Biography

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THE TRADITIONAL GRASS - THE BLUES ARE STILL THE BLUES (REB-7535), 2015

Musicians
Mark Rader: Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Lead & Harmony Vocals
Joe Mullins: Banjo, Lead & Harmony Vocals
Gerald Evans Jr.: Mandolin, Fiddle, Harmony Vocals
Paul Mullins: Fiddle
Mike Clevenger: Bass
Glen Inman: Bass on track 1

Production Credits
Produced by David Freeman, Joe Mullins and Mark Rader
Executive Producer: David Freeman
Remastered by Anna Frick at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO


In recent decades, many bands have claimed to be “traditional ’grass,” but few accomplished this task with the zeal, energy and authenticity as the band who brazenly wore the phrase as their band name. For twelve years, The Traditional Grass delivered powerful bluegrass in the same vein as the genre’s founders. While they drew great inspiration from first generation ’grassers such as Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Reno & Smiley and The Osborne Brothers, what made The Traditional Grass unique was their refusal to remain complacent. The band’s premiere lineup—Mark Rader, Joe Mullins, Paul “Moon” Mullins, Gerald Evans, Jr. and Mike Clevenger—brought a freshness to traditional bluegrass that prevented the style from going stale. “It was exactly what a lot of people needed at a time when bands were experimenting with progressive bluegrass,” recalls popular bluegrass artist Junior Sisk. “They were a big reason why I am playing music today. I was always in the front row, wanting and hoping to do the same one day.” Although one would be a fool to describe the band’s music as anything but traditional, The Traditional Grass’ ability to meld multiple influences along with their own original ideas and songs, allowed them to push the traditional sound to a new standard, proving that “traditional” and “been there” are not synonyms.

Debuting in 1983, The Traditional Grass released four independent albums throughout the decade before beginning a partnership with Rebel Records in the early nineties. They would release four successful albums with the label from which all but one of the songs on this collection are taken from.