Photo by Mike Lawson
Music virtuoso John Jorgenson, known for his blistering guitar licks and mastery of a broad musical palette, has earned a reputation as a world-class musician and guitarist — having collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and more. Regularly featured on acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, clarinet, the saxophone, pedal steel, and vocals, Jorgenson has garnered recognition for contributing to numerous platinum-selling and GRAMMY Award-winning albums. Currently, the skillful multi-instrumentalist is heading into the studio with the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, his latest collaboration, featuring four legendary musicians: Jorgenson on guitar, mandolin and vocals; ace bluegrass/folk songwriter/vocalist/arranger Herb Pedersen (The Dillards, Old And In The Way, Earl Scruggs) on banjo, guitar and vocals; CMA Song of the Year songwriter Jon Randall(Emmylou Harris’ Nash Ramblers) on guitar and vocals; and highly sought after bluegrass veteran Mark Fain (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder) on bass to record their first music together as a group.
The band will be recording new material at Sheryl Crow’s studio in Nashville, Tennessee, in early February. Their debut album is currently slated for release in August 2014, surrounding the 10th Annual Guitar Town Festival, where Jorgenson is “de-facto” creative director and plays a major role in handpicking some of the world’s most talented virtuoso guitarists to perform at the annual event.This is a highly anticipated debut effort from the four all-stars, who have been touring as a group since last July. Barry Mazor ofEngine145.com/Wall Street Journal proclaims, “As their early shows are making excitingly clear to anyone who wouldn’t already count on it, just hearing the line-up of artists involved, the new John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band combines an extraordinary amount of top caliber talent in one place, instrumental and vocal aces and hit-writing songwriters deeply experienced not only in bluegrass, but in hardcore country, rock and jazz, with a deep combined songbook to draw on and take off from at will—which they do.”
In addition to recording their first album as a group, the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band is preparing for several major tour dates this year, including a tour of Norway and the UK, performances at the annual RockyGrass Festival in Lyons, Colorado; and headlining the Guitar Town Festival in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band made its Grand Ole Opry debut last October. For more information on upcoming tour dates visit: www.johnjorgenson.com
