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"True Blue takes the gold medal in the men's trio!" -- Tom Diamant, Panhandle Country,
KPFA Radio
"True Blue is traditional bluegrass music at its best!" -- Gary Henderson, WAMU-FM/BluegrassCountry.Org, Washington, D. C.
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Presidential hopefuls at Mt. Rushmore, SD
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photo by Ray Edlund in Gualala, CA |
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True Blue's CD!!!
Samples of all songs on the album are available here
for listening. Response has been great:
"Upon listening, I'm
reminded of 1964, going out to Stockton from Berkeley, to rehearse with Vern
& Ray. What
you have here is a wonderful choice of some of the best bluegrass I've heard in
a mighty long time. . . California and the rest of the bluegrass community
should be very proud of all of you. I know I am." " 'A' for Awesome!!!"
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Upcoming shows: At Last, They're Back!
As part of the 13th annual San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival also appearing: The Stairwell Sisters. Don't miss this great night of music. List of Past Shows
"From every aspect, 'Years Gone By' is a significant collection of
mainstream bluegrass that truly respects tradition and is guaranteed to
expand the reputation of True Blue far beyond the boundaries of the Golden
State. Make no doubt about it, this is the genuine article."
"What a good cracking CD this is! The tracks are very well laid
down: Natural-sounding, good trad' stuff with some sparkling
instrumentation. Quite frankly, I'm hard-pressed to single out the gems
because, unlike so many of the CD's which we buy, there are simply NO
tracks which I don't like and they're all excellent."
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True Blue Personnel
Del Williams, |
Del's Discography:
photo by Janet Delaney |
Ed
Neff is known
to all Northern California bluegrass fans as the |
Ed's Discography: High Country,
Dreams, Warner Bros/Raccoon Records, 1972
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Avram Siegel is widely regarded as the most original
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Avram's Discography:
Kathy Kallick, My Mother's Voice, Copper Creek, 2001 photo by Janet Delaney |
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Allison
Fisher rounds out the quartet on bass. |
photo by Janet Delaney |
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This
site was last updated 6/21/05
True
Blue is
as traditional as a band can get: not soft or polite, but compelling in a way that is both fresh and familiar. They bring together the
three crucial elements of good bluegrass: instinctive harmonies, soul, and an organic rhythmic feel reminiscent of Flatt & Scruggs. This band is an example of what
can happen when four people share a musical sensibility and joy in what they are doing.
photo by Janet Delaney
True Blue’s lead singer and guitarist, was born in Stockton, California in
1954. Del grew up in a bluegrass environment with his father, Vern, and Ray Park
playing around the house. His father taught him how to play Little Brown Jug on
the mandolin at age 5. He took up guitar at age 10, and has been playing it ever
since. After Del graduated from school, he joined Vern to form the Vern Williams
Band, which toured the West Coast for 15 years. They recorded 
premier fiddler and mandolin stylist in the traditional vein. He has
been a fixture in the Bay Area bluegrass scene for over 30 years,
playing with such stalwarts as High Country and the 
banjo player to emerge from the Bay Area
bluegrass scene. His bluesy, syncopated rhythm is always fresh and exciting without forsaking the traditional Scruggs style. He shows
remarkable restraint and taste in every musical situation. Over the past 20 years, Avram has performed in a wide variety of
bands, from Grant Street to Vern Williams to the 
She has always gravitated
toward
the traditional side of bluegrass, making her a natural choice as
anchor for the True Blue rhythm section. Her energy and solid sense
of time contribute to the band’s overall feel and drive. She also
furnishes tenor vocals to some of the band’s duets and trios, and
brings original songs to the band's repertoire.