Karl Shiflett
Karl Shiflett (September 16, 1956) is a Traditional Bluegrass musician and vocalist from Groesbeck, TX.
He was born in Longview, TX, but at age 9 moved with his family to Limestone County. He first developed an interest in music after attending an Old Time Fiddlers Contest at the local courthouse square. Shortly after that Karl made his first fiddle out of a wooden cigar box which he patterned after an instrument his grandfather had made during The Great Depression. He started attending jam sessions with the neighbors on Sunday afternoons, but soon switched to guitar after seeing there were lots of good fiddle players around. Shiflett has credited these jam sessions with helping him learn how to play and sing. He learned several different musical styles such as Old Time, Bluegrass, Country, Honky Tonk and Western Swing. He came to realize that Bluegrass came the most naturally to him. As a young boy he fell in love with the sounds of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.
At the age of 15 he had the opportunity to see Lester Flatt & Nashville Grass at a high school auditorium in Corsicana, TX. It was at this show that he realized what he wanted to do as a career. He began performing with the Waco based band, Brazos Grass in 1976. They had a regular weekly radio show on the AM radio station KMIL based in Cameron, TX. After the group disbanded in 1978, Shiflett went on to work with various Texas-based groups such as The Humbert Brothers, Joe Featherston & The Country Travelers, Jackson County, Southern Heritage and The Coleman Brothers.
In 1985 he became acquainted with The Sullivan Family and began working for them on a part-time basis when they came to his area. Shiflett also worked in the same manner with Bill Grant & Delia Bell, Chubby Wise and Mac Wiseman. In 1991 he joined the Sullivan Family full time and toured with them until 1992. In 1993, Shiflett founded Karl Shiflett & Big Country. In 1995 the band taped a couple of 30-minute television shows for a local cable station. The show which was known as The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show would later become the official name of the band. In 1998 the group signed a record deal with Rebel Records. Their debut self-titled project for the label was released in August of 2000. This project included the single "Where The Smoke Goes Up (And the Money Goes Down)" which went to the top of the charts.
In 2001 the band released their second album "In Full Color" and was also named Emerging Artist Of The Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2003 the band released their third album "Worries On My Mind." The title song was named number one on The Americana Roots Music Charts. The album was also #40 on the Top 40 Texas Music Charts. In 2011, 8 years after the album's release, "Worries On My Mind" was named #2 in Texas Music Magazine's Top 10 Bluegrass Albums of All Time. Also in 2011 the band signed with Pinecastle Records and released their 4th album, "Take Me Back" that next year. The project was named #8 in Bluegrass Music Profiles' Top 10 Albums of 2012.
In 2015, the group signed with Patuxent Music and a year later released their 5th album, "Sho Nuff Country." In November 2016 the album was # 1 on Airplay Direct's Top 50 Country/Alt. Albums charts. At the end of 2017, the album was named #37 on the Top 200 Americana Country Albums Chart.
The band has toured extensively over the years playing venues such as the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana, MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina and the Willisau Bluegrass Festival in Alberswill, Switzerland. Several notable musicians such as Jessie Baker, David Long, Chris Hill & C.J. Lewandowski were members of the band at one time. Shiflett continues to reside in Groesbeck, TX.
References[edit]
- <Lawless, John. “Karl Shiflett to Patuxent Music.” Bluegrass Today, 13 Dec. 2016, http://bluegrasstoday.com/karl-shiflett-to-patuxent-music/>
- <McKenna , Brittney. “Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show - That Old Time Feeling.” No Depression, 31 Dec. 2001, http://nodepression.com/article/karl-shiflett-big-country-show-old-time-feeling>
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