalwarts of traditional bluegrass from Virginia’s Crooked Road region.
Martin was an early lead singer for Bill
Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, who forged bluegrass in the commercial radio
jamborees of the 1940s. Monroe took the values of older Appalachian styles,
amped up the speed, and introduced a repertoire of classics to create a new
country sound. One of the strongholds for bluegrass, old-time, and gospel has
long been the Crooked Road in Virginia. Home to greats like the Carter Family
and Stanley Brothers, it remains a rich breeding ground for musicians.
Sells has lived on the Crooked Road for over
40 years. “We have what you’d call a more traditional approach to bluegrass,”
he says. A youth spent in tobacco patches gave him a hard work ethic that he’s
carried into his music career. The band is about to record its 20th album and
plays festivals nearly every weekend in the summer even though its members hold
down day jobs (Sells is a car dealer).
Country legends Tom T. and Dixie Hall wrote
several songs for the band, and their recent cut “Burn the Barn” was penned by
Boston’s Tracey O’Connell.
“I always like songs that tell a real story
and are about more than just a man and a woman falling in love,” says Sells.
“Real music sung from the heart sounds like you’re living it while you’re
singing it.”
Tommy and Teresa are joined by bassist Tony
King, guitarist Eddie Gill, fiddler Tim Laughlin, and banjo player John
Treadway.
