Junior Sisk Explained

Junior Sisk
Birth Name:Harry Carpenter Sisk, Jr.
Birth Date:6 November 1964
Birth Place:Arlington, Virginia, United States
Genre:Bluegrass music
Occupation:Musician
Instruments:Guitar, bass, 1975 Martin D-35 (named "Sally")[1]
Years Active:1995–present
Label:Rebel Records, Mountain Fever Records
Associated Acts:Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice, Baucom, Bibey and BlueRidge

Harry Carpenter "Junior" Sisk, Jr.[2] is an American guitarist and vocalist in the bluegrass tradition, best known for his work with his band Rambler's Choice. He cites the hard-driving bluegrass of the Stanley Brothers as a major influence on his approach to bluegrass music.[3]

Biography

Early years

Sisk was born in Arlington but was raised in Ferrum, Virginia. His early interest in music was sparked by his father Harry Sisk Sr., who wrote songs and played guitar,[4] and his mother who sang. When Sisk was 14, his parents gifted him with an upright bass.[5] Sisk began performing in local bands at age 16, first playing bass but eventually switching to guitar. He also played in his family's band Dreamin' Creek with his father and cousins.

Music career

In the early 1990s, Sisk wrote songs made popular by the Lonesome River Band, such as "A Game (I Can't Win)," "My Heart Belongs to You," and "Tears Are Blinding Me." Playing bluegrass every Saturday at Partners II bar in Centreville, Virginia, he met many other bluegrass musicians, such as Del McCoury, the Johnson Mountain Boys, and the Bluegrass Cardinals.[6]

In 1995, Sisk and his cousin songwriter Tim Massey began playing with Wyatt Rice and Santa Cruz, which also includedElmer Burchett (banjo) and Ricky Riddle (mandolin). They released the album Picture in a Tear in 1996.[7]

Sisk formed Rambler's Choice in 1998. Besides Sisk, the band included Massey, Elmer Burchett, Jimmy VanCleve, and Allan Perdue. Rambler's Choice released the album Sounds of the Mountains on Rounder Records, but dissolved in 2001.[8]

In 2001, Sisk worked with the band Lost and Found, then in 2002, he joined Baucom, Bibey and BlueRidge.[9] BlueRidge toured extensively and recorded three albums, and disbanded in 2006 because Bibey wanted to join Grasstowne.[10]

In 2007, Sisk re-formed Rambler's Choice with Massey, Darrell Wilkerson (banjo), Chris Harris (mandolin), and Billy Hawks (fiddle) and in 2008, they released the album Blue Side of the Blue Ridge on Rebel Records. The album contained original and traditional songs, and was produced by Ronnie Bowman.[11]

Sisk and Ramblers Choice released Heartaches and Dreams in 2010, then in 2011 released The Heart of a Song which contained the popular song "A Far Cry From Lester and Earl" and climbed the bluegrass charts.[12]

In 2013, Sisk released the album The Story of the Day That I Died with Ramblers Choice, and also in 2013, released Hall of Fame Bluegrass, an album of duets with banjoist Joe Mullins. They selected songs from first and second-generation bluegrass artists that have rarely been covered or heard.[13]

In 2017, Sisk released the album The Mountains Are Calling Me Home on the Mountain Fever label. The current lineup of Ramblers Choice includes Sisk, Jason Davis (banjo), Johnathan Dillon (mandolin), Jamie Harper (fiddle), and Kameron Keller (bass).[14]

Sisk has also worked with Ralph Stanley, Dave Evans, and Del McCoury.

