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The Country Gentlemen expanded the definition of "bluegrass" -- they were progressive bluegrass before the terms existed.
The Gentlemen came along with the first wave of the folk revival in the late '50s and quickly made a name for themselves as a band that could not only play traditional material straight, but also brought
Bob Dylan and contemporary country material into the genre. Because of their exceptional singing and virtuoso instrumentals,
the Gentlemen attracted a broad audience, ranging from traditional country/bluegrass fans to folk and soft rock lovers.
Formed in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 1957, the original lineup of
the Country Gentlemen featured guitarist/vocalist
Charlie Waller -- who has led the band through all of its numerous incarnations -- mandolinist/vocalist
John Duffey, banjoist
Bill Emerson, and bassist
Tom Morgan.
Waller had spent time with a number of country string bands in the early '50s, most notably
Buzz Busby's band, the Bayou Boys, who also featured
Emerson. After the Bayou Boys suffered a car crash in early 1957,
Waller and
Emerson put together a group to fulfill the band's regular spot at a Virginia venue while various members were recovering. That replacement band evolved into
the County Gentlemen.
For the first two years of their existence,
the Country Gentlemen went through numerous lineup changes. In 1959, they finally landed on a permanent lineup, with banjoist
Eddie Adcock and bassist
Tom Gray joining a band that already included
Waller and
Duffey. This lineup secured a contract with Starday Records and released a handful of singles, as well as one album, Traveling Dobro Blues. Following their Starday recordings, the group moved to Folkways, where they released three albums, including their breakthrough, Country Songs Old & New. After their stint at Folkways, the group moved to Mercury in 1963, where they released
Folk Session Inside. The following year, they began a long association with Rebel Records.
During the '60s,
the Country Gentlemen built up a dedicated fan base in America through constant touring. Although their lineup shifted rapidly -- following
Gray's 1964 departure, they went through several of bassists before settling on Ed McGlothlin -- their sound pretty much stayed the same. At the end of the '60s, the core lineup began to splinter as
Duffey left in 1969; he was replaced by
Jimmy Gaudreau. In the following year, both
Adcock and McGlothlin left the lineup. In 1971, the second classic lineup of
the Country Gentlemen -- featuring
Waller, a re-joined
Bill Emerson, mandolinist
Doyle Lawson, and bassist Bill Yates -- fell into place and stayed together for two years. For the next 20 years, various lineups of
the Country Gentlemen, which were all led by
Waller, remained popular on the bluegrass festival circuit. Banjo player
Bill Emerson died on August 21, 2021 at the age of 83. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & David Vinopal