Pinecastle Recording CompanyDon Henley and his former Eagles band mate Bernie Leadon have lent their talents to a new studio by the veteran bluegrass band The Dillards called Old Road New Again, which will be released digitally on August 21.
The 11-track collection is The Dillards’ first album to feature mostly new original songs since 1991.
Henley is featured on three of the album’s songs: “Always Gonna Be You,” “My Last Sunset” and the title track, which also includes contributions from Leadon. Meanwhile, former Dillards member Herb Pederson, who also co-founded The Desert Rose Band with original Byrds bassist Chris Hillman, appears on six of the album’s 11 songs, among them “My Last Sunset” and the title track.
Other guest musicians on the album include Ricky Skaggs, acclaimed bluegrass mandolin player Sam Bush, and Sharon and Cheryl White of the veteran country group The Whites.
Rodney Dillard, the sole surviving member of the original Dillards lineup, says he considers Old Road New Again to be a “bookend” to the band’s 1968 classic album, Wheatstraw Suite, which saw the group incorporating orchestration, electric instruments and modern production techniques into its traditional bluegrass sound.
“Wheatstraw Suite was a departure from the basic, somewhat traditional, recordings we had previously done,” explains Rodney. “I wanted to move the group into uncharted musical territory, risking the ire of the hardline bluegrass traditional folks. Fifty-five years later, after several successful recordings, I felt it was maybe time to once again plow new ground and complete my musical journey, so we recorded Old Road New Again, the bookend to Wheatstraw Suite.”
Longtime Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member John McEuen wrote liner notes for the album.
Here’s the full Old Road New Again track list:
“Earthman” — featuring Herb Pedersen
“Save the Last Dance for Me” — featuring Sharon and Cheryl White
“Common Man” — featuring Herb Pedersen
“Always Gonna Be You” — featuring Don Henley
“Funky Ole Hen”
“Sweet Companion”
“The Whole World Round” — featuring Herb Pedersen and Sam Bush
“Tearing Our Liberty Down” — featuring Ricky Skaggs
“My Last Sunset” — featuring Don Henley and Herb Pedersen
“Old Road New Again” — featuring Don Henley, Herb Pedersen and Bernie Leadon
“Take Me Along for the Ride” — featuring Herb Pedersen
By Matt Friedlander
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