Bluegrass Master Richard Bennett Readies New Album For May Release

Richard Bennett's newest work, In The Wind Somewhere will be available May 27 on Lonesome Day Records.

It's one thing for an artist to feel like his latest musical endeavor is his best, but when you're a music veteran with a mile-long resume, decades of recording and performing experience, critical acclaim, and more. . .

. . . recordings than one can count, it's quite a statement to say, "This is my favorite record I've ever done."Such is the case with bluegrass star Richard Bennett of his forthcoming new release, In The Wind Somewhere, which is due May 27 via Kentucky-based Lonesome Day Records. "It just feels good," says Bennett of his fifth solo release.

Lonesome Day Records owner Randall Deaton couldn't agree more. "I think this is Richard's strongest work of his career," says Deaton. "And it was recorded in an old fashioned way where all four of the musicians sat in the same room with no headphones and just played music. Each take had to be just right because there was no going back and fixing."

On In The Wind Somewhere, Bennett skillfully mixes his considerable traditional bluegrass chops with songs that expand and transcend the genre in an exciting contemporary fashion. "I want to let the people hear something new," he says.

Joining the singer/songwriter/guitarist on In The Wind Somewhere are a group of stellar musicians, including Mark Schatz (Nickel Creek, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt), IMBA Mandolin Player of the Year Adam Steffey, celebrated fiddler Ron Stewart, and Sean Lane of the Grammy-nominated band Blue Highway on tenor vocals. The record was recorded at the Lonesome Day Studio Booneville, Kentucky, and mixed by Grammy Award winning engineer Brandon Bell.

The album features a graceful and affecting take on Sting's "Fields of Gold," a jazz-inflected solo instrumental version of the Beatles' "Yesterday," and a spry and swinging Appalachian mountain-flavored cover of the Marshall Tucker Band song "Fire on the Mountain." On his version of Tom Paxton's folk classic "The Last Thing on My Mind," his long-time pal and acoustic guitar icon, Tony Rice, enriched Bennett's luminous double flat-picking.

Elsewhere on the album, Bennett epitomizes the soul of old-school bluegrass on "Stronger Every Day," harks back to the Celtic folk roots of American country, folk and mountain music on "Georgie," renews the newgrass revolution of the 1970s on a take of folk music heroine Kate Wolf's "Across the Great Divide," and musically summons up the swirling forces of nature on his self-penned opening title track. The album is deliciously capped by a sublime reading of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe's landmark song "Wayfaring Stranger" on which Bennett and Rice engage in breathtaking guitar interplay (as they also do on the hidden track that follows, "Home Sweet Home").

About Richard Bennett: Richard Bennett hails from Johnson City, Tennessee. A strong and versatile guitarist, he performed with his own band, Richard Bennett Band late '70s thru late '80s era. He joined as the lead singer and guitar player for J.D. Crowe and New South 1990 thru 1995 and is included on several of the recordings during this time, including their Grammy award winning record, Flashback. 1996 thru 1997 found him with Lou Reid and Carolina. In 1998, Richard branched out with the trio featuring Jimmy Guadreau and Mike Aldridge where he remained for four years. One of his most prominent jobs was filling in for Tony Rice in The Tony Rice Unit and The Bluegrass Album Band from the mid to late '90s. Along the way, Richard has released four solo albums and has worked with the most esteemed acts in bluegrass and country/folk music.

About Lonesome Day Records: Randall Deaton as a family-run business started Lonesome Day Records in 2002. The name Lonesome Day Records was chosen from the title of a Bruce Springsteen song from the album The Rising. Randall grew up on a small farm in Kentucky instilled with a strong work ethic and a passion for music that has kept him rockin' for the past 20 years. Playing in bands throughout high school and college, he earned a degree in business administration and a minor in political science while wielding a guitar and mandolin. Fifteen years ago he turned his attention towards audio engineering and converted an old church into his temple - a recording studio. That studio has since expanded and spawned Lonesome Day Records which has released top-ranking records for the likes of Ralph Stanley II, Larry Cordle, and Fred Eaglesmith among other prolific artists from bluegrass to country.