tag:juniorsisk.com,2005:/blogs/latest-news-from-junior-sisk-ramblers-choice?p=2Latest News from Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice2022-01-25T11:05:00-05:00Junior Siskfalsetag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/69114482022-01-25T11:05:00-05:002023-10-16T10:48:27-04:00Patches On My Heart from Junior Sisk Posted on January 25, 2022 By John Lawless<p>It’s always a good day for traditional bluegrass lovers when Junior Sisk drops a new single, and today is no exception. </p>
<p>Mountain Fever Records has released Patches On My Heart, a single from their next project with Junior, recorded with his crack touring band. As always, Sisk sings lead and plays guitar, supported by Jonathon Dillon on mandolin, Doug Bartlett on fiddle, Tony Mabe on banjo, Curt Love on bass, and Heather Berry Mabe on guitar and harmony vocal.</p>
<p><a contents="https://bluegrasstoday.com/patches-on-my-heart-from-junior-sisk/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/patches-on-my-heart-from-junior-sisk/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/patches-on-my-heart-from-junior-sisk/</a></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/67269722021-08-17T15:00:00-04:002022-03-02T10:10:21-05:00I Wanna Be Where You Are – new music from Junior Sisk Posted on August 17, 2021 By John Lawless<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/b43869fcfd76839f65893b4b4a03e968ca6d53bd/original/i-wanna-be-where-you-are-copy.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" />Mountain Fever Records has a new single today from Junior Sisk, recorded with his crack bluegrass band. Few artists today embody the soul and feel of traditional bluegrass like Junior does, and surely that is the reason he is nominated for Male Vocalist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year at the IBMA Bluegrass Awards this year. </p>
<p><a contents="READ MORE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/i-wanna-be-where-you-are-new-music-from-junior-sisk/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/i-wanna-be-where-you-are-new-music-from-junior-sisk/</a></p>
<p>Check for Junior’s show dates <a contents="online" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://juniorsisk.com/home" target="_blank">online</a>.</p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/64933962020-12-03T11:20:00-05:002020-12-07T11:17:03-05:00SIX STRAIGHT MONTHS AT #1 FOR JUNIOR SISK<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br>DECEMBER 2, 2020 <br>WILSON PICKINS PROMOTIONS <br>864.359.7999 </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/259129c47f9bd494dead028da6b8b534f6900aef/original/juniorsisk-loadthewagon-coverfinal.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />FERRUM, VA - Despite the struggles and challenges of possibly one of the most difficult years, our industry has ever faced, beloved, traditional bluegrass ambassador, Junior Sisk, has managed to pull off a great win with his current release, LOAD THE WAGON, on Mountain Fever Records. The album has been in the #1 position on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey, compiled by Lee Michael Demsey, for an unprecedented SIX CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. </p>
<p>This first record out for Junior with his new band formation, including the addition of his first ever female band member, Heather Berry Mabe, has far exceeded the already high expectations of everyone involved. In corroborating with Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, LOAD THE WAGON has joined a very small and distinguished group of artists, who have achieved the honor of six or more consecutive months in the number one seat on the survey. </p>
<p>We caught up with Junior from his tree stand, conducting his other very successful business...hunting! </p>
<p>"Wow... just WOW! I knew people were supporting and liking my new band and CD, but this is just AWESOME. I wish we could have been out on the road this year to recreate it all LIVE for our fans! Thanks a million to radio and fans for their support! <br>God bless," Junior Sisk </p>
<p>A vast majority of DJs and radio programmers polled, have offered that this is Junior's best album to date, and we strongly concur. A lot of time and effort was put in to carefully choose the material for LOAD THE WAGON, and this top notch band does not disappoint in their brilliant arrangements and delivery of each composition. Also deserving of a mention, is that the album was a bit of a team affair, with fellow Mountain Fever label mate as well as a Wilson Pickins roster member, powerhouse songstress and band leader, Amanda Cook, at the controls as engineer on this project at the Mountain Fever Records studio in Virginia. Great job, Amanda! </p>
<p>"We knew when we recorded this record it was going to be something special, and Junior always puts everything he’s got into a song. It’s the record he’s always wanted to make, and we are so thankful to have been a part of it." <br>-Mark Hodges, Mountain Fever Records </p>
