Pinecastle Records in Columbus has signed The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show (KSBC), whose album “Take Me Back” will be released in summer 2012.

“I am excited about our recent signing with one of the most legendary record labels in bluegrass music,” said Shiflett. “As I look forward to our first release I consider it a honor to be a part of the Pinecastle artist roster.”
“’Take Me Back’ is primarily a collection of tunes I heard and learned while growing up in Texas in the mid sixties (about 45 years ago),” Shiflett said. The material covers songs by Don Gibson, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Bob Wills, Faron Young, Willie Nelson and Floyd Tillman.
There are a couple of new tunes, too: “Song on the Jukebox,” written by Monroe Fields, and a gospel song called “Open Up Your Heart (and Let Jesus In),” written by Shiflett.
During its “retro” performances KSBC takes the audience on a journey back in time when live radio broadcasts were a mix of music and good humor. The band’s single mic technique, where band members weave in and out of the path of the microphone during vocal and instrumental leads, creates a distinctive musical chorography.
The band has been recognized with various awards and nominations, including the 2001 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) “Emerging Artist of the Year” award and a nomination for “Entertainer of the Year” the same year. In 2006, KSBC received the IBMA “Album of the Year” award for participation in the “Celebration of Life” album on the Skaggs Family Records label.
KSBC has recorded three previous projects and garnered chart recognition from steady radio airplay. Since 2003, the band has received nationwide exposure on RFD TV as featured guest performers on “The Cumberland Highlander Show,” filmed at Bill Monroe’s homeplace high on Jerusalem Ridge near Rosine, Ky.
In 2008 and 2009, the group appeared on “The Song of the Mountains,” which is filmed for PBS and aired on 900 stations across the U.S.
Shiflett also carries the title of “Ambassador of Bean Blossom” at Bill Monroe’s Memorial Park in Bean Blossom, Ind., the largest and longest-running bluegrass festival in the world (since 1966). The group promotes and spreads the word about this legendary music park and its events throughout their travels.
The current line-up for The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show includes: Karl Shiflett (lead vocals/rhythm guitar). Kris Shiflett (acoustic upright bass), Chris Hill (banjo/harmony vocals), C.J. Lewandowski (mandolin/harmony vocals) and Billy Hurt (fiddle).
For more information visit www.karlshiflett.com or www.pinecastlemusic.com.
– article submitted by Pinecastle Records