Balsam Range: American Acoustic Bluegrass

The 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year, Balsam Range, has become one of the genre’s most award-winning acts. Since forming in 2007, the group has garnered 13 IBMA awards on the heels of 13 critically acclaimed albums. Balsam Range has left audiences spellbound while headlining major festivals from coast-to-coast, selling out venues across the nation and in multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. The band collaborated with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble to record 2 albums, the second of which, Mountain Overture, debuted on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart at #5 and the Classical Crossover Chart at #6. Their album Mountain Voodoo debuted at #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart and remained on that chart for 45 weeks. Three singles from that album reached #1 on the Bluegrass Today Chart, including “Blue Collar Dreams,” which spent three consecutive months at the top. The follow-up album, Aeonic debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and spent 46 total weeks on the chart. The album featured hit songs like “The Girl Who Invented The Wheel,” “Get Me Gone” and “Angel Too Soon.”

The band recently claimed the #1 radio chart spots with their singles, “Richest Man,” “Grit and Grace,” “Rivers, Rains and Runaway Trains,” “Santa Barbara” and “Highway Side” all from their latest album (#13 for the band,) 2021’s Moxie and Mettle.

In 2023 a new album, Kinetic Tone featured the number #1 tune “That’s What The Years Do”, the second single, “Snake Charmer” topped at #3, and the third release single “We’ll All Drink Money” hit the #2 spot.

In addition to winning Entertainer of the Year, Balsam Range vocalist Buddy Melton won IBMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year and bass player Tim Surrett won IBMA’s Bass Player of the Year in 2018.

Don Rigsby discovered bluegrass music at an early age nurturing his interest though Ralph Stanley records and hanging out with 2 of the Clinch Mountain Boys, including his cousin Ricky Skaggs as well as Keith Whitley. Soon enough though, he would make his own mark with his powerful tenor vocals.

Rigsby has toured with J.D. Crowe and the New South and joined the Lonesome River Band when Dan Tyminski left. Rigsby stayed for six years and appeared on three of their albums.

He has also played stints with Charlie Sizemore, Vern Gosden, Alan Jackson, Dave Evans, The Bluegrass Cardinals, and the all-star bluegrass ensemble, Longview just to name a few.

Five solo albums have generated awards like Gospel Album of the Year, The Kentucky Star Award and Song of the Year for Empty Old Mailbox. Two International Bluegrass Music Association awards came Rigsby’s way for his role as producer of 40, a Larry Sparks project receiving the Recorded Event of the Year and Album of the Year in 2005.

“The very soul of bluegrass music is that “high lonesome sound,” and no human on the planet today epitomizes that sound more than Don Rigsby.”