The Dixie Bee-Liners

Last updated
The Dixie Bee-Liners
DixieBeeLinersPressPhoto1.jpg
The Dixie Bee-Liners in 2009; from left to right: Buddy Woodward, Rachel Johnson, Brandi Hart, Jeremy Darrow, Casey Henry, Robin Davis
Background information
Origin United States
Genres Americana
Progressive Bluegrass
American folk music
Alt.country
Years active2002–2012
Labels Pinecastle Records, Betty Troublesome
Members Buddy Woodward
Brandi Hart
Website dixiebeeliners.com

The Dixie Bee-Liners are an American bluegrass group, formed in New York City in 2002 by Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart. Their music has been called Bluegrass, Americana, alt-country, Folk, and "Bible Belt Noir".

Contents

The Bee-Liners have released three records, and two singles. Their first recording was a 2005 self-titled/self-released CD-EP on their own label, Betty Troublesome. Shortly after, Hart and Woodward relocated to Southwest Virginia, and signed with Pinecastle Records, who released their first full-length CD, RIPE, in April 2008.

Their third CD, Susanville, was a bluegrass concept album released in November 2009. Grammy winning producer/engineer Bil VornDick co-produced the 19-song CD, along with Woodward and Hart.

In mid-2012 the band revealed in an interview with Bluegrass Today that they were working on a new album with a projected release of Spring 2013, but the project was never completed and the band folded at the end of 2012.

Musical style

Ostensibly a bluegrass band,[ according to whom? ] The Dixie Bee-Liners played a wide variety of acoustic music, liberally cherry-picking influence from traditional bluegrass, newgrass, old-time string band music, as well as west-coast country, country rock, 60's British invasion, surf music, Celtic, rhythm & blues, punk, ska, and English folk-rock bands. In mid-2012 the band revealed in an interview with Bluegrass Today that they were evolving their sound, and expanding their lineup to include drums and electric instrumentation, [1] but the project was never completed, and they split at the end of the year.[ citation needed ]

Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart typically wrote all of the band's material—with Woodward also taking the role of arranger and producer—though they occasionally co-wrote with various band members, as well as Blue Highway's Tim Stafford, Jon Weisberger, and Ken Stringfellow of the American alternative rock band The Posies.[ citation needed ]

In addition to standardized bluegrass instrumentation, the band were known to incorporate alternate guitar tunings, claw-hammer banjo, dulcimer, bouzouki, dobro, Dojo, harmonica, chanter, 12-string guitar, drums, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, cello, Mellotron, harpsichord, and other keyboard instruments.[ citation needed ]

Awards, honors, distinctions

Their self-titled EP debuted on the Roots Music Report bluegrass chart at No. 14, going on to spend 56 weeks on the chart, with 9 of those weeks in the Top 10. RIPE topped the Bluegrass Now Fan's Choice Top 20 chart twice, and also achieved two simultaneous No. 1's on Bluegrass Music Profiles' Top 20 Hot Singles, and the Roots Music Report Bluegrass Chart. The Bee-Liners spent nine consecutive weeks atop the RMR Bluegrass chart and two consecutive months in the Top Ten of both Bluegrass Unlimited charts. All-told, the band achieved 23 weeks of No. 1's in 2008, and was named the Roots Music Report's Bluegrass Artist of the Year in November 2008. Susanville debuted on the Billboard Bluegrass chart at No. 32.

Performance

The band toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada, playing such prestigious festivals as Merlefest, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Palisade Bluegrass & Roots Festival, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, FloydFest and Bean Blossom, among many others. They appeared live on BBC Radio Scotland, NPR, the Food Network, and were featured on radio playlists across the country and worldwide, including regular rotation on Sirius and XM satellite radio. In 2007 their music appeared on the soundtrack of the independently produced Civil War film FREEDOM. In August 2010, the band played Fairport's Cropredy Convention Festival in the Oxfordshire village of Cropredy, one of only two gigs in England before returning home.