<p>As Junior Sisk catapults another soon to be hit single with "Best Female Actress," our congratulations goes out to everyone who played a role in this fabulous project! What a way to say goodbye to 2020 and kick off the brand New Year! We sincerely hope you have an opportunity to see the Junior Sisk Band in person in 2021, it is an experience you definitely do not want to miss!</p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/67269732020-07-03T15:00:00-04:002022-03-02T10:18:28-05:00Curt Love to Junior Sisk on bass Posted on July 3, 2020 By John Lawless<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/e9d45fd9708419de5af146a9a07fcf7664424bae/original/dsc-0384.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_medium" alt="" />Curt Love of Oakboro, NC has been named as the new bass player for Junior Sisk. He comes highly recommended by a group of loyal fans in the central part of the state, who have been following this young man’s music with great interest. They tell us to keep our eyes on Curt, that he has something special to offer to the bluegrass world. </p>
<p><a contents="READ MORE:" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/curt-love-to-junior-sisk-on-bass/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/curt-love-to-junior-sisk-on-bass/</a></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/62534852020-02-14T08:20:00-05:002020-03-18T08:18:13-04:00LOAD THE WAGON – MOUNTAIN FEVER RECORDS (2020) - JUNIOR SISK <p>REVIEWED BY SEVERIN THEINERT <br>for UNCUT GRASS <br>February 2020</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/259129c47f9bd494dead028da6b8b534f6900aef/original/juniorsisk-loadthewagon-coverfinal.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />I am the proud owner of every single Junior Sisk album and I'm always excited when I hear about a new release from him. Especially since he's with Mountain Fever Records. You can't go wrong with “Mountain Sisk” or “Junior Fever.” In my opinion, both are setting standards for the bluegrass music industry these days. Junior has been around the music for quite awhile. He played in bands like “Lost & Found“ and “BlueRidge“ just to name two. We all know him for his work with his band “Rambler's Choice“. So, it was exciting to find that he had changed directions once again and is releasing solo records. Last year's release was a solo project too, but it wouldn't be Junior Sisk if he didn’t journey forward with a step deep into the bluegrass tradition, as he has done with Load The Wagon. </p>
<p>His new band line-up consists of Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, Gary Creed on bass and vocals, Heather Berry Mabe contributing vocals and guitar, Tony Mabe playing the banjo and vocals and Douglas Bartlett on fiddle and vocals. Junior himself is playing the guitar as usual, and of course singing the lead vocals. It would have been a waste of talent if Heather didn't sing some lead on the record, too. They've created something traditional but fresh, something old but new. They left behind everything you don't need for a bluegrass record. Sisk took eleven songs out of the great bluegrass songbook and beyond and gave them a stripped down and pleasantly dry arrangement that borders on folk, old-time and gospel ever so tastefully. And always displays a great respect for the song itself and the era it was written in. </p>
<p>Junior Sisk opens with “Get In Line, Buddy“ by Bill Yates of the Country Gentlemen and courageously raises the bar for himself and his new band. But man – they all cross this hurdle with ease. It's pure joy to listen to Junior sing this one. Followed by Red Smiley's “Best Female Actress Of The Year,” a slow, witty waltz for those who don't know the song. And again Junior's voice is absolute and heartfelt at the same time. The entire band delivers a great ensemble, working the songs together, as well as sublime individual breaks. </p>
<p>“Hooked On Bluegrass,“ by J.R.Satterwhite, naturally is more modern. An up-tempo declaration of love for what he's doing. Followed by the lovely “Poor Sister Cry,“ by Thomas Porter & Copper River Band. The first single “Lily Dale“.... !Awesome! I've only heard the version by Willie Nelson and Darrell McCall before now, which is a slow sentimental country ballad, but this is a fresh, up-tempo bluegrass gem, as if it was written just for this band. </p>
<p>I could easily go from one superlative to the other and so….I will: Next up is a beautiful, folky, gospel track called “I'm Going There“. There is one single guitar and absolutely stunning gospel, harmony vocals in the chorus. Followed up by the brilliant title track “Load The Wagon '' another one written by J.R.Satterwhite. It comes a long fast and galloping with a clawhammer banjo that adds perfectly to the old-time feeling of the fiddle. </p>
<p>One more track (besides the songs from Flatt & Scruggs or A.P. Carter) I just have to mention is “He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One“ by Jimmy Skinner. This is my personal highlight of the record. It's only Junior with his guitar and singing. And boy he can sing! </p>
<p>The record closes with a Johnson Mountain Boys song, “Mend This Heart Of Mine“. Hard-driving banjo licks, fabulous mandolin and fiddle breaks, an extraordinary singer with superb harmony vocalists – everything bluegrass is all about. This record is great all over. It is so complete and full and still doesn’t overwhelm the listener because of its modest and light arrangements. Every musician contributes just what's necessary but with such a great feeling and warmth. This record is going to be big for 2020!</p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/62534832020-02-14T08:20:00-05:002022-03-02T10:21:13-05:00Load The Wagon – Junior Sisk Posted on February 14, 2020 By John Curtis Goad<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/259129c47f9bd494dead028da6b8b534f6900aef/original/juniorsisk-loadthewagon-coverfinal.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Over the past few years, Junior Sisk has spent some time revamping his band and doubling down on the straightforward traditional sound his fans love. 2018’s Brand New Shade of Blue showed fans that even though Ramblers Choice was no more, Junior wasn’t going anywhere. With his second solo release from Mountain Fever Records, Load the Wagon, he’s in fine form once again, reminding listeners that he can wrap his voice around a bluegrass song in a way that few others can match. </p>
