John Sturgill "Stu" Simpson - guitar, vocals, songwriter
(2003-2021)
Sturgill was born in Jackson, Kentucky and came of age in Versailles, Kentucky; after high school he spent three years in the Navy working in the Combat Information Center of a frigate. He spent quite a bit of time in Japan while on duty. Discharged while stationed in Seattle, he lived in the area briefly before returning to Kentucky. He formed the Lexington band Sunday Valley in 2004 which played locally through 2008. Simpson briefly moved to Nashville on his own, then worked in a railroad freight shipping yard in Utah for Union Pacific Railroad before returning to Lexington and getting the band back together. Sunday Valley disbanded for the final time in 2012 after a stint in Nashville when Sturgill decided to seriously pursue his career in music as a solo act. The next decade would see the development of a highly successful and diverse career in music for him. Having self-financed his first two albums, with Dave Cobb producing, his third album he produced himself under the Atlantic label. The fourth album found him transferred from Atlantic to the newly relaunched Elektra label. He includes his fellow band members with co-production credits on that one. The year before its release was spent working with anime artists in Japan on an accompanying movie. Having vowed to release only five records, he took a brief detour to re-imagine his body of work with two bluegrass releases in 2020 before delivering his final album of the arc with the same group of all-star backup musicians, dubbed the Hillbilly Avengers. He enlisted David Ferguson to help with production on these three records, which were released on his own label, High Top Mountain Records. Between contracting Covid and being limited by the pandemic for touring, then sustaining a vocal cord hemorrhage which cut short his final tour, he chose to retire his solo music career at the end of 2021. During this decade he not only developed an acting career, but also found time to produce two albums for Tyler Childers and one each for Lucette, Margo Price, Brit Taylor and Miles Miller. He lives in the mountains of Tennessee with his wife and three sons.
THE HILLBILLY AVENGERS (2020-2021)
Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Tim O'Brien (guitar, mandolin), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Scott Vestal (banjo), Sturgill Simpson (vocals, guitar), Miles Miller (drums), Mike Bub (bass), Mark Howard (guitar) Photo: Semi Song Relix article here
Sierra Hull - mandolin, harmony vocals (2020-2021)
Born in Byrdstown, Tennessee, Sierra Dawn Hull played the Grand Ole Opry at age 10, Carnegie Hall at age 12, and was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13. She released her debut vocal album, Secrets, in 2008 at the age of 16. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. Her latest album, released in 2020, is “25 Trips.” She finished 2021 touring with Béla Flek, who had produced her Grammy-nominated album of 2016, “Weighted Mind.” She was named IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year for the sixth time in a row in 2023.
Tim O'Brien - guitar, mandolin (2020-2021)
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1954, Grammy winning singer songwriter and multi- instrumentalist Tim O’Brien grew up singing in church and in school. After seeing Doc Watson on TV, he became a lifelong devotee of old time and bluegrass music. Tim started touring nationally in 1978 with Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize. His songs “Walk the Way the Wind Blows” and “Untold Stories” were bluegrass hits for Hot Rize, and country hits for Kathy Mattea. Soon more artists like Nickel Creek, Garth Brooks, and The Dixie Chicks covered his songs. Over the years, Tim has collaborated with his sister Mollie O’Brien, songwriter Darrell Scott, and noted old time musician Dirk Powell, as well as with Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Dan Auerbach and Sturgill Simpson.
Living in Nashville since 1996, O’Brien’s skills on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo make him an in demand session player. He tours throughout the US and abroad, most often with his partner Jan Fabricius on mandolin and vocals. His regular band includes Fabricius along with Mike Bub (bass) and Shad Cobb (fiddle). He released the album “Cup of Sugar” in 2023.
Mike Bub - bass (2020-2021)
Mike Bub is from Scottsdale. Arizona. He moved to Nashville in 1989. He played for Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time, then spent thirteen years playing bass as a member of the Del McCoury Band, winning multiple awards including IBMA Bass Player of the Year several times, and a Grammy in 2005. Since exiting the McCoury group Bub has worked with Dale Ann Bradley, Shawn Camp, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe, the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet, and Chris Scruggs. In 2012, he received the first IBMA Momentum Award for Mentor of the Year.