Discography

Upstate Manhattan-compilation

October 2005 (207 Records)

  1. Lost In The Silence - (Hart, Woodward)

The Dixie Bee-Liners-EP

November 2005 (Betty Troublesome)

  1. Davy - (Hart, Woodward)
  2. Brown-Eyed Darlin' - (Woodward)
  3. Lost In The Silence - (Hart, Woodward)
  4. Roses Are Grey - (Hart, Woodward)
  5. Family Tree - (Woodward, Gold, Ribyat)
  6. My Heart's Breakin' In - (Hart, Woodward)
  7. Yellow-Haired Girl - (Hart, Woodward)
  8. (Lord, Lay Down My) Ball & Chain - (Hart, Woodward)

Timeless Flyte: A Tribute To The Byrds-compilation

2007, RRO Entertainment

  1. Change Is Now - (Hillman-McGuinn)

Prime Cuts of Bluegrass Volume 90-compilation

2007, KBC Music, Inc.

  1. Down On The Crooked Road - (Woodward, VornDick, Hart)

RIPE

April 2008 (Pinecastle Records)

  1. Down On The Crooked Road - (Woodward, VornDick, Hart)
  2. (Lord, Lay Down My) Ball & Chain - (Hart, Woodward)
  3. Yellow-Haired Girl - (Hart, Woodward)
  4. The Bugs In The Basement - (Hart, Woodward)
  5. Dixie Grey To Black - (Hart, Woodward)
  6. Why Do I Make You Cry - (Hart, Woodward)
  7. She's My Angel - (Hart, Woodward)
  8. Old Charlie Cross - (Hart, Woodward)
  9. Lost In The Silence - (Hart, Woodward)
  10. Grumble Jones - (Woodward, Stafford)
  11. Jefferson Railroad Line - (Hart, Woodward)
  12. Ripe - (Hart, Woodward)

June 2009 (FesivaLink)

  1. Married By The Hanging Judge - (Morrow)
  2. (Lord, Lay Down My) Ball & Chain - (Hart, Woodward)
  3. Yellow-Haired Girl - (Hart, Woodward)
  4. She's My Angel - (Hart, Woodward)
  5. The Bugs In The Basement - (Hart, Woodward)
  6. Ripe - (Hart, Woodward)
  7. Down On The Crooked Road - (Woodward, VornDick, Hart)
  8. Why Do I Make You Cry - (Hart, Woodward)
  9. I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers - (Public Domain) [Bonus Track - 4/26/09 Hillside Stage]
  10. Old Charlie Cross - (Hart, Woodward) [Bonus Track - 4/26/09 Hillside Stage]
  11. Davy - (Hart, Woodward) [Bonus Track - 4/26/09 Hillside Stage]
  12. Possum John - (Johnson) [Bonus Track - 4/26/09 Hillside Stage]

She Plays Like A Girl-Digital Single

October 2009 (Pinecastle Records)

  1. She Plays Like A Girl - (Hart, Woodward)

Susanville

November 2009 (Pinecastle Records)

  1. Enter Highway - (Hart, Woodward)
  2. Heavy - (Hart, Woodward)
  3. Restless - (Hart, Woodward)
  4. Find Out - (Hart, Woodward)
  5. Road Hog - (Hart, Woodward, Weisberger)
  6. Salem And Staunton - (Darrow)
  7. Turn Back - (Hart, Woodward)
  8. Truck Stop Baby - (Hart, Woodward)
  9. Albion Road - (Morrow)
  10. Susanville - (Hart, Woodward)
  11. (I Need) Eighteen Wheels - (Hart, Woodward)
  12. Trixie's Diesel-Stop Cafe - (Hart, Woodward)
  13. Graveyard Shift - (Hart, Woodward)
  14. Down - (Woodward. Molotov)
  15. Lead Foot - (Morrow, Woodward, Stringfellow, Hart)
  16. Yawn - (Hart, Woodward)
  17. Brake Lights - (Hart, Stringfellow, Woodward)
  18. In My Pocket - (Woodward, Hart, Darrow, Morrow)
  19. Destination - (Hart, Woodward)

