New Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, releasing more than twenty albums as well as six singles. Their highest-charting single is "Callin' Baton Rouge", which peaked at No. 37 on the U.S. country charts in 1989 and was a Top 5 country hit for Garth Brooks five years later. In 2020, the group were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Origin The origins of New Grass Revival lay in the Bluegrass Alliance, which Sam Bush (vocals, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Courtney Johnson (banjo, vocals) joined in 1970. At the time, the Alliance also featured bassist Ebo Walker and fiddler Lonnie Peerce. Following this, Curtis Burch (dobro, guitar, vocals) joined the band, whilst in 1972, Peerce left the band, but the remaining members decided to continue under the new name New Grass Revival. The band released their debut album, The Arrival of the New Grass Revival, later in 1972 on Starday Records. History Separation from mainstream bluegrass The New Grass Revival bucked tradition, with long hair, informal clothing, and performances of songs from a variety of genres, including music by Jerry Lee Lewis ("Great Balls of Fire"), the Beatles ("Get Back"; "I'm Down"), and Bob Marley ("One Love/People Get Ready"), plus protest songs ("One Tin Soldier"). This break from bluegrass tradition was not well received in some quarters—some thought it was not the way Bill Monroe meant for bluegrass to be played. "Our reason for doing the newer-type music wasn't pretentious or irreverent or sarcastic or disrespectful," explained Curtis Burch. "We just felt like people were ready to see that you could really expand the sound, using those same instruments." In 1979, they became the backup group and opening act for Leon Russell. First line-up (1972–1981) After the release of their debut, Walker left and was replaced by Butch Robins, who was with the band from July 1973 to November 1974. He was replaced by John Cowan, an Evansville, Indiana, native. This line-up was stable throughout the 1970s, recording albums on Flying Fish Records. New Grass Revival never played traditional bluegrass — all of the members brought elements of rock and roll, jazz, and blues to the group's sound. Consequently, certain portions of the bluegrass community scorned