Description
Barry Waldrep & Stan Foster toured together for 16 years with Rollin’ in the Hay between 1993 and 2009. They performed over 300 dates per year for those years and now they are joining us for a few shows to tell stories of the road and play the music they love. It is a combination of Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz and Southern Rock.
James “Barry” Waldrep (born November 18, 1962) is an American Bluegrass, Jam Band, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and record producer. Main instrument is acoustic guitar, but also plays electric guitar, mandolin and banjo. Waldrep co-founded the bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993. The band was based in Birmingham, Alabama, and formed as a side project. Waldrep was also a full time member of the Birmingham band Telluride. Rollin’ In The Hay soon became a full-time band touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. The band produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years.
During this time, Waldrep recorded 21 bluegrass tribute albums with CMH Records in Los Angeles for Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M., Tim McGraw, The Allman Brothers, Neil Diamond and others. He was also featured on the CD Masterworks of American Bluegrass also produced by CMH Records. At this point, Waldrep started recording solo records and doing tours & studio sessions with other artists.
September 2009, Zac Brown invited Waldrep to join him on his “Breaking Southern Ground Tour”. Waldrep is featured on the Zac Brown Band Pass The Jar CD/DVD, along with Kid Rock and Little Big Town. During this time he met the husband and wife country duo Joey + Rory. He did a tour with them during the Zac Brown Tour, and in some cases, they all toured together. In addition, Waldrep played the Grand Ole’ Opry several times and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the previous home of the Grand Ole’ Opry.
In January 2013, after landing a record deal with Singular Records in San Francisco, California, Waldrep began the Smoke From the Kitchen sessions, which is a bluegrass banjo/southern rock project. This project includes artists Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Paul T. Riddle (Marshall Tucker Band), Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band), Benji Shanks and Jazz Grass Mandolin player David “Dawg” Grisman.
In January 2016 Barry teamed up with singer songwriter Kelli Johnson to spend the year touring as a duo. During this year they released one CD “Hey Country (where are you now).
October 2016, Barry announces he will be touring with Country Artist John Berry as a member of his band on Johns 2016 Christmas tour.
January 2017, Barry Waldrep and friends began performing their fusion of Bluegrass/Southern Rock with special guest vocalists. The band is Barry (Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin & Banjo), Jason Bailey (Mandolin), Caelan Berry (Drums) & Bryan Hall (Upright Bass). Guest vocalists include Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie, Jeff Beck, Hank Williams Jr), Donna Hall & Joe Debrow.
2018, Barry continues with his own band, and their shows have been called by fans as a “SOUTHERN CULTURE REVIVAL”. Waldrep states that this branding is the result of just being who we are. “No matter what we play it’s gonna sound southern”.
He and his band mates are all natives of Georgia or Alabama and have musical influences from Bluegrass, Jazz, Southern Rock and Gospel.
2019 – 2022, Barry is spending a lot of time in the studio recording for other artists. In addition he produced and recorded a tribute to the late guitarist Tony Rice which was recorded at the Nutthouse in Muscle Shoals, Alabama called Barry Waldrep & Friends Celebrate Tony Rice. (Released December 2021) Barry states that this is his favorite place to record.
The artists included on this project are Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Warren Haynes, Rodney Crowell, Mike Farris, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, John Berry, Jimmy Hall, Kelli Johnson, Donna Hall, Jacob Bunton, Darrell Scott, Patrick Simmons, John Paul White, Rory Feek, John Cowan, Kim Richey, John Jorgenson, Marty Raybon, Jim Lauderdale, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Rogers, Aubrey Haynie, Oteil Burbridge, Jason Bailey, Bryn Davies, Heidi Feek, Dillon Hodges, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, Spooner Oldham, Scott Vestal, Benji Shanks, Andrea Zonn.
