Time To Develop Taste For Bluegrass

Thu., Aug. 15, 1996

Don Adair Correspondent

If it’s true that bluegrass is an acquired taste, now would be a good time to acquire it.

The Del McCoury Band, one of the greatest bluegrass bands in the world, will appear at The Met Saturday, courtesy of the Spokane Bluegrass Association.

When Bill Monroe invented bluegrass and the “high, lonesome sound,” he might as well have been preparing the way for McCoury, who played with the master years ago and has become the living embodiment of the sound.

His tenor soars and cries with the kind of gritty honesty only the greatest musicians manage, and his band - it includes his two sons - weaves the intricate bluegrass spell with both power and delicacy.

“They have a tendency toward the blues,” Wes Hughes, president of the Bluegrass Association, said of the McCoury band. “They put on a lot of flair; they have a good stage presence.”

But all the stage presence in the world doesn’t compensate if the soulful sound of bluegrass is not intact. Many of today’s bluegrass outfits lovingly re-create the music without getting to its heart. Not so with McCoury - he and his band go deep and make it real.

McCoury has been honored many times as the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Male Vocalist of the Year and in ‘94 was Entertainer of the Year.

His son Ronnie, the mandolin player in the band, won Player of the Year in both ‘93 and ‘94. He is the band’s second vocalist.

Last week, the band received 12 nominations for this year’s awards, which will be handed out next month.

Like all the best bluegrass bands, though, individual virtuosity takes a back seat to the interplay between the musicians: There’s magic in the way these simple instruments sing together.

If it’s a taste you’ve already acquired, you won’t want to miss this one; if not, this is a great place to start.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: BLUEGRASS The Del McCoury Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Met. Tickets are $10, available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call 325-SEAT.

This sidebar appeared with the story: BLUEGRASS The Del McCoury Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Met. Tickets are $10, available at G&B; Select-a-Seat outlets or call 325-SEAT.