Doyle Lawson
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (November 2015) |
Doyle Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Doyle Lawson (left) and his band harmonize during the 2006 NEA National Heritage Fellows concert. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | April 20, 1944 Sullivan County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, gospel |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Mandolin |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Website | www.doylelawson.com |
Doyle Lawson (born April 20, 1944) is an American bluegrass and gospel musician. He is best known as an accomplished mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Biography
Doyle Lawson was born in Fordtown, Sullivan County, Tennessee, the son of Leonard and Minnie Lawson. The Lawson family moved to Sneedville in 1954, around the time that Doyle acted upon his love for music. Lawson grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. This is where he became inspired by Bill Monroe, the "founding father" of bluegrass, and his band the Blue Grass Boys. His own instrumental piece, "Rosine," is a tribute to Monroe's birthplace and features, among other things, strains from the singer's 1967 instrumental "Kentucky Mandolin".[1]
Lawson became interested in playing the mandolin around the age of eleven so his father borrowed a mandolin from Willis Byrd, a family friend and fellow musician. Doyle taught himself how to play the mandolin by listening to the radio and records, and watching an occasional TV show. His love for music grew and Doyle decided to learn to play the guitar and banjo as well.[2]
Lawson hosts the annual Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Festival in Denton, North Carolina. He has one son, Robbie, and two daughters Suzi and Kristi. Kristi gave birth to the Lawson’s first grandchild, Spencer, in July 2007. Doyle rededicated his life to Christianity in May 1985 and is a practicing member of Cold Spring Presbyterian Church.[citation needed]
1960s
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2015) |
In 1963, aged 18 or 19, Lawson went to Nashville to play the banjo with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. In 1966, he started playing with J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys (later called the New South) in Lexington, Kentucky. He went back to play the mandolin and sing tenor with Jimmy Martin in 1969 for six months. After he left the Sunny Mountain Boys, he returned to play with Crowe until August 1971.
1970s
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2015) |
On September 1, 1971, Lawson started playing with the Country Gentlemen and remained part of the band for almost eight years until March 1979 when he left. He stated that at that time in his career he wanted to make his own sound and that he has done. In 1977, he backed up U.S. Senator Robert Byrd on his "Mountain Fiddler" album. In April 1979, Lawson formed his own band and called them Doyle Lawson and Foxfire, which quickly changed to Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. "No one since the late great Bill Monroe melds bluegrass with gospel music quite like the former Country Gentlemen member Doyle Lawson…" Memphis Commercial Appeal.[3]
1980s
In 1981, Lawson and Quicksilver released the critically acclaimed "Rock My Soul," an album that would become a landmark bluegrass gospel project. In 1989 they won IBMA song of the year for "Little Mountain Church House."
1990s
In 1996, "There's a Light Guiding Me" was nominated for a Grammy. In 1998, Lawson and Quicksilver became the first bluegrass band to perform at the National Quartet Convention.
2000s
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2015) |
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver performed in Ontario, Canada at the Tottenham Bluegrass Festival in June 2001[4] and again in June 2015. Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver provided the background vocals to the song "Dazzling Blue" on Paul Simon's 2011 album "So Beautiful or So What". In 2015, "In Session"was nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Original and current lineup of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Original:
- Doyle Lawson-mandolin,vocal
- Jimmy Haley-guitar, vocal
- Lou Reid-bass, vocal
- Terry Baucom-banjo, vocal
Current:
- Doyle Lawson-mandolin, vocal
- Josh Swift-dobro, vocal
- Joe Dean-banjo
- Dustin Pyrtle-guitar, vocal
- Eli Johnston-bass, vocal
- Stephen Burwell-fiddle
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | US Bluegrass | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Tennessee Dream | County | |
| 1979 | Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver | Sugar Hill | |
| 1981 | Heavenly Treasures | ||
| Quicksilver Rides Again | |||
| Rock My Soul | |||
| 1985 | Once and for Always | ||
| 1986 | Beyond the Shadows | ||
| 1987 | The News Is Out | ||
| 1988 | Heaven's Joy Awaits | ||
| Hymn Time in the Country | |||
| I'll Wander Back Someday | |||
| 1989 | I Heard the Angels Singing | ||
| 1990 | My Heart Is Yours | ||
| 1991 | Merry Christmas from Our House to Your House | ||
| 1992 | Pressing on Regardless | Brentwood | |
| Treasures Money Can't Buy | |||
| 1995 | Doyle Lawson with Bobby Hicks & Jerry Douglas | Koch | |
| Never Walk Away | Sugar Hill | ||
| 1996 | There's a Light Guiding Me | ||
| 1997 | Kept & Protected | ||
| 1998 | Gospel Radio Gems | ||
| 1999 | Original Band | ||
| Winding Through Life | |||
| 2000 | Just Over in Heaven | ||
| 2001 | Gospel Parade | ||
| 2002 | The Hard Game of Love | ||
| 1994 | Hallelujah in My Heart | Music Mill | |
| Thank God | Crossroads | ||
| 2005 | You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper | 4 | Rounder |
| 2006 | He Lives in Me | 4 | Crossroads |
| 2007 | More Behind the Picture Than the Wall | 2 | Rounder |
| 2008 | Help Is On the Way | 4 | Horizon |
| 2009 | Lonely Street | Rounder | |
| 2010 | Light On My Feet, Ready to Fly | 11 | Horizon |
| 2011 | Drive Time | 15 | Crossroads |
| 2012 | Sing Me a Song About Jesus | 9 | |
| 2013 | Roads Well Traveled | 14 | Mountain Home |
| 2014 | Open Carefully, Message Inside[5] | 10 | |
| 2015 | In Session[6] | 8 |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | US Bluegrass | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Gospel Collection 1 | Sugar Hill | |
| 1999 | A School of Bluegrass | 9 | Crossroads |
| Once and for Always/The News Is Out | Sugar Hill | ||
| 2007 | Best of the Sugar Hill Years |
Awards
International Bluegrass Music Association
- 1990 Song of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Little Mountain Church"
- 1996 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "There's a Light Guiding Me"
- 2000 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Winding Through Life"
- 2001 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2002 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2003 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2003 Song of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Blue Train"
- 2003 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Hand Made Cross"
- 2004 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2005 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2005 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Praise His Name"
- 2006 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2006 Album of the Year: Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, featuring various bluegrass bands and musicians
- 2006 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "He Lives in Me"
- 2007 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
- 2007 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "He Lives in Me"
- 2011 Recorded Event of the Year: Doyle Lawson, J. D. Crowe, Paul Williams for "Prayer Bells of Heaven"
- 2011 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson, J. D. Crowe, Paul Williams for "Prayer Bells of Heaven"
- 2012 Hall of Fame: Doyle Lawson [6][7]
References
- ^ Profile, ibmaawards.org; accessed October 30, 2015.
- ^ Liner notes by Dave Freeman on Tennessee Dream. CD. Rebel REB-CD-1778
- ^ Liner notes by Tim Stafford on The Original Band. CD. Sugar Hill SHCD-2210
- ^ Strings, newsletter of the Pineridge Bluegrass Folklore Society, May/June 2001
- ^ "Open Carefully. Message Inside. from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver". Cybergrass Bluegrass Music News Network, 07/09/2014
- ^ a b "Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver In Session". Pop Matters, Jonathan Frahm 20 February 2015.
- ^ Profile, ibma.org; accessed August 16, 2016.
