In 2014, Grammy winning North Carolina guitarist Bryan Sutton released his fourth solo album, Into My Own, which showcases his incredible guitar talent and his singing and songwriting. It was also nominated for a Grammy this year! Sutton is one of the world’s most sought after acoustic guitarists. For this Raleigh concert, Sutton will be joined by a band of special guests – Sam Grisman on bass, Mike Barnett of The Deadly Gentlemen on fiddle, and Casey Campbell of the Vickie Vaughn Band on mandolin. Grisman and Campbell both performed with Sutton at his CD release in Nashville in May 2014.
Born in Asheville, Sutton grew up immersed in western North Carolina’s rich music heritage. He was a member of Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder band, playing on two Grammy award winning records. After his tenure with Skaggs, Sutton built a career as a top studio guitarist in Nashville. His playing can be heard alongside such names as Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift, among others. Sutton has toured with Bela Fleck and Chris Thile, and as a member of legendary bluegrass band Hot Rize. Sutton has been IBMA’s Guitarist of the Year seven times, and he received a Grammy in 2007 for “Best Country Instrumental Performance” for his duet recording with Doc Watson. In addition to past and present touring with musicians such as Chris Thile, Earl Scruggs, Hot Rize, Ricky Skaggs and others, Sutton is one of Nashville’s most in-demand session players and producers, recently taking the helm on Della Mae’s Grammy nominated This World Oft Can Be.
Grisman is the bass-playing son of David “Dawg” Grisman, and Sam has performed with his father, a renowned bluegrass/newgrass musician, in addition to being the founding bass player for The Deadly Gentlemen. Sam Grisman moved from Boston to Nashville in 2013, and in 2014 he worked with Dominick Leslie (mandolinist for The Deadly Gentlemen), Alex Hargreaves, and Nat Smith on a new project called The Brotet, which features four new compositions and an Irish dance classic. Hargreaves and Smith are the other two thirds of the Sarah Jarosz Trio.
Barnett grew up in Nashville, so bluegrass and country music have long held a special place in his heart. Over the course of his career, Barnett has shared the stage with Jesse McReynolds and his Virginia Boys, Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Steve Martin, and many others. In his formative years, Barnett attended a variety of fiddle camps, which provided him with a tremendous source of inspiration and exposure to incredible players from a wide variety of genres. Bluegrass fiddler Aubrey Haynie inspired Barnett to record his first CD, Lost Indian, when he was just 14. One summer at Crystal Plohman’s International Fiddle Camp at Vanderbilt, Barnett worked with Bobby Hicks, Buddy Spicher, and Vassar Clemens. When Barnett was 15, Hicks introduced him to Jesse McReynolds, and Barnett got to tour with McReynolds and his Virginia Boys, including weekend performances on the Grand Ole Opry. That experience brought the music of Jim & Jesse alive for young Barnett, who cites McReynolds as a major influence. Barnett moved to Massachusetts, where he collaborated on several projects that eventually led to his current work with The Deadly Gentlemen. Sam Grisman introduced Barnett to his father, who in 2009 decided to change his David Grisman Quintet (DGQ) to a Sextet because he wanted to bring the fiddle back into his music. Barnett also cites the elder Grisman as a huge inspiration. These days, between tours, Barnett is still living in Boston, where he’s been able to play music with some of the finest musicians of this generation’s acoustic music scene while intermittently attending Berklee College of Music.
Multi-instrumentalist Casey Campbell was born and raised in the sounds of bluegrass; his first steps were taken backstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Bill Monroe’s dressing room. Recently he has shared the stage with the Del McCoury Band, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, the Infamous Stringdusters, and Dale Ann Bradley along with many others. He is currently the mandolinist for the Vickie Vaughn Band.
