Rock Ridge has been wowing bluegrass audiences for 9 years in California, and now in the Northwest for the past 3 yrs since founders, Rick and Josie Grant moved to the beautiful Bend, Oregon and joined forces with Dale & Suz Adkins. Rock Ridge specializes in hard-driving rhythm, stellar vocals and stunning instrumentals. Their repertoire includes traditional and contemporary bluegrass, originals, old-time country and gospel. The band’s debut CD, Drifter’s Prayer, has received praise and airplay across the US and abroad. Reviewers say: “This is good, straight-ahead bluegrass!”. “The embodiment of traditionally rooted original songs with bluegrass and gospel standards showcases an unencumbered dedication to the genre that sets them apart from a myriad of similar outfits.”
Contact:
Josie Grant
530-520-6480
rockridgebluegrassband@gmail.com
https://rockridgebluegrass.com/home
Videos: https://rockridgebluegrass.com/music-video
Individual Bios
Josie Grant
Josie is a bluegrass powerhouse, wowing audiences with dynamic, powerful singing and driving guitar playing. Fans describe her vocals as being “highly charged!”, and her tone, expression and commanding performance style make her a standout among top bluegrass vocalists. Equally compelling is her energetic and rhythmically dynamic guitar playing which forms the driving foundation for Rock Ridge. Originally from Southern CA, she fell in love with bluegrass in the 1990s and has performed with Hiway 99 and Borderline Bluegrass Bands in Northern California. Hailing now from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Josie is also a professional portrait/food photographer and painter.
Rick Grant
Rick’s background is solidly founded in the traditions of old-time, classical, and gypsy jazz. He is a superbly talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist playing rock solid mandolin and tasty fiddle with Rock Ridge. Together with Josie and Suzanne, his prodigious timing forms a bedrock of rhythm that is the core of Rock Ridge’s sound. His high-lonesome tenor singing matches perfectly with Josie and he delivers powerful goosebump rendering lead and harmony vocals and writes and arranges many of the songs for the band. Rick has been a well-known fixture in the California bluegrass scene, and he has lent his talents to popular groups including Mountain Laurel and Borderline Bluegrass Band. Rick is a software engineer and operates a music recording studio where he has recorded much of the band’s stellar recordings over the years.
Dale Adkins
Dale is a longtime Northwest legend who Flatpick Guitar Magazine states is: “really, really good, as in a major force!” As a part of Grammy nominee Kate MacKenzie’s touring band, Dale performed across the U.S. and Europe in the 1990s. Other musical collaborations include guitar legend Dan Crary, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Frontline, True North, and Leah Larson. With the release of “Alone in the Red Room,” Dale introduced a significant departure from high-energy bluegrass flatpicking, showing significant growth and sophistication in his playing. Dale is an instrumental wiz on guitar, banjo and mandolin. Dale is also the owner and engineer/producer of Big Owl Studios where he has recorded and produced acoustic recordings of beautiful, pure quality for musicians all over the US. http://www.daleadkins.com
Suzanne Adkins
Suzanne has been a stately, rock-solid bassist and vocalist in many Northwest groups over the years. She has held down the beat for groups including True North, Knott Bros, McKenzie Crossing, and Adkins Family Band. She is a gifted vocalist and harmony singer in any configuration she joins. Suzanne is the Artistic Director for the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival held annually in Fossil, OR and works alongside Dale Adkins as a record producer and engineer for Big Owl Studios, providing her own stamp to many bluegrass and acoustic recordings. Her other musical pursuits include serving on the current Board of Directors of Acoustic Sound (Wintergrass) and in the past on the Oregon Bluegrass Association Board.