Biography

Darren Nicholson is a Grammy-nominated musician based in Western North Carolina. As a full-time founding member of Balsam Range, Darren has won 13 International Bluegrass Music Association awards, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy in 2014 and 2018, appeared countless times on WSM's Grand Ole Opry, toured with multiple legendary artists, and recorded on dozens of national number 1 hits. Darren also performs a dynamic blend of bluegrass, Americana, and country with his own group, the Darren Nicholson Band. Darren's latest release, Fret a Spell, is a high-octane, all-instrumental bluegrass record.


1. Rawhide (3:45)
Songwriter: Bill Monroe
2. Kansas City Kitty (4:07)
Songwriters: Edgar Leslie, Walter Donaldson
3. Ashokan Farewell (5:21)
Songwriter: Jay Unger
4. Flint Hill Special (2:47)
Songwriter: Earl Scruggs
5. Cherokee Lady (3:57)
Songwriter: Bobby Osborne
6. Crow on a Wire (5:25)
Songwriter: Darren Nicholson
7. Shenandoah Breakdown (2:28)
Songwriter: Bill Monroe
8. In the Sweet By and By (3:24)
Songwriter: Joseph Webster
9. Old Jah Clark Mon (4:10)
(traditional, arr. Darren Nicholson)
10. Bluegrass Twist (4:21)
Songwriter: Bill Monroe
11. Lost Indian (2:44)
(traditional)
12. What a Friend We Have in Jesus (7:05)
Songwriters: Joseph Scriven, Charles Converse
13. Roanoke (2:31)
Songwriter: Bill Monroe


Darren Nicholson - mandolin
Marc Pruett - banjo
Jason Moore - bass
Hunter Berry - fiddle
Steve Lewis - guitar
Andy Hall - dobro
Charles Wood - banjo (tracks 2, 3, 5, & 12)
Taylor Nicholson - bass (track 6)


Recorded at Regal Media Group (Asheville, North Carolina)
Additional overdubs at Foothills Recording

Producer: Darren Nicholson
Executive Producers: Chris Young, Darren Nicholson
Mixed by: Eddie Swann, Darren Nicholson
Mastered by: Eddie Swann
© 2018 Bearded Baby Productions

Thanks to: Balsam Range, Mountain Home Music Company, Wayne Ebinger Photography, GHS Strings, Boyd Mountain Cabins, Eddie Swann, BlueChip Picks, TCA, Tim Surrett, Metcalfe Mandolins, Clark Mandolins, Sorensen Mandolins, Richard Foulk, Peter Wilkerson, and Chris Young.

This project is dedicated to the memory of Steve Sutton.