By Chris Stuart
For Bluegrass Now

Picture yourself at your favorite bluegrass festival, on the prettiest day of the year, listening to group after group performing songs that keep you in a perpetual state of bliss. Suddenly you realize, one of those musicians seems to have been in three different bands and you wonder, can this be right? Well, actually, it could be, if the musician happened to be Lou Reid, who currently fronts his own band, Lou Reid and Carolina, and is also an active member of the legendary Seldom Scene and the star-studded ensemble, Longview.

Born on a tobacco farm in Moore Springs, North Carolina and reared in Danbury, NC, it should occasion little surprise that bluegrass music holds an important place in Lou's recollections of early childhood. He recalls watching Lester Flatt and fellow North Carolinian, Earl Scruggs, on their weekly TV show in the early '60s and recounts, with enthusiasm, the first time his parents took him to see Flatt and Scruggs in concert at the Sandy Ridge, NC elementary school.

Lou's parents introduced him to bluegrass and they have supported his fascination with music from the time he first started singing along with a sausage commercial on TV. His father bought him a guitar and an instructional book at an early age and showed Lou some chords to get him started on the path to stardom.

Lou started playing guitar at the age of seven and soon became equally proficient on the banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and bass. He can truly play every instrument in a bluegrass band. IIIrd Tyme Out's Russell Moore says that "In my mind, Lou Reid is a 'do it all' type of musician and singer. I've been aware of, and have been listening to, Lou since 1979 when Quicksilver released their first LP. He's got great vocal range and pitch control, can easily switch from one bluegrass instrument to another (and I think he can play them all), knows a good song when he hears it and always gives 100% when performing."

John Duffey, a founding member of both the Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene, has been quoted in the past as saying that "Lou is the master of whatever you need done. There's just no instrument he can't play."

Lou, one of the most talented and humble performers in the industry, places the highest of value on people and friendships. "A career in bluegrass is like working with a family. You know almost everyone from the promoters, to musicians and fans. You see them year after year and through it all, you keep on smiling. It's a blessing to make a living at what I love to do most, play and sing bluegrass music," says Lou.

When asked about influences on his career, Lou cites a bevy of entertainers. The Osborne Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe (with whom he shares a birthday), Jimmy Martin, J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys, The Country Gentlemen and the Original Seldom Scene have all influenced him. Lou adds, "Watching and listening to John Duffey sing and entertain an audience was just great. He was such a natural at it. Listening to Mike Auldridge back up your vocal on Dobro was a neat experience. It has been an inspiration to work and play with Ben Eldridge, the guy I used to steal licks from on the banjo. Bobby Hicks really inspired me. He's such a great musician and teacher. Ricky Skaggs, although we're the same age, had a big influence on me."

Actually, when listening to Lou sing you get the distinct impression that he isn't exaggerating regarding the diverse number of musical influences on his career as at times his phrasing, and other vocal qualities, seem to be a cross between The Beatles, Ralph Stanley and Bob Seger.

In the early '70s Lou fronted his own band, The Bluegrass Buddies, before joining the Atlanta-based group, Southbound, in 1973. After a six-year stint with Southbound, in 1979 Doyle Lawson invited Lou to become a founding member of his band, Foxfire, which was soon renamed Quicksilver. Doyle says, "Lou fit what I was looking for in the beginning with good vocals. He knew harmony and sang straight from the heart. Also, in addition to his bass playing, he could play banjo and fiddle. Terry Baucom and I both were multi-instrumentalists and that gave us a lot of variety for just a four-piece band."


Lou left Doyle in 1982 to join the Ricky Skaggs Band, just as Skaggs' star was ascending and after four years Lou decided that traveling more than 275 days a year with Ricky was more than he wanted to be away from home. He loved performing with the band, but his wife was expecting their first son, Sean, and Lou decided he needed to be home more often. Although Lou had numerous offers from top country bands, he opted to return to his bluegrass roots and looked for a professional band that would allow him to play great venues, but also enable him to hang his hat at the house most nights.

Evidence of the high esteem in which Lou Reid is held by the bluegrass community came in 1986 when he was invited to join Ben Eldridge, Dudley Connell, Fred Travers and Ronnie Simpkins, as a member of the internationally acclaimed band, The Seldom Scene. Band mate, Dudley Connell, who was also a founding member of The Johnson Mountain Boys, commented that "Lou is a great musician to sing and work with because his ideas regarding harmony singing are just limitless. His voice is strong and expressive. You never know what's coming next from Lou and that is always exciting. It's a great push and I love the push. Lou is a piece of work and I mean that with affection and respect. He is a very nice person without a malicious bone in his body."

During his initial tenure with The Seldom Scene, Lou released the solo album, When It Rains, on Sugar Hill Records (1991) that had three tracks chart on the National Bluegrass Survey.

Lou left the "Scene" in 1992, only to return in 1997, but his hiatus proved to be a very busy and rewarding period for him. Within this five-year period, Lou worked with IIIrd Tyme Out, Vince Gill and laid the foundation for his own band, Lou Reid and Carolina.

