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LIFE
Don Rigsby's Homecoming Concert features top musicians
Don Rigsby’s 10th annual Homecoming Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Mountaineer Arts Center Prestonsburg, Ky.
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. -- The Mountain Arts Center will be in "constant sorrow" come Friday night.
With Alison Krauss out traipsing around the globe with Robert Plant, her band fronted by Union Station lead guitarist, Dan Tyminski, is out touring the country.
Friday, Tyminski, perhaps best known for his searing vocal of "Man of Constant Sorrow" in the film, "O' Brother Where Art Thou," is a special guest for Don Rigsby's 10th Homecoming Anniversary Concert Friday at the Mountain Arts Center.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.
With Union Station on hiatus for most of 2008, the Grammy Award-winning guitarist and vocalist Tyminski has formed a new incarnation of the Dan Tyminski Band, with whom he is currently recording a new album and preparing a national tour of festivals and arts centers, through September.
This new edition includes long-time Union Station associate Barry Bales (bass), former Union Station and Mountain Heart member Adam Steffey (mandolin), sideman extraordinaire Ron Stewart (banjo, fiddle), and newcomer Justin Moses (fiddle, dobro).
The Homecoming show celebrates the music of Don Rigsby, the award-winning bluegrass band-leader and Elliott County, Ky., native who's been a professional bluegrass musician with such acts as J.D. Crowe and The New South, The Bluegrass Cardinals and The Lonesome River Band, before going solo.
Rigsby is also an active record producer. He produced the award-winning CD "40" for Larry Sparks that featured such artists as Vince Gill and Alison Krauss. That CD took home the International Bluegrass Music Association's "Album of the Year" and "Recorded Event of the Year" in 2005.
One of the most renowned tenor singers in bluegrass, Rigsby is perhaps best known locally for being in America's Bluegrass Band, a group he formed with Ernie Thacker and Melvin Goins.
The group is featured weekly on "America's Bluegrass Gospel Show" that airs on WSAZ as well as KET.
CMT named Rigsby's last record "Midnight Call" as one of the Top 10 bluegrass CDs of the year.
Risgby, who's got gigs lined up this summer at The Festival of the Bluegrass and The Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival (two of the country's largest fests), has a new CD for Rounder Records with his super-group, called Longview.
"Deep in the Mountains" is the third CD for the group whose original members of Rigbsy, James King and Marshall Wilborn are now joined by J.D. Crowe, Ron Stewart, and Lou Reid, resulting in a potent new lineup that light a match with some soulful old-school bluegrass fueled by soaring lead singing and riveting three-part harmonies.
Show promoter, Ken Carriere, of Goodtyme Productions, said Risgby is rare in that he is a talented singer, band-leader, producer, instrumentalist and promoter who is well versed in the rich history of bluegrass.
"The thing about Don is that he has such a good understanding of the history of bluegrass and what makes that music tick and what makes it enticing and why people love the music," Carriere said. "He understands the heart and soul of bluegrass past and senses the future."
Carriere said Rigsby, who has been playing professionally since he was a teenager, is one of the rare people to have in-roads into the music on so many angles.
The executive director of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University, Rigsby also brings a studied sense of history and of the present need to carry the tradition forward to new generations.
"His finger is right on the pulse of what is happening because he is involved with it happening," Carriere said. "He is one of the trend-setters and on top of that is a very positive person. You always need to have that optimism."
Rigsby, who has worked with a who's who list in bluegrass and country music, also brings out a special mystery guest that has included everybody from country singer Ken Mellons to bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley.
"I can't imagine any higher caliber of musicianship that will be experienced at Don's Homecoming Show, it really doesn't get any better than this," Carriere said. "I also believe that Don's special surprise guest is going to really have the bluegrass fans on the edge of their seats -- I can't wait myself."
WHAT: Don Rigsby's 10th Annual Homecoming Concert with The Dan Tyminski Band, featuring members of Alison Krauss' Grammy Award-winning band, as well as Don Rigsby and Midnight Call and a special mystery guest.
WHERE: The Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg, Ky.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 14.
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $20
GET TICKETS: Call (888) MAC-ARTS or (888) 622-2787.
ON THE WEB: Go online at www.macarts.com or www.goodtyme.com.
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