“Great musicians with a good sense of humor & great songs.”
“Incredible.”
“The Warblers flirt between being loose and disciplined, which is difficult to do and remain bluegrass. That magic happens when knowing what to do is already muscle memory.”
TOUR DATES
Happy Birthday Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt’s mournfully beautiful murder ballad, “Louis Collins,” has long been a John Beck (Vocals & Mandolin) staple in the band's set.
First recorded in 1928, the tune has become one of Hurt’s most popular and enduring numbers. The Tennessee Warblers cut their version during sessions for their album Small Town Songs, with plans to release it as a single on John Hurt’s birthday, March 8th.
In 2012, Adam Dalton (Guitar) went on a road trip with photographer, Michael Rooney, to trace the Mississippi Blues Trail. They recently regrouped to pore over the images in search of one to represent Louis’ grave to which the “angels laid him away.” Unfortunately, not long after they settled on the photograph did they receive news that Mississippi John Hurt's home and museum in Avalon, MS had burned down.
Overseen by his granddaughter, Mary, the cabin home had long been a destination for fans and students of John Hurt’s music. The Tennessee Warblers urge folks to donate to the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation so that they may rebuild a museum celebrating John Hurt’s kind presence, songs and one of a kind guitar style that continues to entertain and inspire all these years later.
A playlist of artists celebrating the music of John Hurt
MUSIC
Recorded live over the course of two days, Small Town Songs is A mix of originals and covers by the likes of Roger Miller, John Prine, Dr. John, The Faces and Jerry Garcia, the album paints a variety of moods and small town themes that dance across the bluegrass Americana spectrum.
“Small Town Songs makes me happy to know the Nashville bluegrass-Dead community is thriving.”
“It’s awesome.”
“A really fun album. A lotta great covers. A lotta great originals.”
“An enjoyable listen.”
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Tip the band
The Tennessee Warblers are practitioners of Americana jamgrass with an emphasis on folksy harmony & song.
A Nashville institution, the Tennessee Warblers have been jamming folky grooves since 2014 with a rotating cast of pickin’ pals culled from Music City’s vibrant bluegrass and Grateful Dead community.
JOHN BECK (Vocals, Fiddle & Mandolin)
John soaked in Northern Illinois bluegrass traditions before making a detour to Colorado, the jamgrass capital of the world. In an effort to round out his musical education he headed south to the home of country music.
ADAM DALTON (Vocals & Guitar)
raised on the Boston folk scene, adam majored in Music Performance & Sound Recording at UMASS Lowell before venturing south toward the nexus of roots, rock and southern soul.
LUKE SANDS (Upright Bass)
Luke surfed on California waves and the sound of Jerry Garcia’s guitar before picking up the bass and touring the country. Eventually landing in Music City with his musical life partner, Ginger Sands, he’s continued to keep the groove and foster community through music.
John Beck and Adam Dalton met while performing together in various projects and bonded over the acoustic music of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. On a winter’s eve, they tried their hands at co-writing and the song “Restless” was born. Soon thereafter the Warblers took flight performing in and around Music City before starting what was to become a 5 year residency at Nashville’s legendary Sutler Saloon.
There the group honed their sound and was featured on the Travel Channel's Food Paradise. In 2016 they released their debut EP of which the Murfreesboro Pulse called "a solid debut peppered with well-played instrumental breaks, and recommended for fans of Americana and Southern folk."
They stayed busy touring, performing at festivals (Hoedown on the Harpeth Bluegrass Festival, Nashville Predators’ Craft Beer Festival, East Nashville Beer Festival) and periodically orchestrated tributes to their heroes, performing Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and the Grateful Dead’s Europe ‘72 albums in their entirety.
After distilling some fresh songs, they linked up with engineer Nathan Yarborough (The Mavericks, Leanne Rimes, Mastodon) to cut their debut record live in the warm wood walls of Madison, TN’s Bluegrass Compound. Seated together in a circle in the shotgun cabin hall, they took turns calling tunes from their repertoire and let the tape roll.
The resulting record, Small Town Songs, was released in November 2022 to which Ana Lee of WMOT Roots Radio 89.5FM called, “A really fun album. A lotta great covers. A lotta great originals.” Edd Hurt of the Nashville Scene wrote, “Small Town Songs makes me happy to know the Nashville bluegrass-Dead community is thriving.”
In 2023 the group performed the record on their Small Towns Tour, collaborated with Midnight North at the Touch of Brews Music Festival and of all things sang to Chuck Norris AND survived!
The band continues to serve up a fun mix of rootsy originals and cherry picked covers to all who’ll lend an ear.
VIDEOS
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