Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin
Old-Time (Traditional)
Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin are one of the preeminent old-time country duet acts of the modern era — a husband-and-wife pairing whose recordings occupy the narrow and beautiful ground where old-time music becomes bluegrass. Their bare-arranged vocals, old-style instrumental work (guitar, mandolin, clawhammer banjo, fiddle), and deep repertoire of Carter Family, Monroe Brothers, Blue Sky Boys, and newly-composed material in that idiom have earned them two Grammy nominations for Best Traditional Folk Album.
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- Met at the 1974 folklife exhibition at Spokane's Expo '74 World's Fair; began performing together locally in the early 1980s after Brislin's work with Any Old Time String Band and the Blue Flame Stringband. Married July 29, 1987.
- Debut Rounder album A Song That Will Linger (1989) established their vocal-and-instrumental signature; Jody captured the aesthetic in the liner note: “Our favorite music is from the time when old-time music was becoming bluegrass.”
- Our Town (Rounder, 1992) — named for the Iris DeMent title track — was nominated for the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album.
- Songs of the Carter Family (Rounder, 1993) chose lesser-known material (“Dark and Stormy Weather,” “Away Out on the Old Saint Sabbath”) over the obvious hits, earning wide critical acclaim.
- Stay Awhile (Rounder, 1995) and Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips (Red House, 1997) continued the Rounder run; Heart Songs received their second Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album.
- Showcased at the 1989 IBMA World of Bluegrass with an acoustic duet setup that was unusual against the four- and five-piece bands — Brislin later noted how surprised she was by the warm bluegrass-audience reception.
- Both have extensive careers outside the duo: Stecher's solo albums on Bay, Acoustic Disc, and other labels; session work for Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Seldom Scene, Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, and Hot Rize. Stecher produced the The Real Bahamas field recordings.
- Stecher was Jerry Garcia's guitar teacher when the two were teenagers in the early Bay Area folk scene.
- Retired from touring as a duo but continue to record. Stecher's recent Wonders & Signs (2016) and Dreams from the Overlook (2022) and Instant Lonesome and The Twinkle Brigade (2024, with Mile Twelve) continue to feature Brislin on vocals and harmonies.
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Songs of the Carter Family2000 · Appleseed 1043
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Heart songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips1997 · Rounder 11661 0424 2
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Stay Awhile1995 · Rounder CD 0334
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Our Town1993 · Rounder C 0304
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Blue Lightning1991 · Rounder CD 0284
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A Song That Will Linger1989 · Rounder 0274
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Jody StecherPlayed on recordings with Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin
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Kate BrislinPlayed on recordings with Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin
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Laurie LewisPlayed on recordings with Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin
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Pete WernickPlayed on recordings with Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin