RICKEY WASSON has spent the past 10 years as a member of J.D. Crowe & The New South, playing guitar and singing lead vocals.  Rickey sang lead vocals on the J.D. Crowe & The New South hit single “Lefty’s Old Guitar” which was Song of the Year (SPBGMA), 2008 Grammy ® Nominated , 2007 IBMA – Album of the Year and #1 Song & Album on the Bluegrass Unlimited Charts

 

 RICKEY’S powerful vocals have placed him in an elite group of today’s top bluegrass singers and landed him in one of today’s top bluegrass groups.

 

 Prior to joining J.D. Crowe & The New South in 1998, Rickey filled in briefly in Alison Krauss’ band, was a founding member of the well respected bluegrass group Southern Blend in 1984, and has been playing bluegrass ever since he was 4 years old.  Rickey says, “I never knew there was any other kind of music until I was 10.” 

 

 “LOSIN’ IN LAS VEGAS”, the Merle Haggard classic from his “5:01 Blues” album, is the first single from RICKEY WASSON’S debut solo album FROM THE HEART & SOUL and features band and label mate Dwight McCall on harmony vocals.  The album also includes bluegrass veteran guests J.D. Crowe, Don Rigsby, Sonya & Ben Isaacs, Randy Kohrs, Adam Steffey, Ron Stewart, and Harold Nixon.

 

 FROM THE HEART & SOUL has several original tunes  featuring Wasson’s “Touched By The Masters Hand” which he says “I wrote it to give praise for what God has done for me”, Bill Castle’s song “A Place With No Yesterdays”, Larry Johnson’s “Billy G. Salvation “, Herman Isaacs’ “Don’t Wait Up”, as well as many bluegrass classics such as “Roll On Buddy”, “I’ll Go Steppin’ Too”, “Dark Hollow”, “Get In Line Brother”, etc.

 

 With such a deep tradition in bluegrass, RICKEY WASSON delivers a very powerful debut album filled with solid bluegrass music from a new generation artist that will appeal to all ages.  In a word, Rickey's material is "GREAT" says Terry Herd from the Bluegrass Radio Network…“It's as good as it gets in the traditional bluegrass camp, from a voice of the "New South" that bluegrass fans can never seem to get enough of…It's a rock solid winner.