After a brief tenure with IIIrd Tyme Out, which resulted in a reunion with his Quicksilver cohort, Terry Baucom, the duo decided in 1992 to form their own band, Lou Reid, Terry Baucom and Carolina. The initial success of this combination is evidenced in their being chosen, by their peers, to receive the first "Emerging Artist Award" at IBMA in Owensboro, KY on September 22, 1994. Lou formed his current primary group, Lou Reid and Carolina, in 1998 based on his 1992 version of Lou Reid, Terry Baucom and Carolina.

Prior to founding Lou Reid & Carolina in 1998, he returned to the Seldom Scene the previous year (where he remains a member today) and he had also become the guitar player for the super group, Longview (named for the Long View Recording Studio in North Brookfield, Massachusetts where they recorded their first album). Lou plays in Longview alongside such personalities as J.D. Crowe, James King, Don Rigsby, Ron Stewart and Marshall Wilborn.

When asked about his tripartite band commitment, Lou says "It gets complicated shuffling three groups at one time. The Seldom Scene schedule takes precedence over Lou Reid and Carolina and Longview's itineraries, but there are times when we all get booked at the same venue."

Lou's song writing ability merits greater credit than it has received. "One of the best songs I've had a part in writing would be a gospel tune, 'Lord Have Mercy On My Soul.' I recorded it with the Seldom Scene with instruments, but later recorded it with Lou Reid, Terry Baucom and Carolina as an a capella number, which is my preference." The reason that song is among my favorites is because the lyrics and melody work so well together making it a more effective and meaningful song.

Although he has seen quite a bit of success, Lou remains humble saying, "Hopefully I have left something behind for future musicians and singers to listen to." Tim Stafford of Blue Highway remarks, "I remember Lou Reid belting out the tenor and lead in the first version of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, thinking, 'Man, this guy may have the best vocal tone I've ever heard.' And I still think so. Since then, I've gotten to know Lou and he's always been so nice to me. He remains a great musician, wonderful guy and one of the best singers ever in this kind of music. I'm convinced when historians look back on bluegrass in the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st there will be a prominent place for Lou Reid."

Singer/songwriter par excellence, Carl Jackson adds, "Lou is one of the finest singers in bluegrass music. He has recorded several of my songs over the years and I'm always thrilled when he does, because I know I can count on an outstanding performance."

In addition to Lou, the current lineup of Lou Reid and Carolina also includes Lou's wife, Christy Reid, on bass, Shannon Slaughter on guitar and Trevor Watson on the banjo. Lou has no shortage of talent in this group and can offer strong vocals to back up the strong picking that this ensemble produces.

Lou is ecstatic to be working on the road with his wife, Christy, and elaborates, "Christy and I met when she auditioned for the band in 2002. I think we function well together because we share a common interest in music. She is energetic about the music, is a "fan" of my music and she enjoys a wide spectrum of music. It keeps me in touch with new music, new bands and new sounds. She is also very adept at meeting our fans and keeping up with everyone. She has a fantastic memory and way of talking with people. She's one of those people who's never met a stranger, and she always says whatever she is thinking . . . which can be fun!"

Christy came to audition for the group in 2002 after learning about the opening from her fellow, Southern Drive band member, Kevin Richardson. She gushes, "I wouldn't have known about the band auditions if Kevin Richardson hadn't called and said that Lou was thinking about putting Carolina back on the map. Kevin had told him about me, and Lou wanted to hear what it would sound like with me in the band. I was so nervous, I couldn't find my butt with both hands."

Music completely surrounded Christy in Union Grove, North Carolina, where she grew up and first learned to play guitar, while in high school, with a Happy Traum, Homespun tape. Christy's grandfather, Dewey F. Dowell, Sr., was the National Fiddle Champion at the first Union Grove Fiddler's Convention. Her cousin, Kent Dowell, performed with the Country Gentlemen and her family frequently traveled to see them. Christy first saw Lou perform in 1981 with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver at a show with the Country Gentlemen in Statesville, North Carolina.

She sang with her family's bluegrass, gospel group at the local Baptist church and she soon decided she wanted to play an instrument. She carried her guitar off to college (where she earned a BA in Psychology) and sought out people who liked to pick. On weekends, she returned home to perform with the family band. Music became a real confidence builder for her as she looked forward to picking with new folks and finding new jam sessions and bluegrass events of which she could be a part.

Christy's first band, the Grass Vibrations, consisted of her, her aunt Lois and uncle Frank, along with four cousins. The group performed locally, recorded several projects and became a local hit. Christy later moved onto 220 Connection, which soon morphed into Southern Drive. Southern Drive won First Place in the 2000 International Pizza Hut Showdown in Louisville, Kentucky.

Lou and Christy have a special connection both on and offstage. Christy remarks that, on stage, Lou is quite predictable. "He gets too much into the old style of intro song, play song, intro song, play song, and with me, I am kind of spontaneous so he never knows what I am going to say. I catch him off guard a lot. I think I entertain him as much as the crowd, but shows should be fun for everybody. It makes the music more special. Offstage we laugh a lot. We have a hectic lifestyle so it's nice that we can share an ongoing joke and get silly anywhere, anytime!"

Life on the road is exciting for Christy and comes with its fair share of interesting stories. Christy loves to tell about a show they played in Conway, South Carolina. "I give Lou a hard time about how fast he drives as I'm sure he scares the guys in the band. Well, we had played our show and he drove us to the restaurant near the hotel to eat. He was cutting in and out of traffic, and in a high-top conversion van, that feels very dangerous.

After eating, I grabbed the keys and was determined that I was driving back to the hotel. That made Lou angry because he is old-fashioned and thinks the man should always drive. It wasn't late, but it was getting dark. I was driving in the middle lane when the left lane became a turning lane, I could see the hotel coming up on the left so I got in the lane going about 40 mph. It just so happened that what I thought was a turn lane ended, becoming a median in the road and I bounced the van over the median with all the guys and instruments inside. Trevor said it felt like the Dukes of Hazzard. Anyway, Lou was mad at me so I shut up (for a while) about his driving."

Christy strives to be the best bluegrass performer that she can be and notes, "I am driven in lots of areas of my life. I find it easy to get into something if you love it. I love Lou's music, and I love to hear him sing. If work or the children made it to where I couldn't travel and play anymore, no one would care. However, if Lou stopped performing, it would be a travesty! Some people are put on this earth to play and sing, and he is one of them! I want him to get all the recognition he deserves. When he sings 'Wait a Minute' or 'Time' . . . man, you just can't beat it.

Trevor Watson plays banjo and sings harmony in the group. He lives in Austinville, Virginia with his wife and two kids. He started playing banjo at the age of eight and played with local bands throughout high school and college. Trevor won First Place in banjo in the bluegrass division at the Galax Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddler's Convention in 2003 and became a member of Lou Reid and Carolina the following year. Trevor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Wood Science and Technology from Virginia Tech in 1993 and he performed at the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach for about six months. 

Playing with Lou is special for Trevor and he notes that, "I grew up on Lou's music starting with Southbound (when he played banjo), Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and The Seldom Scene. It's amazing to pick and sing with someone as energetic, talented and knowledgeable as Lou. He pushes all of us to the limit and makes you rise to a higher level. The current group has a unique chemistry as we always seem to know exactly what each person will do next. I've learned a lot about dynamics, both vocally and instrumentally. I have also learned a lot about vocal harmonies and blending since joining the group."

The newest member of Carolina came this past year, when Kevin decided to go full time with his music.  He regrettably took a full time job with another group, welcoming  Trevor's long-time friend and collegue Shannon Slaughter into the band.  Shannon came from The Lonesome River Band, and is thrilled with his new position.  Shannon also has an important day job as high school teacher and football coach for St. Stephen's High School in Hickory, NC.  Shannon has long been a fan of Lou's and says,"Lou Reid is on a very short list of my all time favorite singers. Period."

When asked about the status of bluegrass today Lou responded, "I think bluegrass is always going to stretch out and try to change a little from its traditional bluegrass roots. I see myself performing songs that aren't "Little Cabin on the Hill" songs, but with the same traditional foundation. I love all parts of the music, the traditional, the gospel and the contemporary. Carolina includes all these elements in our live shows. I know I have been around for a while, but I still feel that I am putting out great records and entertaining live audiences. I can blast out a rowdy tune and then sing a love song and really feel them both, not just mechanically going through the motions."

Lou and Christy have three children. Daughters Regan and Mackenzie are nine and seven, respectively. They love singing along with mommy and all of the different CDs. They like Carolina and The Scene the best. Mackie is a big Dudley Connell fan and Regan loves Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and, believe it or not, Johnny Cash. They have fiddles and little guitars and even break out Lou's Gibson mandolin every now and then to play. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is the song they are on now. They go to a lot of the shows.

Sean Reid Pyrtle lives in Colorado Springs, CO. Sean is 22- years-old and plays electric and acoustic bass and guitar. He plays in a Rock n' Roll Band. He likes bluegrass music, but hasn't pursued a band position yet.  Two years ago Sean made Lou "Grandpa" with the birth of daughter Jaime Lynn.  Traveling out west takes on a whole new meaning for Lou now that he has someone so special to visit. 

Lou and his wife also own and operte a childcare center in their hometown. You can find Lou there daily when not on the road. On the right day, he may even be making homemade beanie weenies.  The children in the center all affectionately refer to him as "Poppy Lou". You tell some of Lou's old friends in music this, and they cannot believe it. Yet this is where his life is, a much quieter pace than you would have expected if you knew Lou 20 years ago.

Life for Lou Reid is busy, sure, but so full of happiness and spirit.  "I look back on what my life was like 20 years ago, and looking at it now, and I can't believe it.  I have done alot, and seen alot, but only now can I appreciate it.  I like where I am today, the music I love is still flowing, playing with the Scene gets sweeter as I get older, my band is full of my native sound, and then to play a little now and then with Longview really takes me back to the tradional roots.  I wish I had this life 20 years ago...it suits me much better."