Lorraine Jordan

True Grass Tops the Charts

29 Nov, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road are celebrating this month as their hit single True Grass officially tops the Bluegrass Unlimited National Airplay Survey for the month of December. The achievement marks the award-winning group’s third trip to the top of the chart, and first since 2014.

Download or stream True Grass here.

We’re so thankful to the fans, to the DJs and everyone who helped take ‘True Grass’ to the top. My good friend and True Grass songwriter David Stewart felt we were the right band to record this song and carry the torch for Traditional music. We were honoured and blessed that we got to be part of such a great message – Lorraine Jordan.

True Grass features fan favourites Junior Sisk and Danny Paisley on the thought-provoking track which asks the question, ‘why can’t Bluegrass just be true grass again?’ The song has sparked the True Grass Movement, which is fuelled by the dynamic singers commitment to keep the traditional style alive which was made famous by genre legends like Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.

To celebrate hitting the top spot, Lorraine Jordan will be the special guest on an all-new episode of the nationally syndicated TV program “Bluegrass Ridge” which airs on the Heartland Network. Tune in this week as the “Female Vocalist of the Year” winner talks about the new project, and the movement the song has generated (check local listings). Bluegrass fans can also catch Jordan on a special edition of Bluegrass Ridge Radio, which will be featured on Bluegrass Unlimited’s official website through the end of the week (listen HERE).

The No. 1 hit is the lead single from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s latest project True Grass Again, released earlier this year. Fans can catch the chart toppers December 5-8 in scenic Pigeon Forge, where they will host the annual Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies Festival. Other artists appearing at the event include Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Paul Williams, Big Country Bluegrass and many more.

Lorraine Jordan’s True Grass Video

3 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road has just unveiled the official video for their current single, True Grass. The award-winning band is joined by Bluegrass staples Junior Sisk and Danny Paisley. The track serves as the lead single from the upcoming album True Grass Again, available August 10. Fans can pre-order the project here.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road will perform on the legendary Midnite Jamboree on August 11. They will be joined by Country legend, Eddy Raven, who will serve as the co-host alongside Lorraine. The program is the second-longest running radio show of all-time, and tapes in Nashville, Tennessee at the Texas Troubadour Theatre (2416 Music Valley Dr, Nashville, TN 37214). Be sure to tune in at midnight on WSM 650-AM, or stream online at wsmonline.com. The dynamic pair will perform songs from the upcoming True Grass Again, along with tracks from Raven’s first-ever Bluegrass album, All Grassed Up, released last year.

The upcoming album, True Grass Again serves as Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed, Country Grass. The star-studded project featured collaborations with top Classic Country artists like John Anderson, Crystal Gayle, Lee Greenwood, The Kentucky Headhunters and more.

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road – True Grass

11 Apr, 18 by Greg McGrath

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road release their highly anticipated single, True Grass (Why Can’t Bluegrass Just Be True Grass Again) via Pinecastle Records. Featuring lead vocals from Blue Grass favourites Junior Sisk, Danny Paisley and tenor vocals from Randy Graham, the track also marks Carolina Road lead singer Tommy Long’s triumphant return after a battle with throat cancer. Fans can buy and stream the full song here.

Even though I have dabbled in other styles, it’s always been true Blue Grass for me and my band. We play it with a fresh approach and drive it hard. We are carrying twin fiddles (Josh Goforth and Matt Hooper) now and this song has them all over it. Ben Greene, the legendary banjo player for the band, laid down some great hard-driving banjo. I brought in some heavy-hitters and was glad Tommy could lead the song off. Junior Sisk, Danny Paisley, Randy Graham and I joined in and it’s powerful – Lorraine Jordan.

True Grass serves as the lead single from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s upcoming album, set for release later this year. Carrying a traditional flair, the song features thought-provoking lyrics like why can’t Blue Grass just be true grass again, which will remind fans of the genre’s heritage and how it evolved. Written by David Stewart, the track includes a catchy melody with world-class instrumentation. IBMA winner and SPBGMA Female Vocalist of the Year recipient Lorraine Jordan adds harmony vocals with some of Blue Grass music’s most prominent names.

The upcoming album marks the follow-up to the award-winning band’s critically acclaimed Country Grass. Featuring original classic country artists singing lead on their biggest hits, the star-studded collection features collaborations with The Kentucky Headhunters, Lee Greenwood, Crystal Gayle, Marty Raybon and more. The project was also re-packaged in 2018 with the viral remake of “Seminole Wind” featuring John Anderson which was spotlighted on Rolling Stone.

