The Cat Came Back

The Cat Came Back is an album by Bill Harrell and the Virginians featuring Harrell on banjo and vocals, Mitch Harrell, Herschel Sizemore on mandolin, Bobby Lundy on bass, Carl Nelson, and Mike O'Ferrall. Bill Harrell — a Virginia-born banjoist who worked with Don Ruffin and built a strong regional following in the Washington, D.C.–area bluegrass scene — assembled the Virginians into a dependable, tradition-minded ensemble that recorded several albums in the 1970s and 1980s. Sizemore's mandolin work brings a refined, melodically thoughtful quality to the ensemble's sound. The album represents the continuing vitality of the mid-Atlantic bluegrass scene — rooted in Appalachian tradition, shaped by the region's musical sophistication, and committed to the hard-driving acoustic format regardless of commercial trends.