Since forming in 2006, The High 48’s have been making music that combines the soulful sound of classic bluegrass with a modern attitude, original songs and a wide range of influences far beyond Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and Flatt and Scruggs.

In a genre created and dominated by artists from the South, The High 48s were born and raised in the Upper Midwest. And in a music scene where playing standards is the norm, The High 48s are a band of songwriters who perform their own material in addition to the “festival favorites.”

The band takes their name from railroad slang for the boxcars originally used to transport troops on the front lines in WWI that could carry 40 soldiers or 8 horses, and were later used in the US on fast-moving “hot shot” freight trains by train-hoppers looking for work during the Great Depression.

In the winter of 2014, The High 48s honored their namesake by recording an album of train songs in Nashville with Grammy-winning engineer and producer Randy Kohrs (Jim Lauderdale). The album feature songs from the likes of Greg Brown, Robin and Linda Williams, Becky Schlegel, Darrell Scott, Muddy Waters and the 48s’ own Anthony Ihrig and Eric Christopher.

This album is the 48s’ sixth release and the culmination of many years of hard work. With band members who honed their bluegrass chops playing with Grammy-nominees Special Consensus and traditional bluegrass legend James King, as well as the many road miles logged since their win at the RockyGrass Band Competition in 2008 brought them national recognition, the 48s have never sounded better.

The High 48’s Official Website

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