As the touring season begins to enter into high gear, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road will be hitting the road playing festivals and venues throughout North America. On select shows they will also be teaming with country legend Eddy Raven for the popular “Country Grass Show.” Carolina Road served as the backing band for Raven’s latest album, All Grassed Up, where the 8-time country chart-topper re-created his biggest hits, Blue Grass style. To check out upcoming tour dates for Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, visit carolinaroadband.com.

True Grass” Credits:

Musicians:

Banjo – Ben Greene
Fiddle – Matt Hooper
Mandolin Lead – Josh Goforth
Mandolin Rhythm – Lorraine Jordan
Bass – Terry Smith
Guitar – Will Jones

Lead Vocals:

Tommy Long
Junior Sisk
Danny Paisley

Harmony Vocals:

Lorraine Jordan
Randy Graham

An Interview With Eddy Raven.

7 Apr, 18 by Greg McGrath

This month we catch up with Eddy Raven who has just released a new CD with Lorraine Jordan called All Grassed Up. Over the years, Eddy has released 8 No. 1 hits, along with another 14 Top Ten singles, while being award 30 ASCAP songwriter awards.

All Grassed Up features Eddy performing some of his biggest hits, bluegrass style, along with some new material as well. All Grassed Up also includes songs the chart-topping singer/songwriter has written for other artists. The backing band for the project is award-winning band, Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road.

What were your early music influences?
My Dad was a blues guitar player from south Georgia. He was a really good player and played guitar with a guy named Rex Griffin who had a song called Last Letter.
A lot of my musical influence was my Dad playing guitar around the house and showing me a couple of chords. My Mom was from Louisiana so there was a lot of Cajun influence from her side of the family. I’ve been influenced by a lot of things, and always liked Buddy Holly and Johnny Horton.

What age did you first start writing music?
I got my first guitar when I was around 7 years old, and around 11, it kind of hit me that I knew a bit about playing. I couldn’t play anybody else’s music, so I started writing my own.

What inspires you these days to write music?
Being a writer and being in the music business is a gift and sometimes you can’t do with it, and you can’t do without it. I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to be successful with what I was doing. Sometimes a song will stay with me forever like Thank God For Kids. It took 9 or 10 years, and the label didn’t like it or want to put it out on me, until the Oak Ridge Boys did it. After that it just broke out like crazy.

You have an incredibly varied musical background. It incorporates many genres; all are quite successful too. What brings you to Bluegrass music?
I got a phone call from Lorraine Jordan one day. She said, “I want to cut ‘I Got Mexico,” and I said OK. She said she wanted me to sing on it with her band, Carolina Road. We did a video and started getting some action on it. The band was so good and the players are so good in bluegrass that it worked so naturally, so we decided to do a whole album of my songs. Trying to decide on a title, I said I had one, but I’d have to write it… All Grassed Up. It needed to be a tribute to Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and people like Skaggs who keep pushing the music. I called my buddy David Stewart, we wrote the song and it came out good.

All I can say is ‘Holy Smokes.’ What a great CD. I have a bunch of listeners that are always interested in our older country done up bluegrass style. Well this CD has that and more. His country hits done bluegrass style are fantastic – Dick Deno at WWIS Radio.

Garrett Newton – Young Heart Old Soul

11 Mar, 17 by Greg McGrath

Garrett Newton’s debut album Young Heart Old Soul is now available on Pinecastle Records. The album is a real quality production that is sure to be well-respected in the bluegrass community. When one considers that Newton is not even 18 years old, the project is an even more impressive feat. The first single from the album “Country Poor and Country Proud” is already playing on radio station nationwide.

Young Heart Old Soul on iTunes.

Garrett has such an appreciation for old school bluegrass, I’m sure he’s had dreams of seeing Earl, Don or Sonny on stage, or seeing Ralph when he still played hard-driving, three finger banjo. And rest assured, Garrett knows banjo language throughout and first names of our first generation banjo heroes resonate with him quickly. You can hear a little of all those mentioned and others in his playing style – Joe Mullins.

Newton is a gifted young banjo player from Eastern North Carolina. At a young age, he began attending local bluegrass picking sessions and quickly became enamoured with the traditional bluegrass sound. He has devoted significant time to learning the history and absorbing the recordings of the first generation of bluegrass artists and it clearly shows in the style and drive of his banjo playing.

