Coon Creek: Dale Ann Bradley's Backup Band
writen by Janie Franz
I must confess that I had never heard Dale Ann Bradley until last year when I covered a story about Ralph Stanley at her festival in Berea, Kentucky. Her backup band, Coon Creek, however, was somewhat familiar to me because of its legendary name. I grew up listening to the original Coon Creek Girls on scratchy 78's. I even saw them once in the early 1970's. That was before Vicki Simmons and a few other women resurrected that early sound and began appearing as the New Coon Creek Girls. Simmons learned to play claw-hammer banjo, which she still does on occasion, from Lily Mae Ledford, one of the original Coon Creek Girls. The New Coon Creek Girls performed as a separate act but did have the opportunity to do a dual performance with some of the remaining original Coon Creeks. When Bradley joined the New Coon Creek Girls, she began writing and performing her own material with the band. Not long after, the all-girl band became co-ed.
So, last year, I came expecting something faithful to old-time music from Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek, with a lot of traditional covers and a sound that would not tolerate change. What I heard were heart-rending ballads about real women facing age-old problems and surviving. I heard a longing for the mountains and the simplicity of how life had been with mama. I heard grief comforted by a rocking chair and the sureness of heaven spoken from someone close to its door.
Mostly, I heard a voice that orchestrated my emotions with each phrasing, a voice that spoke of life experience, but never of despair. I was captured and pulled into the songs through Bradley's clear soprano which one reviewer called "the voice of an angel." And when I heard four-part harmony from the whole band on a gospel tune, I knew they had a sound that was meant to mend broken hearts and look for the sunny side of things.
But it wasn't just Dale Ann Bradley's vocal skill that stunned me. It was the strength of the songs she sung and the careful backup vocals and solid instrumentation of Coon Creek. I found out later that half of the songs on her latest album, and the songs I found most arresting, were co-written by Bradley and Simmons. Two other astounding songs were written one by Simmons and another by Sarah Pirkle, a friend of theirs from eastern Kentucky.
Two years ago, she and Coon Creek were picked up by Doobie Shea Records which is owned by Tim Austin, a founding member of the Lonesome River Band. One famouse member of that band is Dan Timinski, currently with Alison Kraus' backup band, Union Station. He has close ties still with Doobie Shea Records. Backup bands like Union Station and Coon Creek are changing the face of bluegrass music by letting the songs carry the weight of the group, instead of
providing a lot of flash and lightening fast instrumentation. Alison Kraus and Union Station led the way by introducing a soft sound to bluegrass with a hauntingly beautiful female lead. Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek are following in the wake of this new interest in bluegrass and roots music.
On their first CD from Doobie Shea Records, "Cumberland River Dreams," Bradley and Coon Creek are joined by Dan Tyminski on guitar on all but three of the twelve cuts, and Tyminski even adds harmony vocals on four of them. Even Alison Kraus graces "I Wish It'd Been You" with her own harmony vocals.
Current members of Coon Creek are: Vicki Simmons, bass, claw-hammer banjo; Michael Cleveland, fiddle, mandolin; Kim Gardner, dobro; and Tom Adams, banjo. Michael McLain, a former member of the acclaimed McLain Family Singers, was a touring member of Coon Creek, playing guitar and banjo on "Cumberland River Dreams." Brad Meinerding, mandolin, also toured with McLain and Coon Creek.
Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek will be appearing at the 2003 Merlefest in North Carolina in the spring. Bradley has also been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Michael Cleveland has also been nominated as best fiddle player. The awards will be announced in late October.
You can find out more about Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek by checking out their website at: www.daleann.com.
for our website by Janie Franz.
I must confess that I had never heard Dale Ann Bradley until last year when I covered a story about Ralph Stanley at her festival in Berea, Kentucky. Her backup band, Coon Creek, however, was somewhat familiar to me because of its legendary name. I grew up listening to the original Coon Creek Girls on scratchy 78's. I even saw them once in the early 1970's. That was before Vicki Simmons and a few other women resurrected that early sound and began appearing as the New Coon Creek Girls. Simmons learned to play claw-hammer banjo, which she still does on occasion, from Lily Mae Ledford, one of the original Coon Creek Girls. The New Coon Creek Girls performed as a separate act but did have the opportunity to do a dual performance with some of the remaining original Coon Creeks. When Bradley joined the New Coon Creek Girls, she began writing and performing her own material with the band. Not long after, the all-girl band became co-ed.So, last year, I came expecting something faithful to old-time music from Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek, with a lot of traditional covers and a sound that would not tolerate change. What I heard were heart-rending ballads about real women facing age-old problems and surviving. I heard a longing for the mountains and the simplicity of how life had been with mama. I heard grief comforted by a rocking chair and the sureness of heaven spoken from someone close to its door.
Mostly, I heard a voice that orchestrated my emotions with each phrasing, a voice that spoke of life experience, but never of despair. I was captured and pulled into the songs through Bradley's clear soprano which one reviewer called "the voice of an angel." And when I heard four-part harmony from the whole band on a gospel tune, I knew they had a sound that was meant to mend broken hearts and look for the sunny side of things.But it wasn't just Dale Ann Bradley's vocal skill that stunned me. It was the strength of the songs she sung and the careful backup vocals and solid instrumentation of Coon Creek. I found out later that half of the songs on her latest album, and the songs I found most arresting, were co-written by Bradley and Simmons. Two other astounding songs were written one by Simmons and another by Sarah Pirkle, a friend of theirs from eastern Kentucky.
Two years ago, she and Coon Creek were picked up by Doobie Shea Records which is owned by Tim Austin, a founding member of the Lonesome River Band. One famouse member of that band is Dan Timinski, currently with Alison Kraus' backup band, Union Station. He has close ties still with Doobie Shea Records. Backup bands like Union Station and Coon Creek are changing the face of bluegrass music by letting the songs carry the weight of the group, instead of
providing a lot of flash and lightening fast instrumentation. Alison Kraus and Union Station led the way by introducing a soft sound to bluegrass with a hauntingly beautiful female lead. Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek are following in the wake of this new interest in bluegrass and roots music.On their first CD from Doobie Shea Records, "Cumberland River Dreams," Bradley and Coon Creek are joined by Dan Tyminski on guitar on all but three of the twelve cuts, and Tyminski even adds harmony vocals on four of them. Even Alison Kraus graces "I Wish It'd Been You" with her own harmony vocals.
Current members of Coon Creek are: Vicki Simmons, bass, claw-hammer banjo; Michael Cleveland, fiddle, mandolin; Kim Gardner, dobro; and Tom Adams, banjo. Michael McLain, a former member of the acclaimed McLain Family Singers, was a touring member of Coon Creek, playing guitar and banjo on "Cumberland River Dreams." Brad Meinerding, mandolin, also toured with McLain and Coon Creek.
Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek will be appearing at the 2003 Merlefest in North Carolina in the spring. Bradley has also been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Michael Cleveland has also been nominated as best fiddle player. The awards will be announced in late October.You can find out more about Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek by checking out their website at: www.daleann.com.
for our website by Janie Franz.
Our latest CD
On saturday, March 31 and sunday, April 1 in 2007, Album band recorded new 'promotial' CD in Mira Kuzelka's recording studio in Most. With help of Mira, Amper and bottle of Jameson whiskey, we tried to record about 11 songs. We used this CD mainly as a demo for festivals, but if anybody'd like to buy it, please, write us. You can listen each track of the CD in 'sound samples' in our web. All songs (except one - Intim sprej) are in english language.