Stuart Duncan - fiddle (2020-2021)
Stuart Duncan has received numerous awards. He is an eight time IBMA “Fiddle Player of the Year”, has also won two Grammy awards with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, five Academy of Country Music “Fiddle Player of the Year” awards, and was awarded “Specialty Instrument Player of the Year” in 2006. In 1992 he released a CD “Stuart Duncan” featuring Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Victor Wooten and David Grier. Stuart toured with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss and with Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler. Stuart played on the movie sound tracks “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “Cold Mountain”. He collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolinist Chris Thile, and bassist Edgar Meyer on the album “The Goat Rodeo Sessions”. A Virginia native, he moved to Nashville in 1985 as a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band playing fiddle, singing and writing songs for the group. He continues with the Nashville Bluegrass Band today. Stuart Duncan was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2015.
Scott Vestal - banjo (2020)
Scott Vestal is an American banjoist, songwriter and luthier, known for his innovative approach to playing and designing the banjo. He was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. His grandfather was an old time country fiddler who mentored him in bluegrass. He got his first banjo when he was 13 and was already touring professionally at 15. He soon was playing with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and went on to found Continental Divide with David Parmley. He has worked with a diverse list of talented artists over the years, from Bill Monroe and Sam Bush to Dolly Parton and David Lee Roth. Currently owner at Scott Vestal's Digital Underground, owner of Stealth Banjos and an in demand studio musician.
Bluegrass Unlimited Podcast Interview
Mark Howard - guitar (2020-2021)
Bluegrass and country multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, mandolin), recording engineer, and producer who owns the Signal Path Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee. He has worked with John Hartford, Johnny Cash, Vassar Clements, The Carter Family, Earl Scruggs, Nanci Griffith, and Riders In The Sky, among others.
Miles Miller - drums (2012-2021)
While still in high school, Miles was contacted by producer Dave Cobb, who was impressed by young Miller’s drum covers on YouTube. A representative of Cobb’s reached out through MySpace to set up a meeting. Three years later, Dave Cobb called Miles once again to tell him he had a potential gig for him in Nashville. It was a good time in his life for a change; he moved to Nashville and has played with Sturgill as drummer and harmony vocalist through every subsequent incarnation of his band.
Miles most recently served as drummer and a vocalist with the bluegrass inspired band Town Mountain and appears on their latest album, Lines In the Levee. His debut solo album, Solid Gold, was released July 7, 2023. It is produced by Sturgill Simpson on Easy Lovin Records and marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers. The title track was released February 24. He toured in the fall of 2023 with a full band to promote this album. He is currently working on his sophomore effort. From Versailles, Kentucky, he makes his home in Nashville.
From Berea, Kentucky, he played banjo on tour in place of Scott Vestal (2021).
Raised in Georgetown, Kentucky, he grew up in a bluegrass family and has been playing the banjo since he was 12. His dad played banjo for Ricky Skaggs' parents, Hobert & Dorothy Skaggs on an Ashland radio show. Also known as a singer/songwriter, his songs have been covered by various artists. He has backed Alison Krauss at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and played with many headliner groups such as Pine Mountain Railroad, Dale Ann Bradley, Jr. Sisk, Wyatt Rice, David Parmley, Lou Reid, and Ronnie Bowman.
