St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) brings the Grammy Award winning Del McCoury Band on December 5, 2024 to the Royce Auditorium stage. Featuring the dynamic bluegrass guitar-picking singer/songwriter Del McCoury and his musically-talented artist sons, Ronnie and Rob, the Del McCoury Band includes longtime bassist, vocalist and guitarist Alan Bartram, and renowned fiddler Jason Carter who has worked with the McCoury Band for over 30 years. Almost unimaginable, Del McCoury, now in his sixth decade of creating and performing bluegrass bliss, continues to bring new triumphs, new collaborations, and new music to the stage. Following his 2021’s celebrated, Grammy-nominated release, Almost Proud, the Del McCoury Band’s latest release, Songs of Love and Life, is a glorious 15-song collection. The newest album features Del touching down on a diverse set of tracks—vintage and contemporary—as he and his crackerjack band nod to icons Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley, as well as welcome next-generation talent, Molly Tuttle, to the party. “I like a challenge. I’ve always liked a challenge,” says Del. “I like to learn different things. Doing the same things is boring to me.”
Executive & Artistic Director of SCMC Cathy Holbrook says, “Having Del McCoury and his band in the house on December 5th will be a rousing celebration of bluegrass music. We are thrilled to have such a legend on the series!”
Upcoming artists performing on the Acoustic Café Folk Series include Nashville sensation Valerie June on November 12; the Del McCoury Band on December 5, 2024; singer songwriter Judy Collins on March 13, 2025; and GRAMMY® nominated duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of the The War and Treaty on March 28, 2025.
Additional Acoustic Café Folk Series concerts will also be announced throughout the season.
Tickets for the Del McCoury Band on December 5 are available for $70, $55, and $40 at scmcgr.org or by calling 616-459-2224. (Single tickets have a $4.00 per ticket fee. All concerts start at 7:30pm.) All concerts for the 2024/2025 season -- the Acoustic Café Series, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series and Spectacular Jazz Series are available at scmcgr.org or by calling 616-459-2224.
Share the gift of music! Consider purchasing St. Cecilia Music Center concert tickets as holiday gifts this season!
Del McCoury Band Bio:
Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link. Emerging from humble beginnings in York County, PA nearly 80 years ago, Del was not the likeliest of candidates for legendary status. As a teen, he was captivated by the banjo playing of one of its masters, Earl Scruggs, and decided he’d be a banjo picker, too. The Baltimore/Washington, D.C. bar scene of the early 1960s was lively and rough. Del caught a break. More than a break, really. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, joining Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in early 1963. Considered the Father of Bluegrass, Monroe transformed McCoury, moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead singer, and providing him with a priceless trove of bluegrass tutelage direct from the source. Countless hours of recording sessions and miles of tireless touring dotted the decades. Del carried on and carried with him the hallowed traditions of the form and its dedicated following. The passing years became certificates of authenticity. Vince Gill says it simply, and maybe best: “I’d rather hear Del McCoury sing ‘Are You Teasing Me’ than just about anything.” For fifty years, Del’s music has defined authenticity for hard core bluegrass fans-count Gill among them-as well as a growing number of fans among those only vaguely familiar with the genre.
Almost unimaginable, McCoury’s now sixth decade in a half-century of bluegrass bliss brings new triumphs, new collaborations, and new music. With but a single change in membership in twenty seven years The Del McCoury Band shows unprecedented stability as well as garnering the respect and admiration of the industry for its unmistakable work: ten IBMA Entertainer of the Year trophies (most recently in 2024); in 2003, Del’s awarded membership in the cast of the legendary Grand Ole Opry; the band’s first Best Bluegrass Album Grammy award, in ’05, followed by a second Grammy win in 2014, (not to mention double-digit nominations).
And like any genuine treasure, the gifts keep coming. On their latest release, Songs of Love and Life, A glorious 15-song collection, the album follows 2021’s celebrated, Grammy-nominated release, Almost Proud, and once again features Del touching down on a diverse set of tracks--vintage and contemporary--as he and his crackerjack band nod to icons Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley, as well as welcome next-generation talent, Molly Tuttle, to the party. Across his six decades of making classic albums, Del knows what he’s looking for in a song. “I like a challenge. I’ve always liked a challenge,” says Del. “I like to learn different things. Doing the same things is boring to me.”
Ronnie McCoury was born in York County, Pennsylvania on March 16, 1967. It was in York County that he made his home for the first 24 years of his life. In January of 1992, Ronnie and his wife Allison made the move to Nashville, TN and it is here they have resided since that time. Growing up in a house where bluegrass music was played, and always listened to, Ron had the exposure from a very young age. Many pickin’ parties were held at the house, along with rehearsals that his Dad would have with his band then, The Dixie Pals.
