“Hold to a Dream” is a song written by Tim O’Brien, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and recorded by New Grass Revival as the title track of their 1987 album for Capitol Records.
New Grass Revival — by this point the lineup of Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Pat Flynn, and John Cowan — was the leading progressive bluegrass band of its era, stretching the music toward rock and pop while keeping its acoustic instrumentation. “Hold to a Dream” fits that approach: a melodic, uplifting song whose message of perseverance is carried by John Cowan’s soaring lead vocal and the band’s polished arrangement.
The song became one of the better-known numbers from the band’s later years, when New Grass Revival was reaching its widest audience. Its accessible melody and hopeful theme have kept it in circulation, and writer Tim O’Brien has continued to perform it in his own shows.
