The bluegrass world has been abuzz since the venerable International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announced last year that it was moving its annual World of Bluegrass festivities to Chattanooga, Tennessee after spending nearly more than a dozen years in Raleigh, North Carolina. Now, a special collaboration between two GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass groups — the all-female Sister Sadie and modern traditionalists, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys — have joined forces for a Mountain Home Music Company musical celebration of the fact that the new location is “Just a Holler Over” from the old. And by way of thanks for the inspiration, the artists’ earnings from the track will be donated to the IBMA’s Bluegrass Trust Fund, established to help musicians and industry professionals with emergency financial needs.
The song is now available for radio play through AirPlay Direct.
“I wrote this song with Robin Macy after she had the idea, when the International Bluegrass Music Association moved from Raleigh to Chattanooga,” says Sister Sadie’s co-leader, IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year and IBMA Board member Deanie Richardson (fans with long memories may recall Macy as a one-time member of the Dixie Chicks). “She asked me to help her finish it and I was honored to do so. I felt Sister Sadie needed some help on this one and the perfect people for that were The Po' Ramblin' Boys. I knew Jaelee and C.J. would make this tune a great duet.”
Indeed, that collaborative spirit is evident throughout the track, as Sister Sadie’s reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, Jaelee Roberts, and Po’ Ramblin’ Boys leader and IBMA Board member C.J. Lewandowski trade lines throughout each verse before joining with Sister Sadie’s Dani Flowers in a trio that offers the song’s rousing chorus:
Just a holler over you will hear
The fiddles and the banjos drawing near
When you hear that whistle blow, that’s when you will know
You have found a home in Tennessee
Similarly, solos are divided between Sister Sadie’s banjo player, Gena Britt, mandolinist Lewandowski, Richardson and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ guitarist John Gooding to recreate the ever-shifting focus of the kind of bluegrass jam session that characterizes the World of Bluegrass. The track even manages a sly nod to another bluegrass tradition by complementing a lyrical reference to the old-time fiddle tune, “Cattle In The Cane,” with a snippet of its melody.
“Sister Sadie, Po' Ramblin Boys and Mountain Home Music joined forces to make this song come to life,” Richardson offers. “And since it was sparked by the IBMA move to Chattanooga, we decided to donate all proceeds from this song to the International Bluegrass Music Trust Fund. Hope you enjoy this tune and help us raise some money for a great cause.”
Download "Just A Holler Over" for radio play HERE.