Awards

In 2012, Sisk won the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Song of the Year for "A Far Cry from Lester and Earl," and he also won Album of the Year for The Heart of a Song. In 2013, he won the IBMA award for Male Vocalist of the Year, and in 2016, he won the award for Recorded Event of the Year for The song "Longneck Blues" (with Ronnie Bowman).[15]

In 2013, Ramblers Choice won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Bluegrass Band of the Year award.[16]

Discography

Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice

Wyatt Rice and Santa Cruz

Lost and Found

BlueRidge

Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins

Junior Sisk

Also appears on

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice. Music City Roots. September 13, 2017.
  2. Web site: TROUBLE FOLLOWS ME . ASCAP . American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers . April 26, 2023.
  3. Web site: Junior Sisk Makes a Choice to Play Hardcore Bluegrass. CMT Edge. September 14, 2017. Jewly Hight. March 21, 2013.
  4. Web site: The Crooked Road: Virginia's Musical Highway. No Depression. September 14, 2017. Ted Lehmann. February 14, 2017.
  5. Web site: A Rambler's Choice: Junior Sisk finds his own road to success. Martinsville Bulletin. September 13, 2017. Holly Kozelsky. July 14, 2017.
  6. Web site: Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice. The Missoulian. September 14, 2017. Mark Vosburgh. May 1, 2014.
  7. Web site: Picture in a Tear: Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz. Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange. September 15, 2017. Jim Zimmerschied.
  8. Web site: Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice set to perform at Old Rock School. News Herald. September 13, 2017. Justin Epley. January 19, 2017.
  9. Web site: Junior Sisk: Tossing Another Log On The Fire, Keeping The Traditional Bluegrass Flames Burning. Bluegrass Unlimited. September 15, 2017. Derek Halsey. June 1, 2017.
  10. Web site: Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice coming to 'Years of Farming Bluegrass Show'. Marysville Ledger-Independent. September 14, 2017. Marla Toncray. March 26, 2014.
  11. Web site: Junior Sisk: Blue Side of the Blue Ridge. Bluegrass Today. September 15, 2017. Brance. June 4, 2008.
  12. Web site: Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice Offer a Helping Hand. Cybergrass. September 15, 2017. October 28, 2011.
  13. Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins Team Up for 'Hall of Fame Bluegrass'. Billboard. September 13, 2017. Chuck Dauphin. November 15, 2013.
  14. Web site: The Mountains Are Calling Me Home. Bluegrass Unlimited. September 13, 2017. July 1, 2017.
  15. Web site: Recipient History. IBMA. September 13, 2017. January 3, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011642/https://ibma.org/awards/recipient-history. dead.
  16. Web site: Dailey & Vincent, Junior Sisk, Rhonda Vincent Are Top Winners at Bluegrass Awards. https://web.archive.org/web/20170831175651/http://www.cmt.com/news/1701339/dailey-vincent-junior-sisk-rhonda-vincent-are-top-winners-at-bluegrass-awards/. dead. August 31, 2017. CMT. September 13, 2017. Edward Morris. February 4, 2013.
  17. Web site: Junior Sisk – Blue Side of the Blueridge. Vintage Guitar. September 15, 2017. Steven Stone. October 1, 2008.
  18. Web site: Junior Sisk: A bluegrass ramble. No Depression. September 14, 2017. Grant Alden. August 5, 2010.
  19. Web site: Junior Sisk & Rambler's Choice, The Heart of a Song. Bluegrass Notes. September 1, 2017. Keith Lawrence. October 3, 2011.
  20. Web site: Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice - The Story of the Day That I Died. Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms. September 13, 2017. Ted Lehmann. February 11, 2013.
  21. Web site: Review: Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice- Trouble Follows Me. Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association. September 15, 2017. David Gandin. October 21, 2014.
  22. Web site: Junior Sisk's new CD, 'Poor Boy's Pleasure' debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard bluegrass chart. Roanoke Times. September 13, 2017. Tad Dickens. June 9, 2016.
  23. Web site: Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice Drop New Album. Mountain Fever. September 13, 2017. March 24, 2017.
  24. Web site: Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz: Picture in a Tear. Country Standard Time. September 15, 2017. George Hauenstein.
  25. Web site: NEW MUSIC FROM JUNIOR SISK! – Mountain Fever Records – Red Hot Bluegrass Music Label. mountainfever.com. 27 March 2018 . en-US. 2018-06-16.
  26. Web site: Junior Sisk - Load The Wagon. mountainfever.com. en-US. 2021-03-22.
  27. Web site: Various Artists, Born into Bluegrass: The Songs of Cullen Galyean. Rambles. September 15, 2017. Jerome Clark . February 13, 2010.

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