Kentucky Colonels

The Kentucky Colonels were a bluegrass band that was popular during the American folk music revival of the early 1960s. Formed in Burbank, California in 1954, the group released two albums, The New Sound of Bluegrass America (1963) and Appalachian Swing! (1964). The band featured the influential bluegrass guitarist Clarence White, who was largely responsible for making the acoustic guitar a lead instrument within bluegrass, and who later went on to join the Los Angeles rock band the Byrds. The Kentucky Colonels disbanded in late 1965, with two short-lived reunions taking place in 1966 and 1973.
==Links to Peel==
In the Top Gear period, Peel didn't seem to be a fan of the Kentucky Colonels' music or bluegrass overall, although he did have Country Gazette in session twice in 1973 and 1975, and played tracks by other bluegrass-influenced acts such as Elektra artists the Dillards, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Asleep At The Wheel. 
However, he did play a track from the Kentucky Colonels in 1992, according to available tracklistings on this site. It was from a compilation CD featuring younger bluegrass artists associated with the American label Rounder Records, among them Alison Krauss, later to record a duet album with Robert Plant, and David Grisman, who had previously featured in Peel playlists as a member of Earth Opera. By this stage in his career JP was featuring tracks by bluegrass originals like Bill Monroe, the Delmore Brothers and the Maddox Brothers And Rose, influenced perhaps by his colleague Andy Kershaw's liking for bluegrass.
The Kentucky Colonels did receive some attention from rock critics in the early 1970s, when they reformed. Country-rock became a fashionable genre and bluegrass itself experienced a revival - partly because of Clarence White, whose guitar playing with the Byrds, first as a session man and then as a full member of the band, was widely praised. Their Sweetheart Of The Rodeo album included a couple of tracks done in bluegrass style and other country-rock groups followed their example. Peel played many tracks from the later Byrds albums, on which White was featured, but the guitarist's death in 1973 caused the Kentucky Colonels to break up before they could gain greater success. 
==Shows Played==
;thumb|220x220px1992
*04 September 1992: 'Kicking Mule (CD-Son Of Rounder Banjo) Rounder
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists