Blue Moon Rising
The East Tennessee band Blue Moon Rising is one of the most exciting new Bluegrass groups on the scene today. Not only do they write and perform original, well-crafted Bluegrass songs, they play those songs with a sense of style and taste reminiscent of some of the pioneers of the Bluegrass genre.
Formed in late 2000, the name honors the "Father of Bluegrass Music", Bill Monroe and his legendary song "Blue Moon of Kentucky". Blue Moon Rising's new Lonesome Day Records CD "On the Rise" debuted at #14 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Album chart in May 2005 and has already garnered them global attention.
The members of Blue Moon Riding include:
* Keith Garrett - Keith plays mandolin and sings lead and baritone for Blue Moon Rising. Keith's dad, William Garrett, taught him to play the guitar at the age of 13. William Garrett has contributed some great songs to the band, two of which (Mountain Boy and My Love Will Never Die) appear on Blue Moon Rising's debut CD.
Keith does some song writing himself and penned the tune Jeffrey's Hell which appears on "Raised On Pain", Moonshine Hard Times which appears on "Where Wood Meets Steel", and co-wrote a few others.
Keith is heavily influenced by the music of Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and Tony Rice. Keith has previously played with bands such as The County Boys (who played a steady gig at Dollywood for about six years), Jay Clark (Keith used to perform at Dollywood with Jay in a traditional brother-style duet), Browder Hollow, and Kentucky Wind. Keith is 31 years old and currently makes his home in Citico, Tennessee.
* Randall Massengill - Randall plays guitar and sings lead and harmony vocals for BMR. At the age of 12, his dad taught him his first 3 chords on the guitar, and Randall hasn't looked back since. He attributes his interest in Bluegrass music to groups such as Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Boone Creek, Lonesome River Band & The Seldom Scene.
Randall was a member of both One Way Track and New Road, two very talented groups based out of East Tennessee. He does some writing himself, and many of his great gospel songs can be found on the New Road recordings. Randall is 32 years old and currently makes his home in Knoxville, TN.
* Chris West - Chris plays guitar and sings lead, tenor, and baritone vocals for Blue Moon Rising, as well as writing much of the band's original material. Chris was taught to play guitar at the age of 13 by his uncle, Tony Thomas.
He has played in several different bands with Tony through the years. Along with Tony, Chris was influenced heavily at an early age by artists such as The Knoxville Grass, Boone Creek, Tony Rice, Del McCoury, Bill Monroe, and The Stanley Brothers.
Chris is also a former member of the bands Coal Creek, The Pitney Seibers Family, One Way Track, and Roscoe Morgan and Lonely Train. Chris is 31 years old and currently makes his home in Lake City, Tennessee.
* Tim Tipton - Tim plays the acoustic bass for Blue Moon Rising. He credits his grandfather as being his earliest musical influence and says that his grandfather was the first person to introduce him to the wonderful sounds of Bluegrass music. Coincidentally, Tim credits William Garrett (Keith Garrett's father) for showing him his first chords on a bass fiddle.
Tim says that he is heavily influenced by the music of Bill Monroe, Lou Reid, New Grass Revival, Ricky Skaggs, and Del McCoury. He is a former member of both Kentucky Wind and Clear Creek. Tim is 34 years old and currently makes his home in Madisonville, Tennessee.
* Justin Jenkins - Justin plays the banjo for Blue Moon Rising. He started playing at the age of six and was a regular member of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Renfro Valley, Kentucky from 1998 to 2003. In October of 2003 he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry as a special guest of Mike Snider.
Justin has always enjoyed the music of J. D. Crowe and the New South, Flatt and Scruggs, the Lonesome River Band and Mountain Heart. Justin is 18 years old and resides in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
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