The Travelin' McCourys at the Codfish Hollow Barn and the Redstone Room -- October 30 and 31.
Wednesday, October 30, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Thursday, October 31, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
With their eponymous 2018 release the winner of the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, the Nashville-based The Travelin' McCourys brings their two to two area venues this month, the lauded artists headlining the "Codfish Halloween w/ the Travelin' McCourys" at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn on October 30, and an actual Halloween show at Davenport's Redstone Room on October 31.
Ronnie and Rob McCoury, on mandolin and banjo respectively, got their start as teenagers playing with their father, bluegrass legend Del McCoury, with his band in the 1980s. Originally, the band played under the name Del McCoury & the Dixie Pals, but that name was dropped in 1988 in favor of the simpler moniker Del McCoury Band. The lineup for the band solidified with the addition of fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub in 1992. Bub left in 2005 and was replaced by Alan Bartram.
The Del McCoury Band became one of the premiere traditional bluegrass bands in the country, garnering many band and individual awards. The International Bluegrass Music Association named them Entertainer of the Year nine times ('94, '96-00, '02-'04), Instrumental Group of the Year twice ('96 and '97), Song of the Year ('02), and Album of the Year ('04). Individual band members have received numerous International Bluegrass Music Awards with Ronnie being named mandolin player of the year eight times ('93-'00), Carter fiddler of the year six times ('97, '98, '03, '13, '14, '23), and Rob and Bartram winning once each on banjo ('15) and bass ('17).
At the Delfest Music Festival, the band met The Lee Boys, a funk and gospel band, and played together through the weekend, finding an immediate connection. Plans were made for the two bands, minus Del McCoury, to hit the road for brief tour in the Southeast in January of 2009. The band took the name the Travelin' McCourys for the brief tour, and since then, they have regularly toured across the country, sharing the stage and collaborating with a number of artists including, Jeff Austin, Keller Williams, and Bill Nershi.
Since the first tour with the Lee Boys, the Travelin' McCourys have established themselves as a separate entity from the Del McCoury Band. They still serve as the Del McCoury Band, but now split their time between both bands. In the meantime, the Travelin' McCourys have earned raves nationwide, with Rolling Stone stating that the outfit "has the musical chops to pick fast and with precision, but gives off a looser vibe," describing their sound as a "sublime combination of rock and bluegrass, contemporary and classic, old and young."
The Travelin' McCourys perform their "Codfish Halloween" concert in Maquoketa on October 30, with admission $40 to the 8 p.m. show, and land at Davenport's Redstone Room on October 31, with admission $40-50 for the 8 p.m. show. For more information on, and tickets to, the Wednesday-night event, visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com, and for information and tickets to Thursday night's Davenport performance, call (563)326-1333 and visit CommonChordQC.org.
