Dave Gibson, Lyons. Located on Planet Bluegrass’ idyllic twenty-acre property bordered by North St.Vrain Creek with Lyons’ red sandstone cliffs serving as a backdrop, the three-day RockyGrass bluegrass festival took place last weekend for the 47th time. There has never been a better excuse to play hooky from work and unwind with great music than there was last Friday, on a gorgeous Colorado summer afternoon.

Nashville-based The Barefoot Movement made their first appearance at RockyGrass to enthusiastic attendees. Noah Wall’s solid vocals and Tommy Norris’ energized mandolin playing filled the valley as waders and tubers enjoyed the cooling waters of the creek. Songs you wouldn’t normally expect to hear from a bluegrass band such as Jimi Hendrix’s Fire and Ozzy Osborne’s Crazy Train were a big hit. Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen offered up The Boxtops’ The Letter and a long version of the Allman Brothers Band’s Whipping Post. Grammy Award-winning sextet Earls of Leicester churned out Flatt & Scruggs tunes Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down, and Old Salty Dog Blues to cap a highly entertaining day.

RockyGrass veteran Tim O’Brien connected with the audience again Saturday and the Kruger Brothers wowed the crowd with their guitar and banjo instrumentals. Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers ended their set with the Grateful Dead’s Dark Hollow to everyone’s delight. Progressive bluegrass king and multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush performed Ricky Skaggs’ Little Georgia Rose and a rousing encore of The Stanley Brothers’ Little Maggie, where he brought many of the day’s musicians onstage to join him.

The only thing better than two days of bluegrass music is three days of bluegrass music. Sunday saw 2018 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy winners Rhonda Vincent & The Rage adding gospel to the mix with Fishers of Men, The River of Jordan, and Walls Come Tumbling Down. Del McCoury’s white pompadour attested to his years in the business during which he’s lost none of his vigor. His interactions with the audience were the most fun of the festival. Peter Rowan of Old and In the Way fame and songwriter of three numbers on that album, produced the goods. Rowan’s rendition of Land of the Navajo with his hauntingly soulful voice almost brought tears to the eyes. It was followed by a five-minute standing ovation.  

(Originally published in the August 1, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)