Banjo Newsletter Article here
STURGILL SIMPSON (solo act 2012-2021)
2020 photos @madassistantjanice
Chuck Bartels (bass), Sturgill Simpson (vocals, guitar), Bobby Emmett (keys), Miles Miller (drums)
2016 Scott Frock (trumpet), Jon Ramm (trombone), Bobby Emmett (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar), Sturgill Simpson (vocals, guitar), Miles Miller (drums), Chuck Bartels (bass), Brad Walker (sax)
2013 Sturgill Simpson (vocals, guitar), Miles Miller (drums), Laur Joamets (guitar), Kevin Black (bass)
ASGTE TOUR (2016): The horn section
Scott Frock - trumpet (2016-2017)
With over 20 years of professional trumpet playing under his belt, Scott Frock has become a staple in the New Orleans and U.S. music scenes, specializing in all types of music from Jazz to Rock, Country, Funk, Blues, R&B, Hip Hop and more.
Brad Walker - saxophone (2016-2017)
Brad holds a Bachelor of Music degree in classical saxophone performance (2006) and Master of Music degree in jazz studies (2011), both from Louisiana State University.
Walker, a North Carolina native, has been a busy sax man based in New Orleans since 2011. Perhaps best known for his “soaring” (Rolling Stone), “energetic” (NPR), and “tasteful” (Relix) solos on Saturday Night Live, the Grammys, and the Tonight Show with Nashville mega-star Sturgill Simpson, Brad Walker is an active and compelling artist in his own right, with five full-length releases under his own name and a decade of music- making in the Crescent City under his belt. His 2014 debut, ‘Quintet’, received a 4-**** review in DownBeat magazine, and his playing has received praise in Variety, OffBeat Magazine, Gambit Weekly, Dig!, and many others. His sideman work includes the Foundation of Funk (with Porter and Modeliste), jazz vocalist Robin Barnes and funk and rhythm-and-blues singer-keyboardist John “Papa” Gros. “The Dockside Sessions,” recorded in New Orleans, was released in 2020.
Jon Ramm - trombone (2016-2017)
A graduate of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, and studied with the Alan Jones Academy of Music. He started playing the trombone when he was ten.
A professional musician for over a decade, Jon has been everywhere. From Portland, OR to New Orleans, LA, bars and clubs to SNL and The Grammys, swamps and magnolias to high desert and juniper. Though music is still his passion, he took a long, hard look at the pandemic and decided to study computer science in an effort to future-proof his life. His gaze is fixed on the intersection of art and technology, forging a path through a constantly changing world.
Chuck Bartels "Brotels" - bass (2016-2020)
From Lapeer, Michigan, Chuck has been playing bass since his teen years. He played around his hometown and in Flint before enrolling in the Jazz Studies Program at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he still makes his home. For his influences, Chuck cites John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Jaco Pastorius and James Jamerson. He’s performed for a number of years with Bettye LaVette, and has done backup work for The Contours, The Platters, and Dennis Coffey. He is frequently seen at jam sessions throughout the area and is still available for bass lessons; he has been teaching since his 20's.
BASSmint Interview Video here
Sitting in with Umphrey's McGee Video here
Laur Joamets "Little Joe" - guitar, pedal steel (2013-2017)
Around age 15, Joamets started playing in bars with his father's bands in Tartu, the second-largest city in Estonia. At the time, most of what they played was Estonian dance music. His father was part of a group that organized a small country music festival outside Tartu, but Laur's interests leaned elsewhere; he played in three or four different rock bands a week for several years. He had hoped to move to America to play the blues and when his Estonian band made connections through an American band they toured with, that chance became real. Hired by producer Dave Cobb, Laur moved to Nashville from Estonia to participate in the recording of Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, then joined Simpson's touring band to promote the record. Currently a member of the bands Drivin N Cryin and Lore; past projects with Bypolar Bear and Dramamama. Private online guitar lessons (DM for info).
Bobby Emmett, keys (2012-2013, 2015-2020)
From the Detroit area, he moved to Nashville in 2012 to play on High Top Mountain. Over the years he has been involved in quite a few other session projects, including working with Dan Auerbach, John Prine, Kurt Vile, Bombino, The Arcs, Chris Hennessy, and Cowboy Jack Clement’s final album. A composer (Medora movie soundtrack) and former member of the Detroit band The Sights, with which he played bass, he also released the Power Pop solo album Learning Love in 2009. Soon after, he was recruited by Shooter Jennings for the Black Ribbons album as keyboard player in his band Hierophant, which also played a few live shows. Bobby returned to Michigan where he has a home studio; he has served as producer for the band Welles, blues singer Robert Bradley and Bobby's wife Kimmy Drake’s band Beach Day. He is currently wrapping up two album projects of his own, one with vocals and one instrumental. The first single, See No Evil, was released August 17, 2023.
