About Me
Ronnie McCoury's fondest childhood memories are ones he has of accompanying his father-the iconic Del McCoury-to bluegrass festivals, experiencing early on the way that music can bring parents and kids together. Now that he is a highly accomplished artist (and father) in his own right, Ronnie-joined by the Del McCoury Band, of which he is now a longtime and prominent member-has recorded an unprecedented album that will allow families everywhere to experience together this quintessential American musical form. McCoury Music releases the first all-bluegrass album for kids and their parents, Little Mo' McCoury, August 21 to stores nationwide.It's fitting that this album bound to bring families together comes from one of Americana's first families. The McCoury legacy extends back 40 years to when Del was one of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, up through the Del McCoury Band's 2006 GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album. In addition to Ronnie and Del, Little Mo' McCoury (as in "just a little more McCoury") includes contributions from Ronnie's brother Rob and Ronnie's wife Allison, with whom he co-wrote "My Friend, My Guitar," a song Ronnie figures is a "good way to get kids to learn how to play a G-run." Rob's roles on the album are numerous: He helped with song choices, takes the lead on an interpretation of Earl Scruggs' "Mama's Blues," and plays banjo throughout the recording. The band's other members, fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Bartram, are also featured.Like the Del McCoury Band, Little Mo' McCoury makes a strong case for the contemporary appeal of bluegrass while remaining firmly rooted in the music's traditions: There is the unmistakable "high lonesome" sound and songs taken from the canon of the genre. The album classics like "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" and "Going Ape Over You," as well as some surprising material, such as the Randy Newman-penned Toy Story theme, "You've Got a Friend in Me" and Dylan's "God Gave Names to All the Animals," which Ronnie learned from Tim O'Brien's version. The song was an inspiration for Little Mo Mc'Coury. So was David Grisman and Jerry Garcia's landmark Not Only for Kids.Ronnie also plans for Little Mo' McCoury to be a live music experience. Hearkening back to when he was a boy on the road with his father, he imagines kids' matinees at bluegrass festivals, for example, where he will be accompanied on stage with members of the same family band that helped him make this groundbreaking recording, aside from one of the most successful touring bands in the country.
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