The Pocahontas County Opera House will welcome Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass to its stage Saturday, November 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass play powerful, unadorned and intense traditional bluegrass. With a number of awards and nominations under his belt, Paisley continues to shine as a nominee for 2019 IBMA male vocalist of the year.
Born in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, in 1959, Danny inherited the love and talent for this music and is proud to continue the family tradition. His father, Bob Paisley, founded and led one of America’s premier traditional bluegrass bands, Bob Paisley and The Southern Grass, which became known around the world for their musicianship and dedication to the traditional style.
For more than 25 years, the band maintained its distinctive brand of hard-driving bluegrass music com- bining soulful and powerful harmony singing with exciting instrumental work. Since Danny’s father, Bob Paisley, passed away in 2004, Danny Paisley and The Southern Grass have made their own niche in the bluegrass world.
Their album, “The Room Over Mine,” earned accolades and significant chart action, and the song, “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away” won the 2009 IBMA Award for Song of the Year. The group has received several IBMA nominations for Emerging Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and, in 2016, Paisley was named Male Vocalist of the Year.
The current lineup consists of Danny Paisley on guitar, and continuing with the family tradition, the Southern Grass adds Danny’s son, Ryan, on mandolin – the next generation of up and coming pickers. In 2015, Southern Grass welcomed back T.J. Lundy as its fiddler. Lundy is a highly respected fiddler bridging the gap between old-time fiddling and bluegrass music. Southern Grass also includes Mark Delaney (formerly with Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen and Darren Beachley and Legends of the Potomac) on banjo; and Bob Lundy on Bass. Lundy is a revered mandolinist, and banjoist and has recently gained attention for his unique bass styling.
Tickets are $10 for adults. Youth 17 and younger are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at the door and in advance at pocahontasoperahouse.org or at The 4th Avenue Gallery in Marlinton.
Performances at the Opera House are informal, family-friendly and open to all. The entrance and main seating are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to attend; special accommodations can be arranged upon request by calling 304-799-6645.
The Opera House Performance Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Support is also provided by Pocahontas County Drama, Fairs and Festivals and the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau.