Band & Musicians
A smartly selected crew of singers and players frame Bradley's tender yet muscular singing to perfection. A couple of her regular bandmembers—harmony singer Kim Fox and banjo man Mike Sumner—make appearances, and so do supple, inventive musicians like the Infamous Stringdusters' Andy Hall, ace studio fiddler Stuart Duncan, bass stalwart Mike Bub, producer Alison Brown (who doubles on guitar and banjo) and, perhaps most surprisingly yet appropriately, young mandolin phenom Sierra Hull. All those elements come together in the partnership here with singer, guitarist, songwriter and friend Steve Gulley. "We grew up together," Bradley notes. "Steve and me—we each know what the other one's going to do." Yet as strong as the supporting cast is, the focus is, as always, on Dale Ann and the songs she's chosen—and as always, they're a deliciously varied bunch.
Steve Gulley
Steve Gulley had already won esteem for his lofty tenor voice and emotional delivery as an entertainer at Kentucky’s historic Renfro Valley well before he joined Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, which brought him to a wider but no less appreciative audience.
Steve was also a founding member of Mountain Heart where he recorded five highly acclaimed, award-winning projects while serving as the band’s lead vocalist followed by a five-year stint as a founding member and front man of the popular group, Grasstowne.
These days he is considered a stalwart of the very top echelon of lead and tenor singers in the bluegrass business as well as being a gifted songwriter and guitarist. He has been tapped as a harmony and featured vocalist on projects such as the widely praised Keith Whitley album, ”Sad Songs And Waltzes” and many other projects featuring Ronnie Bowman, Dan Tyminski, Tim Stafford, Dwight McCall, Dale Ann Bradley, Jeff Parker and country singer Ken Mellons just to name a few.
As a songwriter, he has been fortunate enough to have his songs recorded by many top groups including Blue Highway, Kenny & Amanda Smith, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. In fact, the song, "Through The Window Of A Train," which Steve co-wrote with Tim Stafford, was voted IBMA Song Of The Year for 2008. Steve has also earned multiple Male Vocalist of the Year nominations at SPBGMA.
His long-time friendship and musical collaboration with Dale Ann Bradley continues with this new partnership and will only grow stronger in the coming years. Steve looks forward to many years of great music with his lifelong friend.
Mike Sumner - Banjo
Mike Sumner claims numerous playing influences, from his father Joe Sumner to Bela Fleck, Scott Vestal, Allison Brown, and Sammy Shelor. He began playing in the contest circuit in his teens and has won numerous state championships multiple times. In 2001 he won Merlefest, Rockygrass and the Winfield National Banjo Championship. He repeated the National Banjo Championship win again in 2007. Mike plays an Ome Megatone and a Sumner Goldenbell model banjos. He strives to play clean, creative yet tasty banjo that enhances the overall sound.
Clint Hurd
Clint Hurd was raised in Eidson, TN. His late grandfather, Charles Byrd, introduced him to bluegrass music at an early age by buying him his first mandolin and showing him the first chord.
With a supportive family rooted deeply in Bluegrass music, Clint quickly began playing multiple instruments and singing numerous parts. His greatest influences include his father, Dwight Hurd, Bill Monroe, Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, Tony Rice, and last but not least The Bluegrass Partners.
He has performed with numerous bands which include but are not limited to his family band: The Bluegrass Partners, Rough Edges Band, and Cumberland Gap Connection.
Clint strives to enhance the sound of each band he performs with by delivering smooth harmony and lead vocals, and putting in effect the three T’s: Tone, Taste, and Timing.
Courtney Burroughs
Courtney Burroughs was born in Stoneville, NC where she learned to sing and play in her family's gospel group. She grew up playing and singing in churches all over her area. Homeschooling allowed her to focus heavily on music and at the age of ten she started learning to play the mandolin. By age eleven she had taken up the fiddle and was entering numerous competitions including the prestigious Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention. Burroughs won first place in the youth division and went on to make her mark on the bluegrass music scene. At age sixteen she became the lead singer and fiddle player for the teen bluegrass sensation Broken Wire which was based out of Galax, VA. The group gained much praise throughout its three year run. It was during this time that Burroughs started playing guitar and writing her own music, much of which was featured on the bands self-titled album. The group worked with Grammy nominated fiddler Jim Van Cleve and Grammy award winning engineer David Hall to produce a demo featuring one of her songs. During her stint with Broken Wire she was able to play many of the highly acclaimed bluegrass music venues including, Merlefest, Floydfest, Bluegrass First Class, The Ernest Tubb Record Shop, CMT Pickin' Porch at IBMA, Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, Lil' Johns Mountain Music Festival, Bristol Rhythm and Roots, and many more. Burroughs was also affiliated with the Kids on Bluegrass show in Nashville, Tennessee where she and her band played several years in a row. Since the untimely passing of former band mate Houston Caldwell, she has become an active committee member for a memorial festival in his honor, Houstonfest, where she helped develop her own Kids on Bluegrass show entitled The Houstonfest Bluegrass Kids. After taking a break from music for two years to attain a college degree, she decided to make music a more integral part of her life and pursue the passion that has always driven her.