Jefferson "Jeff" Crow, keys (2014-2015)
Has a degree in commercial piano performance from Nashville's Belmont University;
he currently plays for Jamey Johnson.
Adam Davis, guitar (2011-2013)
Currently pursuing a graduate degree at Middle Tennessee State University to further his teaching career in music. Adam played a few shows with Sunday Valley in Nashville.
Brock Henderson, pedal steel (2014)
The Brockefellers Article
Brock Henderson is a stylistically diverse pedal steel/guitar player from Knoxville, Tennessee. He has performed professionally for over 25 years with such acts as Sturgill Simpson, Jim Lauderdale, J.P. Harris and the Tough Choices, Ian Thomas and the Band of Drifters, Same As It Ever Was (A Talking Heads Tribute), The Everybodyfields, Sam Quinn, The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, including tours in Europe and performing in Brazil. He has taught privately and at the college level for 17 years with a passion for educating. When not fronting his own projects, The Brockefellers or Brocka Jawaka, he is an in-demand studio musician and sideman and produces music from his home studio.
STURGILL SIMPSON & THE HIGHTOP MOUNTAIN BOYS (2012-2013)
Adam Davis (guitar), Sturgill Simpson (guitar,vocals), Miles Miller (drums), Kevin Black (bass)
Welp kids,…Lord knows it’s been a long road with a great many tears of joy and sadness and some very hard lessons learned but I know I speak for all four original members of Sunday Valley when I say we gave it everything we had and then some.
Out of respect and honor for Billy, Gerald, & Eddie and the sacrifices we all have made for this thing over the years, I could never under any circumstances feel good about continuing my musical journey under the Sunday Valley name.
“To the wind and on to heaven…”
May 31, 2013 performance at Cosmic Charlie's Video here
SUNDAY VALLEY (2003-2012)
Kevin Black (bass), Sturgill Simpson (vocals, guitar), Edgar Purdom (drums, percussion)
photo by Sam Wiseman
Kevin Black "Blackdaddy" - bass (2011 - 2016)
Kevin hails from the Pacific Northwest. He was born in Kennewick, Washington and studied at the University of Idaho. His first tour as a member of Sunday Valley brought him back to his home region for the 2011 Pickathon in Portland, Oregon.
He currently plays bass in Margo Price's band. Instagram
Sunday Valley 2003-2011 incarnation: Sturgill Simpson (vocals, Telecaster), Edgar Purdom (drums), Billy Mason (guitar), Gerald Evans (bass, backing vocals)
2007 Video here
William Hunter "Billy" Mason - guitar (2003-2010)
One of the four founding members of Sunday Valley. He most recently did volunteer work at WRFL Radio Free Lexington. Sadly he passed away in October of 2021.
Gerald Evans - bass, harmony vocals (2003-2011)
One of the founding members of Sunday Valley, his harmony vocals helped give rise to their unique sound.
Drummer for the Lexington punk rock bands the Infected and the Brassknuckle Boys before becoming a founding member of the Cowpunk band Sunday Valley.
Played drums for The Legendary Shack Shakers after Sunday Valley disbanded.
He was also a fitness trainer and once manager at Nashville's The 5 Spot.
Grant McEachern Johnson "Big Smokey" -
pedal steel, banjo (2012)
"I realized that my career as a guitar player, though very fulfilling, was not a financially sustainable career choice. I went back to the wine industry where I have several years of managerial experience. Now I am playing country lead guitar and bluegrass dobro for fun, and bills are getting paid on time."
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