Balsam Range is a bluegrass and acoustic music group founded in 2007 in Haywood, western North Carolina, where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Blue Ridge, the Great Balsam Range.
The five original members are all acoustic musicians and singers from western North Carolina. The Balsam Range lineup in 2021 included Buddy Melton on fiddle, lead and tenor vocals; Darren Nicholson on mandolin, octave mandolin, lead vocals, baritone and low tenor vocals; Dr. Marc Pruett on banjo; Tim Surrett on bass, dobro, baritone, and lead vocals; and Caleb Smith on guitar, lead & baritone vocals.
Balsam Range received the 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award. It has become one of bluegrass’ most award-winning acts. Since forming in 2007, the group has garnered over a dozen IBMA awards and released critically-acclaimed albums.
Balsam Range has headlined major festivals from coast-to-coast, selling out venues across the United States and in multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. The band collaborated with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble to record 2 albums.
In 2021, Balsam Range released Moxie & Mettle. One of the songs from the album, “Richest Man” was awarded Song Of The Year at the 2021 IBMA awards.
Darren Nicholson left the band in 2022 to pursue a solo career.
In 2023, Balsam Range, added to their achievements by winning two more awards: the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America’s Gospel Group of The Year and Vocal Group of the Year. The focus of these honors highlights the core values of Balsam Range: delivering meaningful songs, spreading a message, showcasing their unique sound, and putting on captivating performances.
A new song titled “What The Years Do,” the band’s first new single in over a year, was released in May 2023. The quintet also introduced acclaimed mandolinist Alan Bibey as the first new member of the group since it was founded over 15 years earlier.
In November 2023, Balsam Range announced the release of Kinetic Tone, their 10th album. “When Balsam Range went into the studio at the beginning of 2023 to begin this album,” the liner notes to Kinetic Tone indicate, “it was immediately obvious to everybody present that something was different. A new level of excitement and joy of creating was present.”
“Kinetic Tone,” explain the notes, “is a not-so-well-known musical term defining how sounds move from being static to changing tone by the application of ENERGY. Could be a voice. Could be a guitar. Could be voices and instruments acting in concert. We would argue that it can also be a shared mindset of a musical group.”
Discography:
Marching Home (Mountain Home Music Company, 2007)
Last Train To Kitty Hawk (Mountain Home Music Company, 2009)
Trains I Missed (Mountain Home Music Company, 2010)
Papertown (Mountain Home Music Company, 2012)
Daylight, with John Driskell Hopkins (Brighter Shade, 2012)
Live at the Altamont (2013)
Five (Mountain Home Music Company, 2014)
Mountain Voodoo (Mountain Home Music Company, 2016)
It’s Christmas Time (Mountain Home Music Company, 2017)
Mountain Overture, with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble (Mountain Home Music Company, 2018)
Aeonic (Mountain Home Music Company, 2019)
The Gospel Collection (Mountain Home Music Company, 2019)
Moxie & Mettle (Mountain Home Music Company, 2021)
Kinetic Tone (Mountain Home Music Company, 2023)
(headline image: Balsam Range – Photo by David Simchok)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Updated biography