John Hardy

Shadowgrass began in 2014, when Clay Russell on banjo, Luke Morris on mandolin and Kyser George on guitar, then aged 13, 14 and 9, were jamming at the Grayson County Fiddlers’ Convention in Elk Creek, Virginia. Fiddler Madison Morris and bassist Evan Campfield joined later, and Madison and Luke share the lead vocals. The band’s singles have been digital releases, most of them issued ahead of an album.

“John Hardy,” released on 15 October 2021, is the exception: it did not go on either album. The song is an anonymous murder ballad from McDowell County, West Virginia. John Hardy, a Black railroad worker, killed a man over money in a gambling dispute at the Shawnee coal camp near Keystone, and was hanged at Welch on 19 January 1894. Pete Seeger, the Carter Family, Earl Scruggs, Lead Belly and the Kingston Trio all recorded it.

In April 2022 “Rich Girl” (1 April) and “Mr. Charlie,” featuring Josh Shilling (15 April), led up to the self-titled debut album on 29 April. The album’s eight tracks also include “Brushy Mountain Pen” and “Creatures of Havoc.” The second album, All That Will, came out on 4 October 2024 after three advance releases: “Pleasantly Aimless” in July, “Uncertain Times” in August and “Walls” in September, each new release carrying the earlier songs with it. Shilling returned on “Nothing Matters.” The band has said the album deals with anxiety, uncertainty and the question of who they want to become. In 2025 Kyser George shared the IBMA Momentum Award for instrumentalist with Rainy Miatke.

Session details drawn in part from the Bluegrass Discography.