Jason Carter

In Lloyd, Kentucky, on U.S. 23, there’s a sign on the Country Music

Highway dedicated to renowned fiddler Jason Carter. It was placed there

because of his other accomplishments—the Grammy awards, the

worldwide tours, and the many other accolades he’s earned through his

music. But for Carter, joining the legendary names honored on that stretch

of highway just might mean the most. "There's a certain sound that's up

there that you just don't hear anywhere else," he says. "I think that played a

big part in how I sound today."

True to those Kentucky roots, Carter continues to pour all he has back into

bluegrass. For thirty years, he has been the fiddle player for the Del

McCoury Band—the most awarded group in bluegrass history. He’s won

three Grammy awards, including 2018’s “Best Bluegrass Album” with the

Travelin’ McCourys, of which he is a founding member. And he’s taken

home five IBMAs for “Fiddle Player of the Year,” a staggering number that

isn’t quite so crazy once you realize just how many bluegrass greats have

turned to Carter for collaboration.

As a fiddler, Carter has been featured on albums by Steve Earle, Ricky

Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, Asleep at the Wheel,

and many more, all in addition to his tireless touring and recording with Del

as well as the Travelin’ McCourys. On Carter’s forthcoming solo album,

Lowdown Hoedown, listeners may recognize instrumental contributions

from such legends as Jerry Douglas or Sam Bush alongside vocals from

young trailblazers like Sarah Jarosz or Billy Strings. This time, though,

Carter is singing lead.

The album's namesake track, a good-time duet with longtime friend Dierks

Bentley, plays on Carter's dexterity on the fiddle with an flashy solo—while

also showcasing his charisma as a frontman and vocalist. "Good Things

Happen," a Jamie Hartford number with vocal harmonies from Aoife

O'Donovan, marks the kind of tender moment fit for a first dance or sweet

serenade. But Lowdown Hoedown has its somber side, too.

"Dust Bowl Dream," a wistful narrative about a depression-era farmer,

builds on its slow pace and vivid lyrical imagery with powerful harmonies

from Sarah Jarosz and twin fiddles from Carter and fellow IBMA-winning

fiddle player Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. The John Hartford tune "Six O'Clock

Train" marks a slower, more ominous moment, calling in vocal harmonies

and guitar from Billy Strings.

Scattered across the album, too, are hints of the influences that have

shaped Carter’s sound throughout his life. A guitar player since childhood

and a fiddler since 15 (the age when he swore that someday he’d play in

the Del McCoury Band), Carter inherited his love for bluegrass from his

father, a musician himself, and grew up playing at jams, festivals, and

campgrounds across Kentucky. After he graduated high school, he took his

talent as a fiddler on the road professionally: first with the Goins Brothers,

then at 19 with the Del McCoury Band, and later with the Travelin’

McCourys.

In the decades since, he’s seen the bluegrass community evolve and

expand. “The bluegrass fans, they're pretty loyal,” he says, noting that he’s

found a similar kinship sharing stages with jam bands like Phish and

Leftover Salmon, too. “They stick behind you, they're there for you.” Carter

mirrors that loyalty with his own—loyalty to his craft, loyalty to the road, and

loyalty to the career path he’s dreamt of since childhood. With Lowdown

Hoedown, Carter shares the fruits of decades’ worth of on-the-road

experience, spectacular musical sensibility, and genuine excitement for

what bluegrass can be.

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