Sam Bush at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- October 16.
Friday, October 16, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Having been inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame twice this decade – first as a member of New Grass Revival in 2020, and then as a solo artist in 2023 – Grammy-winning string player Sam Bush headlines an October 16 concert event at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and guitar musician widely lauded as an originator of progressive bluegrass music.
Born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the 74-year-old Bush was exposed to country and bluegrass music at an early age through his father Charlie's record collection, and later by the Flatt & Scruggs television show. Buying his first mandolin at the age of 11, his musical interest was further piqued when he attended the inaugural Roanoke, Virginia Bluegrass Festival in 1965. As a teen, Bush took first place three times in the junior division of the National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest in Weiser, ID. He joined guitarist and vocalist Wayne Stewart, his mentor and music teacher during Sam's teen years, and banjoist Alan Munde (later of Country Gazette) and the three recorded an instrumental album, Poor Richard's Almanac, in 1969. IIn the spring of 1970, Bush attended the Fiddlers Convention at Union Grove, North Carolina, and was inspired by the rock-flavored progressive bluegrass of the New Deal String Band. Later that year, he moved to Louisville and joined the Bluegrass Alliance, and in the fall of 1971, the band dissolved and reformed as the New Grass Revival.
Since 2004, Bush has released five solo albums that all made the top three of the Billboard U.S. Bluegrass charts: 2004's King of My World; 2006's Laps in Seven; 2009's Circles Around Me; 2016's Storyman; and 2022's Radio John. Over the course of his career, he has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards and received three, including one for his contribution to the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack that scored “Album of the Year” honors in 2002.
As stated at SamBush.com, the "Americana Music Association awarded Bush the Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist. Punch Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Greensky Bluegrass are just a few present-day bluegrass vanguards among so many musicians he’s influenced. His performances are annual highlights of the festival circuit, with Bush’s joyous perennial appearances at the town’s famed bluegrass fest earning him the title 'King of Telluride.'
“'With this band I have now, I am free to try anything,' says Bush. 'Looking back at the last 50 years of playing newgrass, with the elements of jazz improvisation and rock & roll, jamming, playing with New Grass Revival, Leon, and Emmylou; it’s a culmination of all of that. I can unapologetically stand onstage and feel I’m representing those songs well.'"
Sam Bush and his band bring their tour to Maquoketa on October 16, admission to the 7 p.m. concert event is $50-55, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