Santa Wants A Whiskey-Digital Single

November 2010 (Betty Troublesome)

  1. Santa Wants A Whiskey - (Hart, Woodward)

Bluegrass Bands Helping Hands Volume Three: Big Leagues-compilation

September 2011 (Miracle League)

  1. Find Out - (Hart, Woodward)

Sources

Reviews, articles, notices

Related Research Articles

Phil Leadbetter was an American resonator guitar player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Nixon</span> American singer-songwriter

Michelle Nixon is a bluegrass and acoustic country music artist. Born Michelle Denice Thurston on December 10, 1963 she grew up in central Virginia where she became involved in music at an early age. Nixon joined her first band at the age of 14, embarking on a musical journey that found her singing a variety of gospel and classic country music with different Virginia based bands. Gathering inspiration and style from, among others, Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris, Nixon quickly developed her own powerful sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Special Consensus</span> American acoustic bluegrass band

The Special Consensus is an acoustic bluegrass group led by banjoist Greg Cahill.

Daryl Mosley is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is a three-time Songwriter of the Year with twelve #1 songs and three Song of the Year awards to his credit. Among them is the classic "(Ask the Blind Man) He Saw It All", the signature song of the southern gospel trio the Booth Brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Baldassari</span> Musical artist

Jerome Henry "Butch" Baldassari was an American mandolinist, recording artist, composer, and music teacher.

Pinecastle Records is a record label based in Piedmont, South Carolina specializing in supporting and developing bluegrass music artists.

Larry Lee Stephenson is an American singer-songwriter. He sings, plays mandolin, and writes songs in the bluegrass tradition.

James Arnott “Jimmy” Gaudreau is a singer and mandolinist playing traditional and progressive bluegrass music. He is best known for his solo albums, and his work with The Country Gentlemen, Tony Rice, and J. D. Crowe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Baucom</span> American singer-songwriter (1952–2023)

Terry Baucom was an American bluegrass singer, banjo player, and band leader. He was nicknamed "The Duke of Drive" for his propelling banjo style. He led his band, The Dukes of Drive, and was a founding member of Boone Creek, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and IIIrd Tyme Out.

Kenny Smith is an American guitarist and vocalist in the bluegrass tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Shelor</span> Musical artist

Sammy Shelor is an American banjoist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known as leader of the Lonesome River Band and for his solo recordings, music instruction, and session work.

Ron Stewart is an American multi-instrumentalist in the bluegrass tradition. He plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and has won the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Fiddle Player of the Year in 2000 and Banjo Player of the Year in 2011.

Scott Vestal is an American banjoist, songwriter and luthier, known for his innovative approach to playing and designing the banjo.

Randy Alan Kohrs is an American multi-instrumentalist best known for his resonator guitar prowess, but he plays 13 instruments. He is also a Grammy-winning producer and recording engineer.

David L. Parmley is a bluegrass vocalist, guitarist, and award-winning bandleader. He is best known for being a co-founder of both the Bluegrass Cardinals and Continental Divide.

Alan Daniel Bibey is a mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and band leader in the bluegrass tradition.

John Wayne Benson is an American mandolinist and songwriter in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his unique approach to the mandolin, and his long-term involvement with Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickie Simpkins</span> American singer-songwriter

Rickie Hal Simpkins is an American fiddler and mandolinist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his solo albums and his work with the Lonesome River Band and the Seldom Scene.

Wyatt Rice is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is best known for his solo albums and his work in his brother's group the Tony Rice Unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Strings</span> American bluegrass musician (born 1992)

Billy Strings is an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. His album Home won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Lawless, John (August 29, 2012). "Dixie Bee-Liners take a new tack". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.