The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen, formed in the Washington, D.C. area in 1957, were a leading progressive bluegrass band, bringing songs from folk and pop songwriters into the bluegrass repertoire. Their alumni include Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson and Jerry Douglas.
- Formed
- 4 July 1957, Washington, D.C. area
- Founders
- Charlie Waller, John Duffey
- Classic line-up
- Waller, Duffey, Eddie Adcock, Tom Gray (1960–64)
- Years active
- 1957–2004
- Hall of Honor
- International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor, 1996
History
The band started on 4 July 1957 as a stand-in for Buzz Busby and the Bayou Boys after a car accident injured several of that band's members. Its co-founders were Charlie Waller (guitar, lead vocals) and John Duffey (mandolin, tenor vocals). The classic line-up of 1960 to 1964 was Waller, Duffey, Eddie Adcock on banjo and Tom Gray on bass.
Gray left in 1964 to work as a cartographer for National Geographic, Duffey quit in 1969 and Adcock in 1970. A second classic line-up brought together Waller, Bill Emerson, Doyle Lawson, Bill Yates and a young Ricky Skaggs on fiddle, and dobro player Jerry Douglas joined in 1973. Waller led the band until his death in 2004. Former members went on to found The Seldom Scene and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.
The sound
The Country Gentlemen played everything from traditional bluegrass to pop, and borrowed songs from singer-songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot ("Redwood Hill") and Steve Goodman ("City of New Orleans").
Songs to know
- "Fox on the Run"
- "Bringing Mary Home"
- "Two Little Boys"
- "Legend of the Rebel Soldier"
- "Matterhorn" and "New Freedom Bell"
More bluegrass: Del McCoury · Reno & Smiley · the bluegrass tradition