Higher Ground Bluegrass

2019: A second acoustic anthology of ten instrumentals written by Duke Weddington. This collection of original songs is influenced and informed by traditional, melodic and progressive Bluegrass and Celtic styles of play. Duke invited some local guest performers to participate on the album. Their talents shine on each track. Track #7, "Tears in the Wind" is a tribute to US Navy Captain Michael Scott "Spike" Speicher, former squadron-mate and friend of Duke, who was shot down over Iraq on January 17, 1991, and whose remains were repatriated in July 2009. The Uilleann Pipes by Char Rothschild on this tribute song are simply outstanding.

The album was nominated in 5 New Mexico Music Award Categories.

Best Bluegrass - "Maiden Mollie/Mollie in the Glens"
Best Instrumental performance - "Auburn Sky"
Best Recording Engineer - "Maiden Mollie/Mollie in the Glens"
Packaging/Design - Auburn Sky Album
World - "Maiden Mollie/Mollie in the Glens"

Ken "Duke" Weddington (Banjo); Laura Leach Devlin (Bass); Patrick Mahoney (Fiddle); Dave Devlin (Resophonic Guitar, Weissenborn); Fred Bolton (Guitar); with guest performances by Char Rothschild (Uilleann Pipes, Whistle); Ian Fleming (Lead Guitar); Nikelle Gessner-Garcia (Fiddle); Bob Gray (Mandolin); Dain Forsythe (Bodhran). Produced by Duke Weddington. Recorded by Jono Manson, Kitchen Sink Studio, Santa Fe, NM. Mixed by Jono Manson and Duke Weddington. Mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.

2018: "Put My Mind At Ease" is a song written by Duke Weddington, Felix Rodriguez, Jose Antonio Ponce, and Daniel Johnsen in a NM Music Awards Therapeutic Songwriting Workshop for Veterans afflicted with PTSD. In the workshop, Veterans and songwriters spent the day together discussing the veteran experience and worked to create music reflecting that experience. The workshop was sponsored by The New Mexico Music Awards, New Mexico Arts (a division of the department of Cultural Affairs) and The National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from listen!ABQ,
The New Mexico Music Commission, New Mexico Arts and the Military and Jason's Music Publishing.

2018: HGB 20 is the 20th Anniversary album for Higher Ground Bluegrass, which was nominated for 7 New Mexico Music Awards in 6 categories. The album includes fourteen songs, eight of which are originals by the band: Merry'-Go-Round (Weddington); Carolina Moon (Weddington); Run Riley Run (Weddington); On a Gravel Road (Weddington/Mahoney); Tinderbox (Leach-Devlin) is a 2019 New Mexico Music Award Winner for "Best Bluegrass."; Route 127B (Devlin); Where the Angels Sing (Bolton); Passing Lane (Mahoney) is a 2019 New Mexico Music Award Winner for "Best Instrumental.". We also included six covers/traditional tunes we regularly perform: My Love Will Not Change (Camp/Burnette); Come Back to Old Santa Fe (Rowan/Faires); Kentucky Waltz; (Monroe) Steel Rail Blues (Lightfoot); High Mountain Road (Shuping/Stuart); and Sweetheart Mountain Rose - a tribute to the Spencer Brothers (Lance and Maynard Spencer). The album was nominated for SIX 2019 New Mexico Music Awards.

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, mandolin, guitar, vocals); Laura Leach-Devlin (bass, vocals); Patrick Mahoney (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals); Char Rothschild (Irish whistle). Produced by Higher Ground B luegrass. Recorded by Jono Manson, Kitchen Sink Studio, Santa Fe, NM. Mixed by Jono Manson and Duke Weddington. Mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.

2017: An acoustic anthology of sixteen Bluegrass and Celtic instrumentals written by Duke Weddington. This collection of original songs is dedicated to members of Duke's family (Clann), titled after people, places and memories in his life. Track #2, Maddie's Dream/Erin's Jig is a 2018 New Mexico Music Award Winner for "Best Arrangement." The final cut, Still is Dad, was written in tribute to Duke's father and is based upon the poem "Still" written by Andy Weddington. If you like tunes in 6/8 time signature, this album is sure to grab and hold your attention from beginning to end.

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, mandolin, vocal); Laura Leach Devlin (bass); Patrick Mahoney (fiddle); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); Fred Bolton (guitar, vocal); Char Rothschild (uillean pipes, whistles); Diane Parshall (vocal); AJ Weddington (fiddle); Doug Porter (guitar); Jeff Forbes (fiddle); Mark Smith (bass). Produced by Duke Weddington. Recorded by Jono Manson, Kitchen Sink Studio, Santa Fe, NM. Mixed by Jono Manson and Duke Weddington. Mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.

