J.D. Crowe

In his earlier years, when J.D. Crowe, as a pioneering visionary skewing bluegrass somewhat off center, he was sometimes accused by bluegrass diehards of taking the music underground.

Now Crowe is literally leading his band, The New South, underground. They will be featured on Nov. 14 at Bluegrass Underground, in the belly of the mid-Tennessee hills in Cumberland Caverns. Crowe and his band will be featured at the next Bluegrass Underground show with the Williams & Clark Expedition.

The concerts are performed in a natural amphitheater 333 feet underground in one of the most acoustically pure natural spaces on or under the earth, boasts Todd Mayo, the show producer.

Bluegrass Underground is taped once a month, and tickets can be purchased at the Web site, BluegrassUnderground.com. Bluegrass Underground now offers group discounts with groups of 10 or more getting 20% off of their total price. Contact Jen at tickets@bluegrassunderground.com for more information.

Bluegrass Underground shows can be heard on 650 WSM and online at wsmonline.com each Saturday from 5-6 pm. Bluegrass Underground is also aired on Thunder Radio WMSR-AM in Tullahoma, Tenn., each Saturday at 2 pm.

Cumberland Caverns is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee, centrally located between Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. The cave is just off of Highway 8, six miles southeast of McMinnville via US 70-S, between Nashville and Knoxville,

J.D. Crowe and the New South are among the most influential bluegrass bands of the past three decades, with a visionary sound that suggests both a rich past and a wide-open future. From 1975’s classic J.D. Crowe and the New South (affectionately referred to by fans by its catalog number, 0044), to their newest project, 2006’s Lefty’s Old Guitar, bandleader / banjo player / guitarist / vocalist Crowe has led an array of brilliant musicians in a mission to continually reinvent and update bluegrass while simultaneously paying tribute to the legacy of tone, taste, and timing established by Crowe’s musical idols.