The VW Boys blend several different aspects of entertainment in their show. As banjo picker and singer Tim White says, "We entertain folks for an hour or so and help them forget their problems for a little while". A good portion of the VW Boys show is audience participation and the VW Boys have a way of going beyond the edge of the stage to really get an audience involved in the show. The VW Boys came together when musician Tim White and magician Dave Vaught worked together on a few shows. Dave would do a magic show and Tim's band would follow Dave's show with a Bluegrass concert and this worked very well. Both immediately came up with the idea to combine the two shows and the VW Boys was formed.
If you like music from the 50s, 60s and 70s and you love bluegrass, then you will want to get your hands on the VW Boys new CD, Retroactive. Gail Cooler, (Mountain Roads Recordings) says "the first time I listened to it, I got goose bumps...and that always tells me, Here s a winner; pay attention to this one. And pay attention I did. In fact, once you click on play, Retroactive will not turn you loose. It captures your attention immediately all the way from the beginning to the end...leaving you begging for more"!
The VW BOYS are composed of:
Tim White from Blountville, TN who many may know as the host of the popular Public Television Series, Song Of The Mountains, originating in Marion, VA and the syndicated radio show, The Tim White Bluegrass Show. Tim has been a bluegrass musician for over thirty-years and is a fine banjo player and an excellent song-writer.
Dave Vaught is from Bristol, TN and has been a professional entertainer for seventeen years. Dave has made five television appearances including HBO and Show Time. While Dave is well known for his skills as a magician, he is also a fine guitar player with five albums to his credit. Dave's musical career includes stints with Ronnie Millsap, Gary Morris, Sylvia, Jerry Reed, and Charlie Pride. Dave contributes much to the group with his skills as lead guitar player, harmony singer, comedian, and magician.
The newest member of the group is, Fat Albert Blackburn from Marion, Virginia. Albert was a founding member of the popular band, Fescue which has been in existence since 1970. He is a natural fit for the VW Boys, he loves a good joke and is a fabulous musician, singer and entertainer.
The VW Boys are joined on this project by:
- Lou Reid on mandolin and fiddle; courtesy of Rural Rhythm Records
- Phil Leadbetter on resonator guitar, and;
- LeRoy “Mack” McNees on resophonic guitar.
Karl Cooler of Mountain Roads Recordings said, "The music business is rapidly changing and we are always searching for ways to broaden the appeal of bluegrass and old-time music. The VW Boys represent one significant way we can achieve this goal and we're extremely proud to have them join our family of artists. Many times people come to their shows expecting to be entertained by the magic and comedy and leave with a new appreciation for bluegrass music. These guys are great entertainers along with being great pickers and singers. I'd say we have the best of four worlds with the VW Boys...pickers, singers, magicians and comedians. Don't think that they don't put out great bluegrass music just because they joke around".
Songs on the CD feature a very likable version of Pure Prairie League's 1974-75 hit "Amie", the Beatles' "I Feel Fine" and The Everly Brothers signature hit "All I Have To Do Is Dream". A flat-pickin' acoustic guitar intro kicks off a version of "Hot Rod Lincoln", a song that first hit the airwaves in 1955 with Charlie Ryan and The Livingston Brothers, again in 1960 with Johnny Bond and finally in 1972 when Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen drove the "Lincoln" all the way to # 9 on the Billboard Charts (#7 in Canada).
Track Listing:
- Amie
- All I Have To Do Is Dream
- I Feel Fine
- Ugly Girl Blues
- Fire On The Mountain
- Earl's Breakdown
- Wagon Wheel
- Death Came Creeping In My Room
- Hot Rod Lincoln
- Keep On The Sunny Side
- Brown Mountain Light
- Rag Mop
- Battle Of New Orleans
- You Won't Ever Forget Me
- The Rooster Song
Retroactive is expected to be released to the public in the early spring of 2011 but is already in the hands of bluegrass disc jockeys and radio programmers.
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