2024 began as a new chapter for Wilson Banjo Co. as Pinecastle Music continued rolling out the hit singles for South Carolina’s Wilson Banjo Co. The full album, MEMORY LANE launched in March and has been on fire with radio and the charts.
Wilson is clear about the vision for the band in that he says “There’s never been a specific theme or sound bucket in mind for the band or our projects, I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole our creativity in that way. We are really all about the song. When we hear something that we like and we think we would be good at making it special, we just go for it, and then hope others will like it too!”
This new album provides insight into the seemingly endless creative skill and talent at work with Wilson Banjo Co. It’s definitely something new and fresh from the band and features Steve Wilson (banjo, harmony vocals), Sarah Logan (lead vocals, fiddle), Glen Crain (resophonic guitar), Jaime Carter (bass), Adam Plott (percussion), Clay Hess (acoustic guitar), Tony Wray (acoustic guitar, bass), Deanie Richardson (fiddle), Jason Fraley (mandolin), Heather Berry Mabe (guitar), Melanie Wilson (harmony vocals) and more. Singles “The Gavel,” and “Coalmine”, can be heard frequenting the SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction airwaves.
The “Company,” was spearheaded by Steve Wilson to promote his custom banjos. With numerous musician staff dedicated to the unique bluegrass and Americana music created by Wilson Banjo Co., the band continue to push the boundaries of tradition, redefining the sounds and structure to create their internationally recognized brand.
The outstanding success of their “Six Degrees of Separation” album featured 30 top-notch musicians and singers from around the bluegrass industry. All were people that Steve had worked with at some point in his career, whether in the studio, on the stage, or in the shop, building them a banjo. Listeners enjoyed the likes of Richard Bennett, Michael Cleveland, Dale Ann Bradley, Shawn Lane, Deanie Richardson, Clay Hess, and so many more, woven throughout an impressive collection of music.
“Six Degrees…” remained in the Top 15 on the Roots Music Contemporary Album chart for almost two years, and continued to debut new songs in the Top 10 throughout, where their standout hits “Issaqueena,” penned by Steve Wilson and Glen Crain, and “When The Crow Comes Down,” co-written by Nashville’s Jordan Rainer of newfound ‘The Voice’ fame, continued to make their appearance into 2024. “Issaqueena” was a mainstay at #1 for many consecutive months on the Roots Music Chart. Wilson Banjo Co. received five nominations from the UMA (Upstate Music Awards), including Best Album, Song, and Video. “Six Degrees…” also earned its way onto an incredible 14 Top album and song lists of 2021, typically released by music publications, critics and radio stations. They also recently made it onto three 2nd ballot categories for the IBMA Award nominations for 2022. A new honor for them that they felt so blessed by. Those categories were Album of the Year for “Six Degrees Of Separation”, Instrumental of the Year and Collaborative Event of the Year, each for the original “Issaqueena.”
The latest album on Pinecastle Records, MEMORY LANE, has recently spent five weeks in the number one spot on the Roots Music Report Bluegrass Album and Contemporary Album Chart, and holding down multiple singles in the Top 10. MEMORY LANE proved to be their biggest hit yet with radio. Bonfire Recording Studio released three new videos for three of the singles, “Holler,” “The Gavel,” and “Memphis Anymore,” again supporting local venues in their home region of Upstate South Carolina.
Following chart-topping success with the albums SPIRITS IN THE HILLS, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION and the critically acclaimed number one hit album MEMORY LANE (2024), WBC has introduced some exciting new members to the band to further enhance their wildly popular brand of bluegrass and Americana. With their newest singles, “Black Wedding Dress” and “If You Don’t Climb The Mountain” already going strong on SiriusXM, terrestrial and streaming radio, we are all excited to see what WBC does next! Currently booking shows for 2025-2026 on their 10th Anniversary Tour! Representing the company on tour and in the studio for the next album, along with bandleader Steve Wilson on banjo are Andrew Crawford on lead vocals and lead guitar, Brandi Colt on lead vocals, Jaime Carter on bass, and Adam Bachman on Resophonic Guitar. The band is aggressively booking through 2026 and has already released their newest album, titled “Lonely As It Gets”
Photos courtesy of Laci Mack
