Album title: Randy Waller

This Ol' Cowboy - Listen
Love's Tombstone - Listen
The Ballad of Curtis Loew - Listen
The Vision - Listen
Daddy's Old Guitar - Listen
Give It Up or Let Me Go - Listen
Little Red Shoes - Listen
Old Rugged Cross - Listen
Should've Took That Train - Listen
Daddy's Need to Grow Up Too - Listen
Blue Blue Morning - Listen
Who's Sad and Lonely Now - Listen
A Sad Song Don't Care Who's Heart It Breaks - Listen
Rough and Ready - Listen

The Country Gentlemen - One of America's very best bluegrass bands ever and one of the most copied. Trend-setters since their beginning and the founders of newgrass who brought bluegrass music to a brand new audience in the 1950's and 1960's with their college concerts, club tours, and their great Carnegie Hall concert.

Their former band members are like who's who in bluegrass music. Eddie Adcock, John Duffey, Tom Gray, Doyle Lawson, Bill Emerson, Jimmy Gaudreau, Bill Yates, Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, and many, many others who now play in some of the best bands around.

The very first guitar player and lead singer was the great Charlie Waller who remained with the band for its entire 47-year run until his death in 2004. Waller, Adcock, Duffey, and Gray are members of the IBMA Hall of Honor.

Charlie Waller's wish was that his son Randy would take over the band someday and continue the great sound. Randy has honored his father's wishes and now leads this band with the famous name and tradition. Randy has surrounded himself with musicians who know and respect the music the Country Gentlemen have performed throughout the years.

The audiences have received Randy and the band with open arms and the tradition of great singing and picking is continuing just as Charlie wanted it to. Charlie's old songs never sounded better and the new will keep the Gent's sound alive for many years to come.

Lendel Record's first album release, Randy Waller (self-titled), showcases Randy's first recording debut since his father's passing away. In 1963, Charlie made a promise to one day give his 1937 Martin D-28 guitar to his son. After Randy's graduation, he embarked on a solo career as a country musician and guitar teacher. t was on Christmas in 2002 that his father's guitar was passed on to the next generation. Randy's original song, "Daddy's Old Guitar," tells the story.

With this debut release, Randy had returned to his bluegrass roots for the singer, songwriter and instrumentalist by (at the request of his father) joining the Country Gentlemen the last 2 years Charlie was alive onstage and in the studio with working with Charlie on his very last recording project, Songs of the American Spirit which won the SPBGMA Album of the Year Award in February of 2005.

A short time afterRandy started appearing with the group, fans started asking for an album that documents his impressive rendition of "Old Rugged Cross". Waller penned some originals for the project including "The Vision," "Little Red Shoes," and "Rough and Ready." These three numbers demonstrate Waller's unique ability to successfully pen first-rate songs within the bluegrass gospel, western swing, and country genres.

Covers include Carl Jackson's "Love's Tombstone" and "Blue, Blue Morning" and "A Sad Song Don't Care Whose Heart it Breaks." and songs that were recorded by the Marshall Tucker Band ("This Ol' Cowboy") and Bonnie Raitt ("Give It Up or Let Me Go"). "This Ol' Cowboy" has a nice beat and catchy little riff. Randy's resonator guitar is a featured instrument on "The Ballad of Curtis Loew," a story of a young boy's friendship and respect for an old black dobro master who played the blues. Interestingly, that song also recently appeared on Larry Cordle's "Lonesome Skynyrd Time" project.

The accompanists include a number of present and former Country Gentlemen. Jimmy Gaudreau's mandolin and mandola are always a treat to hear. Eddie and Martha Adcock sing beautiful vocal harmonies. A friend from Randy's teenage years, Mike Moore, was enlisted to play bass. Sammy Shelor (Lonesome River Band) picks the five-string banjo, and well-known Nashville session fiddler Aubrey Haynie offers some hot licks and fills. Tim Austin engineered the project.

Randy Waller certainly doesn't sing with a high lonesome bluegrass sound. Instead, his full baritone gives a very smooth delivery that is equally comfortable with country, gospel, bluegrass and blues music. Randy's diverse instrumental and vocal abilities will open many doors for him. Closer to acoustic country than his father's hard-driving bluegrass, Randy Waller's sound is very relaxed and enjoyable. His voice even reminds me, at times, of a young Merle Haggard. That's the main reason why I really like this project.
- Joe Ross -

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen
"Keeper of the Flame"
Lendel Records LR-5501
Playing Time - 44.16
Copywrited 2006

Album title: Keeper of the Flame

Shotgun Rider - Listen
Old RR Tracks - Listen
Hearts & Flowers - Listen
He Was A Friend of Mine - Listen
Cowboys & Indians - Listen
Golden Wedding Bands - Listen
Home in Dixieland - Listen
Letter to Tom - Listen
Oh Mexico - Listen
One More Voice Singing in Heaven Tonight - Listen
Mrs. Robinson - Listen
Rambling Boy - Listen
Working For A Living - Listen
Blue Ridge - Listen

Randy Waller - lead vocals/guitars
Mark Delaney - baritone/tenor vocals, banjo
David Kirk - tenor/baritone vocal, mandolin
Gary Creed - bass vocals, upright bass
Mike Auldridge - resophonic guitar
Ricky Simpkins - fiddle
Chris Sexton - cello
Heather Berry - harmony vocals (Golden Wedding Bands)
Len Holsclaw - prewar egg shakers on Oh, Mexico

Tracks, Vocals & Mixing at Eastwood Studio - Cana, Va. by Wesley Easter
Resophonic guitar, fiddle, cello, Heather Berry harmony - Assembly Line Studio - Vienna, Va. by Keven
Mastered by Bill Wolf at Bill Wolf Productions - Arlington, Va.

Liner Notes for "Keeper of the Flame" - Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen
By Joe Bonsall

I am a big fan of Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen and have been for awhile now. Knowing of my love for Bluegrass Music, a good friend of mine by the name of Stever Robinson turned me on to the band about a year ago. Steve had an IPOD overflowing with great singing and pickin' by the Gents and I was hooked. Being a student of the banjo, Mark Delaney (Country Gentlemen banjoist), was immediately add to my list of HEROES!

When the invitation came from Lendel Records to write a few notes about the new "Keeper of the Flame" project which I assume you are now holding in your hand, I jumped at the opportunity and the honor.

So, just what are the elements that make up a GREAT bluegrass band? Obviously, great instrumental ability, the good sense to know when and where and what to play, being able to weave seamlessly: like between a fiddle break to a banjo ride, etc. Instruments do not automatically blend together. Any back-porch jam session can teach you that in a heartbeat.

Then, there are Vocals and Harmony ... Ah, that is what my group (The Oak Ridge Boys) has always been about. Great vocals, singing great songs surrounded by great music is a beautiful thing. I also believe that a strong sense of history is important: an authentic love for the great players, singers, and innovators that paved teh way for all of us.

Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen are a GREAT Bluegrass Band and this is a GREAT CD! These guys can pick it clean on every instrument and their singing and harmonies and blends are impeccable. It also becomes very clear on this project that Randy Waller is one of the great lead voices singing today!

As the title suggests, these boys are also "keeping the flame burning". They have managed to be fresh and new and creative and inventive - as the Country Gentlemen have always done -- and yet still maintain the old-time flavor and attitude of good old fashioned pickin' and singin'!

As a side note, several of the western style harmonies on a few tunes reminded me of the Sons of the Pioneers ... A GOOD THING!

I love this CD and will be listening to it a lot this year!

God Bless, See you on down the Road!
Joe Bonsall