Several years ago, Newton approached Lorraine Jordan at a performance and asked to play banjo for her. Jordan was so impressed with the young man that she took him under her wing and began to feature him on Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road tour dates. Jordan also helped Newton to form his own touring outfit The Garrett Newton Band.

Lee Greenwood Revisits Dixie Road With Lorraine Jordan

4 Mar, 17 by Greg McGrath

It’s been 32 years since Lee Greenwood hit the top of the country charts with his smash single, “Dixie Road,” and the hit maker is continuing to turn heads with a new, recreated bluegrass version of the song. The singer/songwriter recently teamed up with Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road for a remake of the classic song, with a more prominent banjo and bluegrass vibe. The video for “Dixie Road” made its premiere yesterday on Country Rebel.

The new version of the song has already seen success internationally, when it was released as a single. The track finished in Hotdisc Countdown’s 30 Most Popular Songs of 2015, securing the No. 18 spot. The countdown highlights the top country songs across Europe, and is recognised and published in Country Music People, Country Music & Dance, and Southern Country magazines. The dynamic pairing looks to capitalise on that momentum with the latest official video for the song.

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road has been busy promoting their latest album, Country Grass, released via Pinecastle Records. In addition to the cut featuring Lee Greenwood, the star-studded project also features collaborations with Crystal Gayle, John Anderson, The Kentucky Headhunters, John Conlee, Eddy Raven and T.G. Sheppard, Marty Raybon, in addition to the late Jim Ed Brown and Lynn Anderson. The critically acclaimed project has propelled the chart-topping band to new heights, securing features in top music outlets like Rolling Stone, The Boot, and Country Rebel, while also establishing a presence on their key genre websites like Bluegrass Today, The Bluegrass Situation, Cybergrass and many more.

About Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road:

Hard work has paid off for this award-winning bluegrass band. Having a dynamic show has earned them over 100 performances each year throughout North America at more than 60 major festivals. Carolina Road plays worldwide and hosts a national bluegrass festival, Christmas in the Smokies. They have hosted the Canadian Bluegrass Awards, toured Europe, and played 15 bluegrass cruises. Carolina Road’s performance is a traditional sound with a fresh approach, which includes invigorating instrumentals, smooth blending vocals, and all the energy that you can stand!

Lorraine likes to think of the band as a family, and her band members have longevity in the band. Ben Greene (banjo/vocals) “2015 Banjo Player of the Year” has been with Carolina Road for 11 years. Josh Goforth (fiddle/guitar/vocals), has also been with them for 11 years, and is a Master Fiddle Player Extraordinaire! He was a 2009 Grammy award finalist for the CD Cuttin Loose. Tommy Long (guitar/lead vocals) has been with the band for 4 years. His outstanding lead vocals and driving rhythm guitar playing helps propel the band. Also touring with the band is much sought after bass player, Alan Hicks, along with Dobro player Joe Pessolano.

About Lee Greenwood:

Throughout his expansive career, international country music icon Lee Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a Grammy for Top Male Vocal Performance on “I.O.U,” in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious award nominations. His discography includes twenty-two studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits and thirty-eight singles including songs like “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hands,” “She’s Lyin,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose,” “Dixie Road,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Going Going Gone,” “You Got A Good Love Comin,” among others. His stand-out hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It was also No. 1 on the pop charts after 9/11. Known for his stand-out patriotism and support of the U.S. Military, Greenwood has been honoured with the Congressional Medal of Honour Society’s National Patriot’s Award, and entertained troops on more than 30 USO Tours. His latest book release is a children’s book called “Proud To Be An American,” which is currently available in stores, on Amazon and LeeGreenwood.com.

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road on Tour:

Mar. 11-16 Song of the Mountain CruiseMar. 25 Bristol, VA – Holiday Inn Hotel
Mar. 31 Kenansville, NC – Blue, Brew and Que Festival
Apr. 8 Marion, VA – Song of the Mountains PBS Series (with Eddy Raven)
Apr. 22 Guyton, GA – Daughters of Bluegrass Festival
May 5 Selma, NC – Ice House Theater
May 6 Liberty, NC – Liberty Showcase Theater
May 20 Sevierville, TN – Bloomin’ BBQ Bluegrass Festival
May 26 Snow Camp, NC – Little John’s Mountain Music Festival

