Imperial Theatre

Southern Soul and Song

Blue Highway
with special guests
The Kenny & Amanda
Smith Band

Friday, January 22, 2009
7:30 p.m. at the Imperial Theatre

At the 15-year mark, Blue Highway is indisputably one of the most esteemed and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass. The band's eight exceptional albums and compelling live performances give proof to the stellar reviews, Grammy nominations, and numerous awards earned by the band since it first took the stage on December 31, 1994. With a deep bench of virtuosic songwriters, vocalists and instrumentalists, Blue Highway's hallmark is an unwavering commitment to the ensemble, the “democracy of the band” that makes Blue Highway a powerhouse.

Blue Highway's website.

Winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s prestigious Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2003, the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band combines gutsy, heartfelt vocals, brilliant instrumental talents and a powerful, contemporary sense of song choice and arrangement into one of the most compelling new sounds in bluegrass today. Born of the intensely personal musical and romantic connection between Kenny and Amanda Smith, the band shares an all-too rare sense of intimacy and cohesion where each musician feels an almost telepathic connection. Musicians call it being in the groove, where the group collectively accents each beat in precisely the same way. Whatever it’s called, this band has it in spades.

Kenny and Amanda Smith Band's website.