After an emotional Grand Ole Opry appearance that included a retirement sendoff of long-time Grascals bassist Terry Smith, the group’s leader, mandolinist Danny Roberts might have been in a nostalgic mood when he chose the next in his series of singles for Mountain Home Music Company. Named for his youthful home in western Kentucky, “Leitchfield” is a lively instrumental that, much like the winding country roads around the town, takes a few unexpected turns along the way.
“When I wrote this tune,” Roberts recalls, “I didn’t have a title in mind and needed to come up with something to call it. While listening to the song and pondering on a name, I got thinking about the fact that my lifelong friend, Jimmy Mattingly, played fiddle on it. That led me down the path of recalling us growing up on adjacent farms, going to school and playing music together, which gave me the idea that it would be cool to have a song named after our hometown of Leitchfield, KY. It was so much fun getting to record this with some of the greatest musicians I’ve ever picked with — Jimmy, Tony Wray, and Andrea Roberts — and I appreciate them helping me bring this tune to life.”
Sure enough, after its jittery opening, “Leitchfield” drops into an insistent groove behind Roberts’ elegant statement of its melodic outlines before Wray and Mattingly serve up blazing solos — the former on both guitar and, especially, with a bold banjo break that will remind listeners of the years he spent playing with New Grass legend John Cowan — followed by a deft round of interplay between Mattingly and Roberts that brings the tune to a satisfying conclusion.
“Leitchfield and Grayson County are the fiddling capital of Kentucky,” notes Roberts, “And they’ve produced many fiddlers and other musicians over the years; I’m very proud to call it home. I was honored to receive the Key to the City from Mayor Harold Miller at last year’s Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship, and I’m dedicating ‘Leitchfield’ to all the wonderful folks there!"
Listen to "Leitchfield" HERE.
