top of page

See Pics from Night One of Blue Highway at The Down Home

  • Jan 10
  • 2 min read

Updated: Feb 9


Shawn Lane in a pink shirt sings and plays guitar on stage with wood panel background. Mic and mandolin visible, warm lighting, relaxed mood.

Shawn Lane, vocalist and mandolin player


Grammy-nominated bluegrass act Blue Highway returned to The Down Home in Johnson City, Tennessee, for a two-night stand this weekend. Night one saw the group play a slew of their best-known hits and fan favorites, including the Mark Knopfler-penned "Marbletown" and the sad but incredible "Tears Fell on Missouri". The show closed out with a rendition of The Stanley Brothers' standard, "Man of Constant Sorrow", a tune made famous in the 2000 Coen Brothers movie O Brother, Where Art Thou.


Blue Highway was formed in 1994, and the band played its second-ever show on this same stage at The Down Home the following year. The band has maintained a strong consistency in membership over the years, with Tim Stafford on guitar, Shawn Lane on mandolin and a handful of other instruments, Wayne Taylor on bass fiddle, and Jason Burleson on banjo. Stafford, Taylor, and Lane serve as the primary vocalists, trading out lead singer duties on various songs in the band’s extensive catalog.


Tim Stafford and Wayne Taylor perform on stage, Stafford playing guitar and Taylor playing an electric stand-up bass. Warm lighting highlights a wooden backdrop.

Tim Stafford and Wayne Taylor


Blue Highway has earned numerous awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, including Emerging Artist of the Year in 1996, Vocal Group of the Year in 2012, and Album of the Year in 1996 and 2006. The group’s individual members have likewise earned IBMA accolades, with Tim Stafford being named Songwriter of the Year in 2014 and 2017 and original band member Rob Ickes earning IBMA Dobro Player of the Year twelve times before leaving the band in 2015. Gary Hultman has filled Ickes’ shoes for the past six years, offering a strong replacement to the legendary instrumentalist.


All five musicians from Blue Highway perform on stage with guitars and a banjo. Audience watches. Wooden panel background with a lit sign creates a cozy vibe.

Blue Highway


Blue Highway takes the stage for Night Two of its Down Home residency tonight, January 10, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. Later this year, the group will play dates in Appalachia at MerleFest in April and the Hills of Home Festival in May, along with a handful of dates across the country. The band will celebrate its 5th Annual Blue Highway Fest in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, in October 2026.


The Down Home continues its 50th Anniversary celebration with acts like John Cowan and Carson Peters later on in January 2026.

 
 
bottom of page