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Balsam Range

Bluegrass band Haywood County, NC

Buddy Melton (fiddle, lead and tenor vocals), Marc Pruett (banjo), Tim Surrett (bass, dobro, baritone and lead vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, lead & baritone vocals), and Alan Bibey ( mandolin, vocals) make up Balsam Range. They thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains that surround part of the home of 4 of the founding members in Haywood County, NC. The Great Balsam Range is where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Blue Ridge Mountains. Balsam Range is remarkable in that among its many musical assets it has a full house of top-notch bluegrass singers. The band’s members take turns singing lead, and together sing harmonies that are full of interesting surprises while fully rooted in classic bluegrass tradition. It is a special occasion when a band of this caliber comes into being.

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 11 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 Mountain Overture which 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 most 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 (#11 for the band,) 2021’s Moxie and Mettle.

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.

Availability

Balsam Range plays for concerts, festivals, church events, benefits, and other occasions.

 

Available Services