With nearly 40 albums under their belt, back to back Grammy nominations, and 7 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have proven they are a long living staple in the Bluegrass Industry; and the talented guys aren’t slowing down anytime soon. With a recently released single off their brand new album and 3 nominations at this year’s IBMA Awards, Doyle took a minute out of this busy schedule to catch up with The Country Note on the sweet life in Bluegrass land.
CN: Thank you so much Doyle Lawson for taking time out of your crazy schedule to speak to The Country Note! And congrats on your new album, Life is a Story, and your 3 IBMA nominations. This year, you are up for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Instrumentalist of the year for Josh Swift on the dobra.
Doyle: Thank you! I’m excited and happy with the response to the new CD thus far.
CN: Now, you are no stranger to the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. You have had 7 all together, featuring Vocal Group of the Year. You started winning them in 1989. . . . what is it like to still be recognized in 2017 and know that you are still touching lives thru music all these years later? And do you still get nervous about award shows?
Doyle: Yes, going all the way back to 1989 when we received “Song of the Year” for “Little Mountain Church Home” written by Carl Jackson and Jim Rushing. It gives me great feelings to be nominated in any of the awards categories because we work very hard to entertain the audiences and make the best albums we possibly can. I don’t get nervous as much as I get excited to hear the outcome. I think most entertainers feel as I do about them. Of course, it’s awfully nice if you take one home with you.
CN: You formed Doyle Lawson and the Quicksilver in 1979 I believe? Tell us a little bit about your history with bluegrass and how you founded this band.
Doyle: I began my musical journey February 3, 1963 as a banjo player for Jimmy Martin and his Sunny Mountain Boys. I joined JD Crowe’s band in December 1966 playing guitar and mandolin. In 1971, I became a member of the Country Gentlemen based in the Washington, DC area and after staying with them for seven and a half years, I formed my band April 1, 1979. I wanted to start from the ground up and see what I could do with it. I knew what I wanted to begin with and that was a strong rhythm guitarist, a solid clean playing banjo player and a bass player who could and would do more than just hold the tempo steady. But first and foremost was to have a strong vocal group and I found all of these in Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid, and Terry Baucom. I expressed to them that I didn’t want to be a one dimensional band but I wanted to do traditional sounding Bluegrass as well as contemporary. And most of all, I wanted to have a gospel quartet sort of like the one my dad sang with when I was a youngster. That was my plan of strategy and thank goodness it worked and I think it still works.
CN: It seems to have definitely worked for you—enough to be inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2012. Congratulations on that-what a huge accomplishment!
Doyle: Thank you! I heard Bill Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry when I was about 5 years old and the music he played and sang grabbed me and has never let me go. It soon became a branch of country music called Bluegrass. And so, to be inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and be alongside my peers and heroes is now an overwhelming and humbling feeling that is still somewhat indescribable.
CN: Now you have had a number of men come and go throughout the years. What would you like to say about this particular group of gentlemen that you perform with today?
Doyle: There has been a number of talented men come and go and contributing while they were here and I wish nothing but good things for them. The group I have assembled at present has been in place for a number of years and I think we’re comfortable with each other on stage. It’s a good thing for us that some of them write songs and it really is good to be able to put an original song from them on a recording.
CN: Absolutely. Not only are you nominated for 3 IBMA Awards coming up this month, but your last two albums were nominated back to back for Grammys! With all of the accolades (well deserved might I add), how do you stay TRUE to YOU and your message of music, without letting outside pressure and expectations get in the way? Or do you ever feel like politics and social pressure from industry execs have a hand in the music you choose and the work you do?
Doyle: Awards are great to receive and no one appreciates them more than I do. But I’m quick to tell anyone that they are not the driving force for what I do. My driving force is simply the love of music. We know that money is a necessity and that’s why it has to be a business. But the wonderful thing to me is that I have made a business out of doing what I love to do. It’s the best of both worlds! If one wants to stay in the public’s eyes and ears as long as I have, they must have identity—something that sets them apart from others. And that creates longevity. So I stay focused on what I want to do and how I want to do it. As long as I know that I am doing my very best in all I undertake, I don’t worry about outside pressure or expectations. I have always reserved the freedom to perform the music in the way I feel best suited for DL&Q.
CN: Let’s talk about the music! You have a new album that just came out August 25—called Life is a Story and appropriately so— I’ve listened to all of the songs and they do all seem to tell stories—of a simpler life with “Kids These Days”. . . “Guitar Case”. . . about a man leaving his life behind to find his purpose. . . “Life of a Hard Workin’ Man” . . . did you decide ahead of time you wanted to focus on “story” driven songs so that you purposefully looked for them. . . or did you leave the window open and therefore, they all just kinda came to you?
Doyle: The title, “Life is a Story”, came after I made a comment about life is a story with many chapters. We had been working on “Life to My Days” and “Little Girl” when I made the comment. When I heard the first line of the very and the last line of the chorus of “Life to My Days”, I was hooked.
CN: One of my favorites! Brilliant line is the hook—“I can’t add more days to my life, but I can add life to my days.” And “Little Girl” was made big in 2000 by John Michael Montgomery and had a huge impact, even then.
Doyle: Yeah, I knew that Little Girl had been a huge song in the 90s and the guys suggested doing it a couple of projects ago. I loved the song but wanted to wait till it cooled off. It’s a beautiful story written by Harley Allen. In addition to his writing skills, Harley was a very soulful vocalist. It was a big loss to the country and bluegrass music world when he passed. His dad, “Red” Allen and I worked with JD Crowe in ’68 for a year or so. I knew Harley when he was teenager.
CN: Wow! What a full circle story. This town seems to be full of those. One thing I have noticed, especially about living here and being surrounded by music every day, is that sometimes the music of my generation can be overproduced and auto tuned and I think it’s easy to loose authenticity. As someone who is fairly new to the bluegrass format, I have noticed how many layers there seems to be, especially when it comes to vocals and the instrumentals. With this album in particular, I notice how harmonic your voices are when they blend together. Is that a constant practice and learning curve or just a natural, God given talent?
Doyle: I have been recording for many years and have produced all of my recordings. You learn by experience and the one thing I have learned is to not try and make it technically perfect. It’s all about having the heartfelt emotion in the performance. My favorite part of recording is the harmony vocals. We work very hard to make sure we breathe together, phrase together, and say our words alike. That is essential but so is having voices blend. Also important is to not have the instrumentals override the vocals because we are telling a story using melody and it’s important that the lyrics be audible!
CN: Well the lyrics are definitely audible and they definitely speak to us! Doyle, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us today and for sharing your history, your passion, and your gratitude.
Doyle: Thank you!
Good luck to Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver at the 28th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards coming up in Raleigh, NC on September 28th. You can download or buy the new Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver album, Life is a Story, featuring the new single, “Life to My Days” and can find out the latest on www.doylelawson.com. And they’re even on Twitter @DLQuicksilver!
fabulous….Doyle is the best!