2016: We had lots of fun writing, arranging and recording these songs for you. Nine new originals by HGB: Be My Love (Weddington/Bolton); Sweet Annie Mae (Weddington/Mahoney/Devlin); Stomp (Weddington); Two by Two (Bolton); Still Into You (Weddington); Pretty Little Quinn (Weddington); Water for Gold (Mahoney/Weddington) is a 2017 New Mexico Music Award Winner for "Best Bluegrass"; Ride (Bolton/Weddington); and Tailwind (Weddington). We also mixed in 5 cover tunes: Hold to a Dream (O'Brien); Catoosa County (Mullins/Cannon); Old Man at the Mill (Traditional/PD); There is a Time (Webb/Jayne); and These Days (Jackson Browne).

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, vocals); Laura Leach (bass, vocals); Patrick Mahoney (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals). Produced and recorded by Higher Ground Bluegrass. Mixed and mastered by Jono Manson, Ken Weddington and Patrick Mahoney, Kitchen Sink Studio, Santa Fe, NM.

2013: A collection of favorites including nods to the likes of The Dillards (Doug's Tune, Dooley, Old Home Place), Tim O'Brien (Late in the Day), Herschel Sizemore (Rebecca), traditional American songs (John Hardy, Pretty Fair Maid, Man of Constant Sorrow), Peter Rowan and Bill Monroe (Walls of Time), and Utah Phillips (Rocksalt and Nails). Note the Gunn-like (Peter, that is) introduction to Man of Constant Sorrow. Aaaannnnd -- be sure to catch Duke's instrumental "Tallen's Reel" named for his then-newborn grandson.

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, vocals); Laura Leach (bass, vocals); Patrick Mahoney (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals). Produced by Higher Ground Bluegrass. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jono Manson, Duke Weddington, and Fred Bolton, at the Kitchen Sink Studio, Chupadero, NM.

2008: Note the co-writing team of Ken Weddington and Diane Lujan (This Love Is Real, Thinking About You, I Can't Make You Love Me, I Love the Rain, Somewhere In Between) as well as Dave's Coffee Talk (written after ingesting mass quantities of caffeine), Fred's O Judas (a blend of New Testament and the NatGeo Judas gospels). The album received 4 New Mexico Music Award Nominations.

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, vocals); Mark Smith (bass, vocals); Diane Lujan (vocals); Jeff Forbes (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals). Original materials written, co-written & arranged by HGB. This recording features instrumental contributions by former HGB members Jeff Forbes and Doug Porter. Produced and recorded by Higher Ground Bluegrass. Mixed by Sid Fendley, Albuquerque, NM; mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.

2003: Original materials written/co-written and arranged by Higher Ground Bluegrass. Duke's instrumental "Alamance," named for the North Carolina county where he was raised, is a 2004 New Mexico Music Award winner that was later scored for, and played by, the Marine Corps Band. Mark's "Maynardville Stagger" grew out of a band practice session, and Dave's "Backburn" is named after the 2000 Cerro Grande fire in Northern New Mexico. Fred's "Bottle of Tears" proves he's not always sleeping during the sermon, while "Big Nose Kate" re-tells the OK Corral gunfight story.

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, vocals); Mark Smith (bass, vocals); Diane Lujan (vocals); Jeff Forbes (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); and Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals). Produced by Higher Ground Bluegrass. Recorded and mixed by Duke Weddington and Bill Boaz, 4th World Studios, Santa Fe, NM; mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.

2001: Original materials written/co-written and arranged by Higher Ground Bluegrass. The title cut, Black & White - Faded & Torn, is a tribute to Duke's experience as a Navy F-18 pilot and one of Fred's all-time favorites; check Diane's harmony vocals. Don't miss Dave's instrumentals (Tatnuck Hill, Pass the Salt), Mark's vocals on his own "A Broken Man," or Fred's lyrics set to the traditional Scottish tune "Tonight My Sleep Will Be Restless." Two covers: "Don't Let Me Love" (Mark Howard) and "Love's A Word I Never Throw Around" (Robert Earl Keen, Jr.).

Ken "Duke" Weddington (banjo, vocals); Mark Smith (bass, vocals); Diane Lujan (vocals); Jeff Forbes (fiddle, vocals); Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro); and Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals). Produced by Higher Ground. Recorded & mixed by Ken Weddington and Bill Boaz, 4th World Studios, Santa Fe, NM; mastered by David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO.