Sam Bush at The Princess Theatre

Sam Bush Comes to the Princess Theatre on October 9

DECATUR, AL — The Princess Theatre is pleased to welcome legendary musician Sam Bush to the stage on Thursday, October 9.

Known as one of the defining figures of progressive bluegrass and newgrass, Bush has spent more than 50 years reshaping the sound of acoustic music. A mandolinist, fiddler, vocalist, bandleader, and musical innovator, Bush has built a career at the crossroads of tradition and experimentation, drawing from bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz improvisation, reggae rhythms, and long-form jamming.

Raised on a cattle farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Bush grew up surrounded by music. His father, Charlie, was a fiddler who organized local jams and encouraged his son’s early love of music. As a teenager, Bush was already gaining attention as a remarkable musician. He became a three-time national champion in the junior division of the National Oldtime Fiddler’s Contest and recorded an instrumental album, Poor Richard’s Almanac, while still in high school. He admired the greats of traditional bluegrass, including Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, but he was drawn to a more electrified and expansive sound.

That search led Bush to the Bluegrass Alliance and, soon after, to the formation of New Grass Revival with Ebo Walker, Courtney Johnson, and Curtis Burch. The band became a torchbearer of the newgrass movement, bringing together bluegrass instrumentation with rock-and-roll songs, long jams, and a spirit of musical freedom. While some traditionalists resisted the sound, New Grass Revival found devoted audiences at festivals and among rock fans, eventually touring with Leon Russell and helping redefine what bluegrass could become.

After 18 years with New Grass Revival, Bush continued his wide-ranging career with Emmylou Harris’ Nash Ramblers, Lyle Lovett, and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Over the past two decades, he has released seven albums and a live DVD, earning recognition as one of acoustic music’s most joyful and influential performers. His annual appearances at Telluride’s famed bluegrass festival have earned him the title “King of Telluride.”

Bush’s influence can be heard in generations of musicians who followed, from Punch Brothers and Steep Canyon Rangers to Greensky Bluegrass and countless others inspired by his fearless approach to tradition.

Presale to The Princess Theatre members will begin June 17. Public tickets will go on sale June 19. Day of show, doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with performance beginning at 7:00 p.m.

More information and tickets can be found at www.princesstheatre.org.