Biography

After the up-tempo ‘90s vibe of this summer’s Dwight Yoakam cover, “This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me,” Benson — that’s the husband-wife duo of award-winning pickers Kristin Scott Benson (banjo) and Wayne Benson (mandolin) — downshift to a subdued mood and a distinctly contemporary sound on their latest single for Mountain Home Music Company, “Down That Road.”

From the shimmering suspended chords and gentle rhythms of its opening, the haunting track unwinds a meditation on lost love and memory that’s perfectly suited for singer Keith Garrett (Boxcars, Blue Moon Rising). As Kristin Scott Benson notes, “‘Down That Road’ is a great song. I love to play banjo on tunes with this lilting groove. Wayne and I are both huge Keith Garrett fans and we love his vocal delivery on this one. The song conveys a vulnerability and he did a great job capturing that.”

IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Cody Kilby, former Wayne Benson bandmate Kevin McKinnon (bass), master session drummer Tony Creasman provide nuanced support, while another former Benson bandmate, Dustin Pyrtle, adds a sympathetic harmony vocal to the song’s melancholy chorus:

(I) don’t even drive down that road anymore
It’s paved with too many painful memories
That’s a reckless ride that my heart can’t afford
You made a fool out of me

Written by prolific bluegrass singer-songwriter Becky Buller and Nashville tunesmith Andrew Scott Wills, “Down That Road”’s marriage of well-crafted lyric and melody — and a strategically-placed chord leading into that chorus — serves notice that Benson’s principals don’t need to be center stage to suffuse an entire performance with their broad-ranging sensibilities.

About Benson
Benson is a collaborative effort between two of bluegrass music's most treasured instrumentalists: Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson. With decades of experience in top-tier bands, both have established themselves as stalwarts in the community. After years of paving separate musical paths, the two finally decided it was time to integrate their identities and create something new together. Benson is their first combined effort, despite having been married for over 20 years.

Wayne Benson is a 25-year veteran of the seven-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out. He is on the short list of mandolin players who have signature models with Gibson Musical Instruments.

Kristin Scott Benson is a six-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year and recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. She has been a member of the GRAMMY-nominated Grascals since 2008.