One of the most charismatic frontmen in modern bluegrass, Woody Platt has played an important part in shaping the trajectory of bluegrass music over the past 20 years. As a founding member and lead singer for The Steep Canyon Rangers, Platt spent years touring tirelessly, many of them in collaboration with actor/comedian and banjoist Steve Martin, earning a GRAMMY award, multiple GRAMMY nominations, and international recognition in the process. But when the pandemic struck, the time at home caused Platt to rethink his personal priorities. He decided to put his touring life on hold and left the Rangers to spend more time with his young family.
Fortunately for bluegrass fans, the end of Platt’s tenure with The Rangers has marked a new chapter in his musical life, one that he is celebrating with the release of his first solo album, Far Away With You. The album cements Platt’s place at the cutting edge where traditional and contemporary bluegrass meet, and his smooth baritone vocals, coupled with his ear for lyrics with contemporary themes, create a sonic palette that honors his bluegrass roots even as he cultivates new growth.
The first single released from Far Away With You is a grassy take on the Blind Willie McTell classic, “Broke Down Engine,” pairing Platt with his bluegrass hero Del McCoury. The collaboration was a dream come true for Platt and was years in the making. He was still in college when he traveled across the country to a bluegrass festival in Colorado to see Del McCoury. Many years later, with Steep Canyon Rangers, he had the opportunity to share the stage with his hero at the iconic Ryman Auditorium. Platt says: “What an honor to record ‘Broke Down Engine’ with a legend like Del McCoury. This ride has literally taken me from the ground floor to a dream come true.”
Continuing the theme of collaboration, “Toe The Line,” written by Barrett Davis and Josh Carter and powered by Bennett Sullivan (banjo), Casey Driessen (fiddle), Barry Bales (bass), and Daren Shumaker (mandolin), gives Platt the opportunity to sing with another bluegrass idol, Tim O’Brien, one of modern bluegrass music’s leading lights. Platt then gives the Kings of Leon’s song “Beautiful War” an acoustic treatment with the addition of the multi-talented Darrell Scott providing tenor harmony and Weissenborn guitar. He saves the grassiest moments on the album to share with long-time bluegrass pals Rob McCoury (banjo), Jason Carter (fiddle), and Buddy Melton (vocals) with Shumaker (mandolin) and Bales (bass) on the album’s lead-off track “Like the Rain Does,” which also features Jerry Douglas on Dobro.
Two of the standout songs on Far Away With You found their inspiration closer to home. “Off To The Sea” was written by Platt’s wife, singer/songwriter Shannon Whitworth. She originally wrote and recorded the song with The Biscuit Burners, but it found a new life as a bluegrass duet, describing the dilemma of a couple divided between the mountains and the coast. The set ends with the Platt original “Walk Along With Me,” inspired by the nights that Platt sat up with his infant son, and written while he cradled the newborn between his chest and a guitar.
Born and raised in the mountains of western North Carolina, Woody Platt confesses that his hobbies have always ended up becoming his career. He still marvels at the fact that the bluegrass band he started as an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill evolved from a hobby into a GRAMMY-winning band and a headline act at some of the top venues in the country. Back at home, his passions continue to inform his lifestyle and his musical pursuits. Platt co-founded the Blue Ridge Music Camps in an effort to build community by helping others to learn to play the music that he loves, as well as the Mountain Song Festival, which has raised $1.5M for the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County, North Carolina. And he continues to enjoy his childhood passion for fishing, sharing that passion with others as a fly-fishing guide. Platt reflects on it all, saying, “I’m so proud of what we accomplished while I was with SCR, and I’m excited each and every day about what the future will bring.”
