Telluride Bluegrass: Gospel Set Features Rising Superstars Dailey & Vincent

17 Jun Telluride Bluegrass: Gospel Set Features Rising Superstars Dailey & Vincent

“If you look up the definition of sonic perfection, there just might be a picture of bluegrass super duo Dailey and Vincent,” Steve Leggett, All Music

Since 1981, Sunday morning at Telluride Bluegrass has rhymed with gospel. In the bad old days, that roughly translated to whoever could be dragged out of bed after too much of the night before to take requests from a bleary-eyed crowd. In 1989, when the Festival changed management, Main Stage gospel got a wash and a starch.

After reviewing his options, director Craig Ferguson sometimes waxed traditional, featuring singers from the African American tradition performing hand-clapping, foot-stomping, hallelujah-type tunes: groups such as Mighty Clouds of Joy, Five Blind Boys from Alabama, Mavis Staples are examples. Often though,  Bluegrass “gospel” twinned with “music with a spiritual vibe” from other genres and cultures such as (en)chanting monks from monastery in Dharamsala, India, or the other-worldly sounds of stringed instrument virtuoso William Eaton. In 2003, Festivarians spiced up their Bloody Marys with Bach, performed by Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall, and Chris Thile.

But for traditional bluegrass festival-style gospel, well, that’s Seldom Scene. Literally. The group which goes by that name last performed in 1991. Who better to bring that back home than the high lonesome, sibling-like harmonies of super duo Dailey and Vincent?

“It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had a trad bluegrass gospel set,” explained Telluride Bluegrass marketing honcho, Brian Eyster. “When we decided to go that direction this year, these guys were the obvious choice. The connection between their vocals to each other (and to a higher plane) is something to behold. And the pickers in their band just tear it up. Despite their piles of accolades and awards from IBMA and the bluegrass world, Dailey & Vincent have rarely played Colorado, so it is a rare treat to have them on the TBF stage.”

Dailey & Vincent is now one of the top Bluegrass bands in America. Right out of the gate (late 2007), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent quickly established themselves as fresh voices in their genre. The surefire mix of vocal blends, four award-winning studio albums, and a heavy touring schedules (about 115 shows per year to sold-out crowds) roll up to accolades from bluegrass, country, and gospel critics and fans alike, a fact underscored by the duo’s basket of awards: 3-time IBMA Entertainer of The Year, 3-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year, 2-time Grammy nominee, and Dove Award winners.

Young but seasoned veterans of bluegrass, traditional country, and gospel groups, Dailey and Vincent have built on the experience and knowledge gained from working with the likes of Doyle Lawson (Dailey) and John Hartford and Ricky Skaggs (Vincent) to forge their own distinct career path.

Jamie Dailey comes from a musical family: his father, guitarist J.B. Dailey, was a founding member of The Four J’s, a regional gospel quartet. Dailey started singing when he was just three years old. By the time he was nine, he was learning to play bass and guitar. Within a few years, he added banjo to his repertoire.

Darrin Vincent began his career onstage at age two with his family band, The Sally Mountain Show and has been singing with his sister Rhonda most of his life.

To learn more about these “Brothers Of the Highway,” click the “play” button and listen to my interview with Darrin Vincent.