Dailey & Vincent make their GMU Center for the Arts debut on Friday, fair warning for fans eager to hear the nation’s most celebrated bluegrass musicians. After separate successful careers during which they each picked up awards aplenty, they became a duo in 2007 and began amassing International Bluegrass Music Awards each consecutive year.
When » 8 p.m. FridayWhere » George Mason University Center for the ArtsInfo » Tickets: $20 to $48 at 888-945-2468 or cfa.gmu.edu. Youth through grade 12 are half-price with adult. A second Dailey & Vincent show is scheduled at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. Details at hyltoncenter.com
Now they have topped 2010 by winning three more awards: IMBA Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year, “Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers.” Like their two previous albums, the first self-titled, the second “Brothers From Different Mothers,” it zoomed to the top of Billboard Bluegrass Chart.
Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent grew up playing bluegrass with their families. Dailey cut his teeth on the electric bass, then scooped up the guitar, the banjo and the upright bass. After joining Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver in 1998, he moved easily between his instruments and singing both baritone and tenor as needed to help the band earn 13 IBMA awards and four Grammy and five Dove award nominations. His many recording colleagues include Dolly Parton, Rhonda Vincent and Ricky Skaggs.
“While working with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, I learned to be disciplined in business and onstage and to play in unison,” Dailey said. “I also learned to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.”
Vincent shares the same discipline he learned playing with his family and as a member of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for the past 10 years. Like Dailey, he has performed and recorded on Grammy-winning albums with such artists as Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Vince Gill and Keith Urban. In addition to performing, he is a successful producer and received three Grammy nominations co-producing two albums for his sister Rhonda Vincent.
“Like Jamie, I trace my bluegrass DNA back to my ancestors,” Vincent said. “My daddy’s whole line going back three or four generations has a history of playing. From the time I was 3, I was onstage with my family. Musical families are like circus families. We enjoyed playing together so much, we’d switch instruments depending on whoever could play the best or sing the best. Jamie and I both learned that during our growing up years, and that’s how we run the show. It’s cool to see how surprised folks are when they’re not expecting you to play other instruments.”
Dailey and Vincent met at an IBMA show in 2001 and were immediately struck by their similarities from vocal blend to their personal attitudes toward music, business and faith. But they never contemplated a partnership until their duet of “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” on a Christmas bluegrass album caught the attention of radio stations and quickly rose to No. 1. Even though they were excited about the reception, they discussed and prayed over the consequences of leaving longtime colleagues and striking out together for several years before taking the plunge. Three successful albums and multiple awards later, the happy results speak for themselves. Next on the schedule is a fourth album with new songs by favorite writers and some of the gospel songs they love.
“It’s a huge honor to be invited to stretch out and visit art centers where they haven’t seen bluegrass performed,” Vincent said. “We want the George Mason University audience to discover the fun of bluegrass, country and gospel in duets and quartets and hope that our appearance brings new fans to bluegrass music. Our purpose is to bring joy and peace to everyone present.”