<p>Sisk has long been an advocate for the traditional side of bluegrass, and has often been rewarded by the industry for his commitment to that style (see the multiple IBMA awards that A Far Cry From Lester and Earl helped earn for proof). However, this album may be the most truly traditional work he’s done in years, embracing the sounds of the 1940s and ’50s with vigor. Names like Red Smiley, Charlie Moore, A.P. Carter, and Flatt & Scruggs are scattered throughout the songwriter credits. Sisk’s takes on these songs are fresh, yet hearken back to an earlier era. </p>
<p><a contents="https://bluegrasstoday.com/load-the-wagon-junior-sisk/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/load-the-wagon-junior-sisk/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/load-the-wagon-junior-sisk/</a></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/59468292019-10-29T16:55:00-04:002022-03-02T10:23:06-05:00Lily Dale drops from Junior Sisk Posted on October 29, 2019 By John Lawless<p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/1bda67dc75d35644770bb1d02942a044825551ff/original/juniorsisk-lilydalesinglesm.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br>2019 has been a busy year for Junior Sisk. After squashing rumors that he’s retiring (he’s not), Sisk hit the road with a new band, and a renewed determination to keep alive the traditional mountain sound of the bluegrass music that he loves. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Those lucky enough to catch him live this season have heard the powerful stage show with Tony Mabe on banjo, Heather Berry Mabe on guitar and vocals, Doug Bartlett on fiddle, Jonathon Dillon on mandolin, and Gary Creed on bass. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Now today, Mountain Fever Records has released a first single for Junior with his new group, a real old timer called Lily Dale. It comes from the pen of 19th/early 20th century writer H.S. Thompson, a popular performer in the minstrel shows of his day. Bob Wills also cut a version of this one in 1956.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="https://bluegrasstoday.com/lily-dale-drops-from-junior-sisk/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/lily-dale-drops-from-junior-sisk/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/lily-dale-drops-from-junior-sisk/</a></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/58529422019-08-09T14:44:59-04:002019-08-09T14:44:59-04:00Junior Sisk partners with Wilson Pickins Promotions!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/fda3797ee17f23e156854ce2d20ded033b3829ed/original/s8a8872.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br>AUGUST 6, 2019 <br>WILSON PICKINS PROMOTIONS <br>wilsonpickins@gmail.com </strong></p>
<p><span class="font_large">FERRUM, VA. - Junior Sisk is proud to announce his partnership withMelanie Wilson and Wilson Pickins Promotions for full service publicity and booking services as he moves toward recording his next project with Mountain Fever Records this Fall. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">"I am overjoyed to be working with Junior and his very talented band and I look forward to being a part of this new venture. It's a great feeling when business partners are on the same page and communicate the same goals and Junior and I had that right from the start. <br>We can't wait to get started!" - Melanie Wilson </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Junior is currently promoting the hit album, BRAND NEW SHADE OF BLUE, a solo album released in 2018, not long after announcing that he was redirecting his career away from the "Rambler's Choice" band. The album has done phenomenally well for him with fans and on bluegrass radio. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Junior's band has recently taken on a new look and sound with adding the powerhouse vocals of "Daughter of Bluegrass," Heather Mabe, as well as additional new instrumentalists in the band. The result has left fans and festival audiences nationwide in awe and wanting more. Sisk seems to be like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better with time! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Be on the lookout for the brand new project from Junior Sisk and his newly formed band later this year. Mark Hodges, owner of Mountain Fever Records had this to say: </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">"We plan on starting production next month on Junior's next record and we are excited at the support team he is building around him. With the addition of Wilson Pickins we are expecting great things!" </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">In the meantime you can catch this energetic and compelling show out on the road in a town near you this festival season. Check Junior's tour schedule often and follow the band on social media.