Biography

Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in Bluegrass music. Five-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music. With stellar lead vocalists and impressive instrumental talents, the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace. Their last album, Heyday, featured the chart-topping singles “Heyday” and “Mary Ann Is A Pistol.” Now, they present “She Don’t Know I’m Alive,” a song that talks about the quest of a young man to win the love of a woman,”
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On the heels of “Near Mrs.,” a slice of 90s country recast in their signature bluegrass drive, Lonesome River Band returns with another Music Row vehicle — this time, one penned by a couple of Nashville’s top hitmakers from the same era. Built around a classic country song lyric device — taking a catch-phrase literally and exploring the consequences — and featuring an appropriately mournful vocal from guitarist Jesse Smathers, “She Don’t Know I’m Alive”’s well-crafted wordplay and unusual construction come to life in an equally engaging performance by the legendary group.

Written by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Byron Hill and the late Tim Johnson, the song demands attention from its suspenseful opening notes and the first bemused words from Smathers:

Well now, do me a favor
Tell that girl I love the most
That I’m around, and I’m breathin’
‘Cause she walks by me like I’m a ghost
No, she don’t know I’m alive

With the song’s hook and essential concept framed as a refrain at the end of every verse, the song’s chorus finds Smathers and harmony singers Adam Miller (mandolin) and Sammy Shelor (banjo) free to explore the depths of the narrator’s misery, leading inexorably to another verse. After that, a neatly constructed, free-standing instrumental passage gives each picker, including master fiddler Mike Hartgrove, a chance to show off before the singers come back for a final verse and chorus in an arrangement that’s as distinctive as the song itself.

“‘She Don’t Know I’m Alive’ is a cleverly written song by Byron Hill and Tim Johnson that talks about the quest of a young man to win the love of a woman,” notes bandleader and award-winning banjo player Shelor. “It grabbed me from the first verse and builds from there into a strong story vocally and I love the chorus. It’s so much fun to play live and the audience seems to really like it!”

“She Don’t Know I”m Alive” will be streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music. Dolby Atmos is a sound experience you can feel all around you. Familiar from its “surround sound” application in thousands of movie theaters” Dolby Atmos reveals “depth, clarity and details like never before.”

About Lonesome River Band
Since its formation decades ago, Lonesome River Band continues its reputation as one of the most respected names in Bluegrass music. Five-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Sammy Shelor leads the group that is constantly breaking new ground in acoustic music. With stellar lead vocalists and impressive instrumental talents, the band seamlessly comes together, performing the trademark sound that fans continue to embrace.