Banjoist and vocalist Gena Britt, best known for her work with Sister Sadie, returns with a new single, “Goodbye to the Blues,” marking her debut for Mountain Home Music Company. The release showcases Britt’s distinctive blend of traditional and contemporary bluegrass.
Originally penned by bassist Marshall Wilborn, the song was first recorded by the Johnson Mountain Boys and later by Wilborn’s wife, Bluegrass Hall of Famer Lynn Morris. Its lyrics arc from melancholy to resilience, shifting from the refrain “Bad news, bad news / I say hello to the blues” to the closing line, “Good news, good news / I say goodbye to the blues.” The arrangement underscores the genre’s emotional depth, a hallmark of Britt’s decades-long career.
The studio band assembled for the track features leading figures in the bluegrass scene: Alan Bartram (bass, harmony vocals) and Jason Carter (fiddle) of the Del McCoury Band; John Meador (guitar, harmony vocals), formerly of Authentic Unlimited; and mandolinist Jonathan Dillon of the Junior Sisk Band and Red Camel Collective.
While the supporting cast is formidable, Britt’s expressive vocals and signature banjo work remain the focal point—continuing a tradition she’s helped shape while pointing toward its future.
Gena shared: “With the help of one of my best friends, Tina Steffey, we were able to pay tribute to the great Lynn Morris’s clawhammer banjo playing from her original cut. I’m a huge Lynn Morris and Marshall Wilborn fan and I hope everyone loves this as much as I do.”
Author: World Music Central News Room
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