</span></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/58529722019-08-07T14:50:00-04:002022-03-02T10:37:23-05:00New band, new album, new publicist for Junior Sisk Posted on August 7, 2019 By John Lawless<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/b53a5b84f1fa2e0556462ac2f0205c0f09817d29/original/dg0a4019w.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Junior Sisk has been wowing audiences all summer with his new band, which now includes Heather Berry and Tony Mabe on vocals, with that same lonesome mountain bluegrass sound that first catapulted Junior to attention in the late 1990s. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">But it’s been a big change for him, since he worked this past 20 some years as the leader of a band called Rambler’s Choice. Some confusion was caused last year when Sisk announced that he was dissolving that group, with many fans assuming that he was retiring and coming off the road. In truth, he simply intended to rebrand his career under his own name, and return even closer to the traditional, old-style grass that has always been his first love. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">With the new group hitting on all cylinders, Junior is ready to work on a new recording, and has brought on the team at Wilson Pickins Productions to assist him and Mountain Fever Records in getting the word out. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">See Article on <a contents="BLUEGRASS TODAY" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/new-band-new-album-new-publicist-for-junior-sisk/?fbclid=IwAR3NkBF_S7Wz42J0XnEySMCtw0-WHC_i-lWgb3ibMpr1qrrEAXGa5tW_g-U" target="_blank">BLUEGRASS TODAY</a></span></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/58504792019-06-10T14:15:00-04:002022-03-02T10:45:45-05:00Brand New Shade of Blue – Junior Sisk Posted on June 10, 2019 By Lee Zimmerman<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/8a8964e8aa265d275a80c704078d925c5271716b/original/brand-new-shade-of-blue.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Junior Sisk’s first solo album in a career that extends back well over 20 years may seem something of a milestone, but the fact is, Sisk has made an indelible impression in bluegrass realms ever since he first started writing music in the early ‘90s. He can number among his early accomplishments the songs that were written for Lonesome River Band, and his subsequent contributions to Rambler’s Choice, the band he founded in the late ‘90s and later reconvened after a brief stint with the group Lost and Found. Other collaborations occupied him at nearly the same time, but for the most part, Sisk has been known mainly as a contributor to the efforts of others, rather than a single man in the spotlight. </p>
<p><a contents="https://bluegrasstoday.com/brand-new-shade-of-blue-junior-sisk/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bluegrasstoday.com/brand-new-shade-of-blue-junior-sisk/" target="_blank">https://bluegrasstoday.com/brand-new-shade-of-blue-junior-sisk/</a></p>
<p> </p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/58505132018-12-23T14:20:00-05:002022-03-02T10:49:06-05:002019 SPBGMA Award Nominations for Junior Sisk <p>The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America has announced the nominees for their 45th annual Bluegrass Music Awards. Winners will be announced February 3, 2019 at their 36th national convention at Nashville’s Sheraton Music City hotel. </p>
<p>Male Vocalist Of The Year <br><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong><span class="font_large">Junior Sisk </span></strong></span></p>
<p>Song Of The Year <br><span style="color:#c0392b;"><strong><span class="font_large">A Brand New Shade of Blue – Junior Sisk on Mountain Fever Records <br>True Grass – Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, feat Junior Sisk & Danny Paisley on Pinecastle Records </span></strong></span></p>
<p>Congratulations and best of luck to all the nominees. </p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/54967662018-11-02T09:14:15-04:002018-11-02T09:14:15-04:00Honey Do List #11<p>Honey Do List Moves to #11 on Bluegrass Today weekly charts ! Thank you fans for requesting this tune.!!!</p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/54848292018-10-24T18:15:41-04:002018-10-24T18:16:14-04:00Roots Music Report Oct. 23, 2019<p><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Brand New Shade Of Blue #1 two weeks in a row on the Roots Music Report </strong></span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="color:#2980b9;"><span class="font_large"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/172050/8a8964e8aa265d275a80c704078d925c5271716b/original/brand-new-shade-of-blue.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></span></span></p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/53365652018-07-08T17:04:15-04:002018-07-08T17:04:15-04:00The Whiskey And The Guitar climbs up the Charts<p>The Whiskey And the Guitar Climbs to the #2 spot this week on the Bluegrass Today weekly charts, The first single release from the brand new Mountain Fever project <strong><em>Brand New Shade Of Blue </em></strong>Available now at all your favorite Stores and Download sites.</p>Junior Sisktag:juniorsisk.com,2005:Post/53251632018-06-29T20:18:33-04:002018-06-29T20:18:33-04:00New Project Ships<p><em><strong>Brand New Shade Of Blue </strong></em>Ships from Mountain Fever Records. " Whiskey And The Guitar" currently on Bluegrass Today Charts!!!</p>
<p> </p>Junior Sisk