| Firmly rooted in bluegrass traditions, The
Steep Canyon Rangers have carved out a place of their own
in the world of bluegrass music, creating a sound that
looks forward as well as backwards and is dedicated to
bringing their music to the next generation of fans. They
have taken bluegrass to rock clubs, jam band festivals and
other non-traditional venues, winning new converts along
the way.
The Rangers arrived from varied musical backgrounds
and formed themselves in the stairwells and kitchens of
Orange County’s town of Chapel Hill in the bluegrass
hot-spot of North Carolina. The Steep Canyon Rangers have
come a long way since turning professional in 2001.
Meeting as undergraduates at the Chapel Hill University of
North Carolina, Graham Sharp, Woody Platt and Charles R.
Humphrey III were joined by their love of acoustic music
with Platt’s friend Mike Guggino joining shortly
thereafter. The band progressed more and more towards
bluegrass while at the same time learning the genre’s
classic tunes.
In 2006 the International Bluegrass Music
Association voted Steep Canyon Rangers the Emerging Artist
of the Year. In October the Grand Ole Opry welcomed the
Rangers for a debut performance at the Ryman Auditorium in
Nashville. The past year also saw the title track from
their 2005 album One Dime At A Time rise to #1 on
Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey. With deep
dedication they perfected their musical approach using
fierce dynamics and faultless harmonies, basing their
sound around a stunning catalogue of original songs,
drawing on the sounds of bluegrass, honky-tonk, and blues.
Hot on the heels of their recent success comes a third
release on Rebel Records Lovin’
Pretty Women produced by bluegrass heavyweight
Ronnie Bowman and
 engineered
by guitarist Wyatt Rice. The Rangers are made up of Platt
(guitar, lead vocals), Guggino (mandolin, harmony vocals),
Humphrey (bass, harmony vocals), Nicky Sanders (fiddle,
harmony vocals), and Sharp (banjo, harmony vocals) who
has also written or co-written eight of the album’s twelve
tracks.
This spellbinding album kicks off with the up-tempo
“A Ramblin’ Man Is A Ramblin’ Man”
written by Sharpe and Marc Collie (who I presume is the
90’s country music star), driven by the ringing banjo
along with sensational fiddle and mandolin licks. The
album’s title track (written by Sharpe) keeps the tempo
driving along, followed by “Ain’t No
Way Of Knowin” (Shawn Camp, Paul Craft, Phillip
Lammonds). The album slows down with a song about the
struggle of the life of the coal miner with Sharp’s “Call
The Captain”. Band member Charles R. Humphrey III
co-writes with Lance Mills on the up-tempo “Pick
Up The Blues”, while Mike Guggino contributes his
own sensational mandolin and banjo dominated instrumental
“Kukkendall” offering all the
band members the opportunity to show-off their musical
expertise.
The Steep Canyon Rangers have built a reputation as
a powerful, engaging quintet seasoned by constant touring.
Their willingness to carry bluegrass to music-lovers
worldwide has put the band on stage at Americana and
Bluegrass festivals in the U.S. and elsewhere, as well as
major Rock & Roll venues on the national jam-band circuit.
Let us all hope that we’ll have the chance to see this
top-class band here in the UK.
Graham Lees Oct 2007 |
