Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry Plays & Sings The Beatles’ Revolver!

Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry is Bryan Simpson’s irreverent trippy-trad tent revival of a musical experience currently in residence in the Neon Steeple at Chief’s on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, It’s Billy Strings meets Barnum & Bailey, He-Haw meets Half-Baked. In short, a serious musical circus. Uncle B assembles an A-List of Nashville’s finest talent (past guests have included  Charlie Worsham, Dan Tyminski, Sierra Hull, Trey Hensley, Caitlyn Smith, The Band Loula, Ashley Monroe, Jason Carter, Suzanne Cox, Ashley Gorley, Sarah Buxton, Brit Taylor, Sam Williams among many others), while B and his guests  tackles a new music assignment each show.  Connect: https://unclebsdamnedoleopry.com/

John Cowan

John Cowan, hailed as the Voice of Newgrass, has been singing his heart out for more than forty years and his soaring vocals have only improved with time. A true innovator, Cowan applies his powerful pipes to genres from country, bluegrass, and gospel to soul, jazz, and rock – often within the space of a single concert. His ability to move fluidly through multiple styles, and carry mesmerized audiences on the journey with him, has set him apart as one of the most loved and admired vocal artists of his generation, not just by fans and critics but among fellow musicians as well.

With his distinctive, rock-tinged tenor vocal and heart-thumping electric bass, Cowan along with fellow New Grass Revival bandmates Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, and Curtis Burch, and later Bela Fleck and Pat Flynn, introduced a new generation of music fans to an explosive, experimental and ultimately, an eponymous brand of bluegrass. The “newgrass” sound spawned popular jam bands such as Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band, opened the door for today’s young bluegrass superstars Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle and shaped the sensibilities of country megastars Garth Brooks, The Chicks, the Zac Brown Band, and Darius Rucker

Toby’s House 

Toby’s House is made up of Mike Zikovich and GRAMMY winner Jeff Taylor, two very good friends who have a great love for the accordion, across many musical styles and geographical borders. They recently lost founding member and friend Jeff Lisenby, but the group continues because they know that Jeff would want the music to play on! And now, with the addition of Accordion player and Keyboardist Joey Schmidt, the group continues to entertain like never before. Joey cut his accordion chops’ as a regular on the Lawrence Welk show and currently can be found playing locally with The Music City Playboys or on tour with country music star Alan Jackson.

They have all been bandleaders from Broadway in NYC to the Ryman in Nashville. Their live and recording credits run an amazing musical gamut; Kenny Rogers, Pavarotti, Dolly Parton, Amy Grant, The Chieftains, Elvis Costello, Charlie McCoy, Waylon Jennings, Frank Yankovic, Mel Tormé, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, David Phelps, Alison Krauss, Paul Simon, Harry Connick Jr., Kenny Chesney, Steven Tyler, Keb Mo, Miranda Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, The Time Jumpers and The Riders in The Sky.

Marfa 

Born and raised to a Texas country soundtrack, forged in Colorado from a shared love of rock icons past and present, and ignited by the spirit of California’s Laurel Canyon sound, Marfa has arrived with an undeniably authentic sound as familiar as your favorite pair of Wranglers while as fresh as the morning Rocky Mountain air.

Their debut single “66”, produced by Grammy® Award winning producer Nick Waterhouse (Leon Bridges, Jon Batiste) and recorded at LA’s EastWest Studios inside the same four walls that gave life to The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and The Mamas & the Papas’ California Dreamin’, puts the pedal-to-the-metal straight out of the gate on this top down road trip through the highways, byways, and everywhere in between. With the release of “Daisy”, produced by Grammy® Award nominated Josh Block (Caamp, Leon Bridges) and written in the storied Canyon itself, the band channels influences from CSNY to the Eagles, taking listeners on an harmony-driven acoustic journey to find a long lost friend.

Upcoming releases produced by 3-time Grammy® Award nominated Jonathan Wilson (Dawes, Father John Misty, Billy Strings) coming soon.

 

Paul McDonald 

Paul McDonald is an East Nashville-based songwriter whose music lives at the crossroads of Americana, indie rock, and classic songwriting tradition. Known for his warm, melodic sensibility and introspective lyricism, McDonald has spent the past decade quietly building a catalog rooted in honesty, human connection, and restless creativity.

After early success with a platinum-certified soundtrack recording, McDonald turned inward: touring, writing, and refining a sound shaped by folk traditions, ‘70s rock, and modern indie storytelling. His recent work leans atmospheric and soulful, favoring feel over flash and songs that reveal themselves slowly.

 

Mother/Son 

Mother-Son (Suzanne Cox & Brandon Ratcliff)  have become viral sensations with their heartfelt renditions of favorite hymns. Suzanne Cox is  a member of The Cox Family. They can be heard on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and their 1994 collaboration with Alison Krauss which won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album. In recent years, the band has celebrated many opportunities starting with debuting their latest single on the Dailey and Vincent Show and performing to a sold-out crowd at Nashville’s famed Station Inn.  Brandon Ratcliff burst onto the scene in 2019 with his debut single “Rules of Breaking Up.” After a year of highlights including opening for Kelsea Ballerini, Brett Young, and Keith Urban, being selected as a Pandora Ones to Watch artist, and topping Rolling Stone’s all-genre Breakthrough Artists Chart, the world came to a screeching halt in 2020. At a crossroads with his music, and his life, Ratcliff went back home to figure out who he was and what he wanted to say, and write his next project. Greatly influenced by the music of the Louisiana delta and the bluegrass engrained in his blood from his Grammy Award winning mother, Suzanne Cox of the legendary bluegrass group The Cox Family, Tale of Two Towns is a coming-of-age record that reads like a book of Ratcliff’s life these last few years.

Cherokee Hope

Cherokee Hope Upton is an independent Country and Appalachian singer-songwriter based in Middle Tennessee. Known for her honest songwriting, deep roots, and a vocal delivery frequently compared to country legends like Loretta Lynn.