Jun. 2-3 Thousand Island Bluegrass Festival
Jun. 10 Cherokee, NC – Cherokee Bluegrass Festival
Jun. 15-17 Roxboro, NC – Willow Oak Bluegrass Festival
Jun. 21 Summerville, WV – Music in the Mountains
Jun. 22 Big Island, VA – Sedalia Bluegrass Festival
Jul. 7 Centre Hall, PA – Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival
Jul. 12-16 Ireland Tour
Jul. 21-22 Ontario, Canada – Minden Hill Bluegrass Festival
Aug. 12 Leonardtown, MD – Lil Margarets Bluegrass Festival

Aug. 25-26 Lodi, NY – Pickin in the Pasture Bluegrass Festival
Aug. 31 New Richmond (Quebec) – The New Richmond Bluegrass Festival
Sep. 15 Garner, NC – Lorraine’s Coffee house & Music
Sep. 16 Gloucester, VA – Bluegrass by the Bay
Sep. 22-23 Arcada, MD
Sep. 24-30 Raleigh, NC – IBMA
Oct. 14-21 First Quality Bluegrass Cruise
Dec. 6-9 Pigeon Forge, TN – Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival

New Video from Lorraine Jordan and Marty Raybon

28 May, 16 by Greg McGrath

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, along with Marty Raybon, just released the latest video for “Darned if I Don’t, Danged if I Do,” exclusively on Country Rebel. The song was made famous by Raybon’s band Shenandoah, upon its initial release. The track is featured on Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s latest album, Country Grass, which also includes collaborations with Crystal Gayle, Lee Greenwood, The Kentucky Headhunters, John Conlee, Eddy Raven and T.G. Sheppard, in addition to the late Jim Ed Brown and Lynn Anderson.

I’ve always been a fan of Marty Raybon, so working with him has been a dream come true. I hope fans enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it – Lorraine Jordan.

Recently celebrating its 20th Anniversary, “Darned if I Don’t, Danged if I Do” was originally released in 1995. The Grammy-nominated song, written by Ronnie Dunn and Dean Dillion was re-recorded, this time with a new toe-tapping bluegrass flavour. The song originally peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Country Songs chart.

Fans can catch Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road on tour throughout the year, playing festivals and venues around the country. The chart-toppers will also appear at the 2016 CMA Music Festival in Nashville. They will be performing at the Durango Music Spot stage at the Music City Center on Sunday, June 12. You can learn more at carolinaroadband.com

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road on Tour:

May 26 Snow Camp, N.C. – Lil John’s Bluegrass Festival
May 27 Coeburn, Va. – Dr. Ralph Stanley’s Bluegrass Festival
Jun 04 Cherokee, N.C. – Cherokee Bluegrass Festival
Jun 12 Nashville, Tenn. – CMA Fest
Jun 23 Summersville, W.Va.
Jul 15 Rocky Mount, Va. – Harvester Performance Center
Aug 06 Hyden, Ky. – Osborne Brothers Bluegrass Festival
Aug 11 Pennsylvania State Fair
Aug 26-27 Pine River, Minn. – The Lakes Festival
Sep 16-17 Conway, Mo. – Annual Starvy Creek Fall Bluegrass Festival
Oct 28 Anderson, S.C. – Boograss Bash
Oct 29 York, Pa. – Seven Mountains BG Association
Nov 10-11 Mountain View, Ark. – Mountain View Bluegrass Association Inc.
Nov 19 Garner, N.C. – Garner Memorial Auditorium with Eddy Raven
Nov. 25 Myrtle Beach, S.C. – South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival
Nov. 26 Bloomingdale, Ga. – Randy Wood Pickin’ Parlor
Dec 07-10 Pigeon Forge, Tenn. – Christmas in the Smokies
Dec 31 Jekyll Island, Ga. – Jekyll Island Convention Center

About Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road:
Hard work has paid off for this award-winning bluegrass band. Having a dynamic show has earned them over 100 performances each year throughout North America at more than 60 major festivals. Carolina Road plays worldwide and hosts a national bluegrass festival, Christmas in the Smokies. They have hosted the Canadian Bluegrass Awards, toured Europe, and played 15 bluegrass cruises. Carolina Road’s performance is a traditional sound with a fresh approach, which includes invigorating instrumentals, smooth blending vocals, and all the energy that you can stand.

