Terry Baucom

Music lovers will of course know the "Duke of Earl" and Frank Zappa fans would no doubt prefer the "Duke of Prunes", but probably only a heavy bluegrass fan would recognize "the Duke of Drive." This is apparently what fellow musicians like to call banjoist Terry Baucom, who has made a name for himself playing in such progressive picking parties as the original Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Boone Creek and IIIrd Tyme Out. One of the names he made in the process would be the "Duke of Drive" slogan itself; it is too heavily promoted by the artist to be considered just a casual nickname, but at least shows confidence in his abilities to drive a band. Some of the tempos this banjoist flails away at with outfits such as Baucom, Bibey, Graham and Haley would cause the revoking of a driver's license were the music measurable in terms of miles per hour, but speed isn't the only thing that makes Baucom bluegrass royalty. He is also a multi-instrumentalist in the oldtime music tradition who would be capable of overdubbing an entire string band on his own. He is skilled not only at the banjo, but has performed and recorded on both fiddle and bass. As a vocalist, he displays a bass voice that tends to be something of a show-stopper. Many of these talents are often overwhelmed by the sheer bravado of his banjo playing, inspiring critics to use terms such as "macho" and make comparisons with Uzi machine guns, punching people in the face and mandatory waiting periods for purchasing assualt rifles. Naturally, such a talent has been in demand for banjo solos on recording projects by pickers such as Ronnie Bowman, Alan Bibey and the legendary mandolinist Herschel Sizemore. Baucom won the "Instrumental Recording Of The Year" at the 2001 IBMA awards show, and has created an...