Byron House

Any discussion of area musicians who have distinguished themselves has to include Byron House, a bassist whose quality of work could be known by the musical company he keeps. House has been associated with notable music and musicians both in this area and beyond (and sometimes simultaneously) for the better part of two decades, from Duckbutter and the Ken Smith Band to Clay Walker and Emmylou Harris, from the original Picasso’s to the Today show and back to Bowling Green.

House has remained in demand both in Nashville and in his native Bowling Green for various projects, session work, and concert tours. He has worn several hats in addition to that of a player, including studio engineer and road manager. Now living in White House, Tennessee between Nashville and Bowling Green, House has been involved with the dawning of notable groups and artists in both scenes.

Recently, Byron House had to pull out of a February appearance of Deadset at Picasso’s � because he was needed to play behind Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt (a/k/a the Trio). Harris, Parton, and Ronstadt were promoting their new album Trio II, their first album in 12 years, with a week of appearances on TV shows in New York and Los Angeles, including Today, Rosie O’Donnell, and CBS This Morning.

The fact that someone would be playing both the wide ranging country universe of the Trio and songs of the Grateful Dead in Deadset is a powerful suggestion of Byron House’s versatility. House has been involved with artists and projects encompassing country, bluegrass, folk, Americana, pop, rock, blues rock, classic rock, and instrumental.

House started off playing bluegrass in his early teens; he was a member of Winter Wheat at age 16. He later became involved with two of Bowling Green’s pre-eminent bands: the Ken Smith Band in 1980 and Duckbutter in 1981. The Ken Smith Band – Ken Smith, Jonell Mosser, Jeff Jones, and House  rocked as the house band at the original Picasso’s for many years, with a reputation for its energy, fun, and range of music. Duckbutter, still together after 18 years and doing shows at Picasso’s, has been a band that if you hadn’t seen them, you bloody well heard about them. Members included House, Ken Smith, Jeff Jones, and New Grass Revival alumni Sam Bush and John Cowan.

Byron House started branching out in the mid-80s. He heard that Castle Production and Publishing Company in suburban Nashville needed a Fairlight programmer, and John Cowan was working with them as well. House was with the staff at Castle from 1985 to 1991 as an engineer, musician, programmer, and producer. While at Castle, House produced an album for Kyle Frederick (who was featured on the cover of the February Amplifier).

At about the same time (from 1987 to 1991), House joined with several Bowling Green musicians to form the road band for Foster & Lloyd, the groundbreaking duo that were “young country” back before the term really existed. Foster and Lloyd enjoyed significant success with hits such as “Crazy Over You” and “Can’t Have Nothin’,” and their influence on country music was acknowledged by The Essential Foster and Lloyd, a release that is part of RCA Records’ Essential Series compilations. The Bowling Green connection on Foster and Lloyd’s road shows was House, Marc Owens, Kyle Frederick, and of course Bill Lloyd.

In 1991, Byron House was offered a tour with rock artist Billy Falcon, who was opening for Stevie Nicks. House said that the Falcon tour prompted a conscious decision on his part to focus on playing rather than production, a preference that he continues to follow. He put together a road band in 1992 for then- emerging country artist Clay Walker, and he spent one year as band leader. After that stint, House concentrated on studio work with some touring work mixed in.

House’s studio session credits read like a who’s who of several genre’s artists, including Amy Grant, Michael Bolton, Wynonna, Travis Tritt, Jesse Winchester, and David Wilcox. House also has played with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble and recorded with them on All The Rage, which won a NAMBY award. In addition and of particular note to area and pop fans, House put tracks on Bill Lloyd’s just-released album Standing on the Shoulders of Giants on Koch Records.

House started playing with Emmylou Harris in the renowned Spyboy band last year; he played the Lillith Fair with her last year and should be on the Spyboy tune on the next Lillith Fair compilation release. Last year, House also toured with master dobroist Jerry Douglas in addition to Emmylou Harris. He has played on and off with Kevin Welch, who also did some opening for Bob Seger. House played with country songwriter Stephanie Davis, who opened 60 shows for Garth Brooks.

Prominent college artist Mike Rayburn has used House in live shows, and House did sessions for Rayburn’s Better Days album. “Byron is amazingly fluid,” Rayburn says. “He locks into the groove perfectly, and he does equally well live or in the studio. He’s obviously got a great sound, and as far as my music is concerned he seems to be pretty versatile.” Rayburn adds, “He’s a quick study � he’s on the tunes as fast as I can play him the demos.” Byron House will do more dates with Emmylou Harris, which will be acoustic sets with Buddy & Julie Miller, as well as acoustic sets with Jerry Douglas and Tony Rice. He’ll also be doing full band shows with Jerry Douglas; a bluegrass show with Jerry Douglas is set for May 7 at the Ryman Auditorium. In this area, House is currently active with Deadset and Duckbutter. Deadset plays in Bowling Green at Picasso’s on May 14th, with Nashville dates and a Louisville date upcoming.

Don Thomason is a writer and musician living in Dunbar. Visit him at www.myspace.com/donthomasonmusic