One thing he clearly remembers is the fact that his dad never pushed him to play music or never “pushed it on him” at all, leaving both Ron and Rob to choose their paths on their own. At the age of 9 he started taking violin lessons. He took the lessons for two years and gave it up for sports. He played sports all the way through high school. But when he was just 13, after attending a show with his Dad where he saw Bill Monroe perform, he decided that he wanted to play the mandolin. He practiced on it for six months and when his Dad had an opening in the band for mandolin player, he asked Ron to fill it. That was on May 28, 1981 and Ronnie has been playing with his Dad ever since.
In 1998 Ronnie teamed up with David Grisman and some other great mandolin players to create the CD titled “Mandolin Extravaganza”, which made its appearance on the Acoustic Disc label in 1999. This CD was nominated for a Grammy Award and won Instrumental Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year at the IBMA awards show in October of 2000. Along with his award-winning mandolin playing, Ronnie is also a singer/songwriter and producer He has recorded or performed with such diverse acts as Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Phish, Charlie Daniels, John Hartford, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Alison Krauss, David Grisman, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, the Allman Brothers, John Paul Jones and countless others!
Robin Floyd McCoury was born April 30, 1971, in York, PA. His earliest memories are of music, especially since it was everywhere around the house. There were picking parties, rehearsals and festivals. Rob went to his first bluegrass festival at Ontalanee Park in Allentown, PA when he was six weeks old.
Rob “caught the pickin’ bug” when he was just eight years old, after seeing the Osborne Brothers at Sunset Park in West Grove, PA. He then realized how fortunate he was to have a great teacher in the house. Although he feels at times that he was trying on his Dad’s patience he remembers that his dad would always take the time to show him the right way to pick, never forcing the music on him. Rob recalls “picking first thing in the morning and the last thing I did at night”, and it was what he wanted to do.
In June of 1986 Del had a festival to play in Bath, NY and he needed a bass player. At that time Rob knew almost nothing about playing a bass fiddle. He knew the chords on the bass but had never played before in a band situation. Although he was scared to death, he played bass with his Dad that day and ended up being the bass player in the band for about a year, until the banjo position became available.
Rob’s first show as a banjo player was a benefit show for Olla Belle Reed, a great singer/songwriter who penned one of Del’s most requested songs, “High on the Mountain”, along with many others. The show was in the spring of 1987 in Wilmington, DE and he has been with the band ever since.
Alan Bartram is a bassist, vocalist, and closet guitarist. His Mother taught him to sing, and he learned to play the bass by listening to and watching other bassists. If Alan wasn’t a full-time musician, he would be a horticulturist. But, after graduating from college, he decided on a career in music and moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville, TN. While playing with The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band, he also became an in-demand freelance musician both for touring and recording. Since 2005 Alan has been the bassist for the Del McCoury band and is now also a member of The Travelin’ McCourys.
Jason Carter has received three Grammy Awards and has played on worldwide tour. True to his deep Kentucky roots, Carter pours all he has into bluegrass. For thirty years, he has been the fiddle player for the Del McCoury Band—the most awarded group in bluegrass history. He’s won three Grammy awards, including 2018’s “Best Bluegrass Album” with the Travelin’ McCourys, of which he is a founding member. And he’s taken home five IBMAs for “Fiddle Player of the Year,” a staggering number that isn’t quite so crazy once you realize just how many bluegrass greats have turned to Carter for collaboration including Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Asleep at the Wheel, and many more. On Carter’s forthcoming solo album, Lowdown Hoedown, listeners may recognize instrumental contributions from such legends as Jerry Douglas or Sam Bush alongside vocals from young trailblazers like Sarah Jarosz or Billy Strings. This time, though, Carter is singing lead.
Acoustic Café Folk Series Tickets
An Evening with Valerie June
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
A section $70
B section $55
C section $40
Del McCoury Band
Thursday, December 5, 2024
A section $70
B section $55
C section $40
Judy Collins
Thursday, March 13, 2025
A section $65
B section $50
C section $35
The War and Treaty
Friday, March 28, 2025
A section $60
B section $45
C section $30
(Additional Acoustic Café Folk Series Concerts to be announced)
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Single Tickets
Schubert’s Trout Quintet
Thursday, March 20, 2025
A section $55
B section $40
C section $25
Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence
Thursday, April 24, 2025
A section $55
B section $40
C section $25
Spectacular Jazz Series Tickets
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Thursday, February 20, 2025
A section $60
B section $45
C section $30
Julian Lage
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
A section $55
B section $40
C section $25
Christian McBride & Ursa Major
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
A section $70
B section $55
C section $40
Tickets
Tickets** for the 2024-2025 Spectacular Jazz Series, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series and Acoustic Café Folk Series are now available online at www.scmcgr.org or by calling 616-459-2224. Detailed information for all concerts can be viewed at www.scmcgr.org.
**Single tickets have a $4.00 per ticket fee. All concerts start at 7:30pm.
St. Cecilia Music Center’s mission is to promote the study, appreciation and
performance of music in order to enrich the lives of West Michigan residents.
The Center fulfills this mission by
presenting visiting world-class artists in concert,
providing music education for all ages through our School of Music and
preserving a historic building for musical activities and community events
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