Newgrass Revival

This was an original, innovative bluegrass band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, whose founding members consisted of Courtney Johnson (banjo, guitar), Curtis Burch (guitar, dobro), Sam Bush (mandolin, fiddle, guitar,) and John Cowan (bass). They took traditional bluegrass in a totally new direction, bringing a “jam band” sensibility to a very tradition-bound genre. (They were as likely to play songs by Bob Marley or The Beatles as they were Earl Scruggs or Reno and Smiley.) The band toured with Leon Russell and performed with The Grateful Dead before breaking up for good in 1989.

1976
Studio portrait/Nashville