Northern Neck to Nashville

(MySpace photo by Aaron Ferrington)
Tonight, Paul Shugrue played a nice alt-country sort of song called "Red Eyes, Blue Lights" by a guy named Wes Charlton. The song was good and Paul said he was originally from these parts but now lives in Nashville, so I did some quick poking around and found out that Wes is from Virginia's Northern Neck and is friends with Macon Gurley, the daughter of folk-bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Bill Gurley -- also from the same neck of the woods.

Here's what Wes had to say about the connection on his MySpace page (he's writing about his own song "To Be Found" from a few years back):

"I'm from a small town on the Northern Neck and the song is a reflection on the town, the people and a certain way of life that is not usually found in big cities or larger urban towns. It's not really a personal reflection as it is more a commentary/tribute to a way of life that is sometimes looked down upon, but deserves some appreciation, in my opinion. I'm off in the big city now myself, but it's still comforting to come home.
Macon Gurley is the name of the lady that duets with me on the song. We are from the same town in VA and she is also a good friend. Her father, Bill Gurley, is somewhat of a regional celebrity/bluegrass icon and has recorded with Bruce Hornsby and Stephen Bennett, to name a few. He was sort of a mentor to me when I was younger, and he played on my first recording when I was 18, Pictures and An Empty Glass. Bill plays banjo on American Bittersweet, the record 'To Be Found' is featured on. Macon also did the graphic design and art work as well as sing on that album."

Charlton's new disc is called "World On Fire" and it was released March 18 on Judy Collins' Wildflower Records. Sounds like he's got promise. Good to know that he and Heath Haynes -- who I've posted about previously -- are making strides on the mean streets of Nashville.