Lorraine likes to think of the band as a family, and her band members have longevity in the band. Ben Greene (banjo/vocals) “2015 Banjo Player of the Year” has been with Carolina Road for 11 years. Josh Goforth (fiddle/guitar/vocals), has also been with them for 11 years, and is a Master Fiddle Player. He was a 2009 Grammy award finalist for the CD “Cuttin Loose”. Tommy Long (guitar/lead vocals) has been with the band for 4 years. His outstanding lead vocals and driving rhythm guitar playing helps propel the band. Also, Jason Moore, much sought after bass player, will be touring with the band, and dobro player, Brad Hudson, who was a featured artist at the world-famous Country Tonight’s in Pigeon Forge, Tenneessee, and at the Legends Theater, in Halifax, North Carolina.

TG Sheppard Do You Want To Go To Heaven?

18 Feb, 16 by Greg McGrath

Here is a new venture into bluegrass music by well know country music stalwart TG Sheppard.

According to his website he has always had an unstoppable passion for music. This passion along with 21 number one hits and being ranked among the top 100 country artists of all time has made him one of the most popular live performers on tour today.

Sheppard dropped out of high school and at the age of 15 ran away from home to become involved in the music industry in Memphis, Tennessee.

William Browder, as he was then known, first recorded for Atco Records as Brian Stacy in 1966. He later changed his name to TG Sheppard to begin a singing career with a rival label while still working as an executive for RCA Records.

His first hit was the song “Devil in the Bottle“, which became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart and became a Top 60 Pop hit in 1975.

Here he teams up with Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road in a music video called Do You Wanna Go To Heaven?

Country Grass Debuts Number 2 on Billboard

4 Jul, 15 by Greg McGrath

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s brand new album, Country Grass, has debuted at #6 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart. The award-winning Bluegrass group teamed up with some of Country music’s top acts including Crystal Gayle, Lee Greenwood, Lynn Anderson, The Kentucky Headhunters, T.G. Sheppard, Eddy Raven, John Conlee, Marty Raybon and the late Jim Ed Brown, on what would become his final recording. The album was also the highest ranking debut on the chart for the week.

Country Grass is fuelled by the lead single, ” Runnin’ Water,” which is a collaboration with Grammy award-winning band, The Kentucky Headhunters. The song recently debuted at #25 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Survey. The video for the song was shot on-site where The Kentucky Headhunters have recorded the majority of their top videos.

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road started off 2015 on a high note, taking home three awards at the 42nd Annual SPBGMA (The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) Convention & Awards Show earlier this year. With Lorraine receiving top honors as “Female Vocalist of the Year,” Ben Greene winning “Banjo Player of the Year,” and the group collectively taking home “Song of the Year,” the group has established themselves as one of the top acts in the genre.

What the Media is Saying:

Each legend brings something different and each track blends well with a traditional bluegrass style. It’s a concept that serves the music well. – ParcBench

Fans of traditional country and bluegrass will certainly appreciate Country Grass – Roughstock.

This project showcases great voices, great musicianship, and great songs; songs that are so engrained in us as is, that re-imagining them the way that Jordan and her group have done is worthy of a standing ovation. In an era today where the roots seem too often be forgotten, Country Grass is a perfect look back that reminds us where country music came from – One Stop Country.

There’s a lot more to be said for this album, but I think I can sum things up a simple observation; if you prefer your country without the cowboy hats and rhinestones, and your bluegrass traditional, then this is a fine place to start – Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association.

Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road – Country Grass

27 Jun, 15 by Greg McGrath

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road have released their new CD Country Grass on Pinecastle Records. This is a new sound inspired by country traditions.

Country Grass is a musical collaboration, motivated by the new audiences attending bluegrass festivals. Many of these fans discovered bluegrass music because traditional country is hard to find, so Country Grass was born.

Take country classics, add acoustic instruments, and invite the original lead vocalist to sing on the songs. Preliminary audience response to performing some of the tracks has been outstanding.

Some of the original artists are on board for a Country Grass tour to complement other marketing efforts, which include a video with the Kentucky Headhunters performing “Runnin’ Water,” and a 2015 scheduled show with Eddy Raven.

We are excited about this one-of-a-kind project, where bluegrass and country music cross paths in the Country Grass. This compilation album from some of the most well-known names in traditional country and the finest bluegrass pickers around will have folks dancin’ barefoot on the back roads – Lorraine Jordan.

Bluegrass and country music were united like marriage partners in the early days, but in time, the two genres were separated. Classic country music and bluegrass music still fit together well. This project ties the knot between the two again. When the bluegrass instrumentation and harmonies are put with the classic country hits and the country artist is singing the lead vocal, you get Country Grass – Bill Conger Bluegrass Unlimited