Pinecastle Records recently announced it has signed Irish bluegrass artist Niall Toner to its roster.
Toner will soon release a new single in his native Ireland, a song called “Tomorrow,” taken from his upcoming Pinecastle release. This will be a new album of original material, due in the fall of 2012, in conjunction with a U.S. tour. Toner’s most recent release in the United States was “The Sounds of the Blackstairs Mountains,” featuring his tribute to the father of bluegrass, “William Smith Monroe,” which is still receiving extensive airplay on bluegrass radio.
“I am thrilled and delighted to be the first Irish artist signed to Pinecastle Records,” Toner said. “It’s a dream come true for me, and an honor to be part of a label roster that includes many of my own musical heroes, like Jesse McReynolds and the Osborne Brothers. I look forward to working with Lonnie, Ethan, Matt and the entire Pinecastle team.”
The Niall Toner Band is an acoustic Irish bluegrass band with Celtic influences whose diverse repertoire ranges from contemporary up-tempo songs and tunes to inspirational gospel-style numbers, as well as tributes to Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, including “The Master’s Resting Place” and “Bill Monroe’s Mandolin.”
Toner formed the band with musical cohorts Clem O’Brien (guitar) and Dick Gladney (bass). Toner credits O’Brien and Gladney for being so supportive in the constant striving for originality in his music.
Toner’s composition credits include songs recorded by artists like Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Albert Lee, Special Consensus, Keith Sewell, The Swanson Family and more.
In 2003 Toner was nominated for a Global Artist Award by the CMA. To date, Niall and his band have recorded and released three CD albums, and they perform their original songs and tunes on a regular basis at festivals and venues in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the United States.
Toner was born in Dublin, Ireland and nurtured an early interest in music by tuning in to Radio Luxemburg and the AFN radio service from Germany. The Saturday night re-broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville was his first exposure to country music, and when a local school friend showed up with a collection that included the music of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers, Toner said his musical fate was sealed.
Toner is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s leading experts on bluegrass and American country music, and he brings this knowledge of music to a wide audience, both through his live performances with The Niall Toner Band and various workshops, as well as through his radio show, Roots Freeway, which is broadcast on Ireland’s national radio station, RTE Radio One. Visit www.rte.ie/radio1/rootsfreeway/ for more information.
Pinecastle Records was created nearly 22 years ago as a favor to a friend and has since grown into a legendary label. It has almost 250 releases in its catalog, including titles from some of the most influential musicians in the bluegrass genre, such as Eddie Adcock, The Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse and Charlie Waller and The Country Gentlemen. Pinecastle has helped with the growth of the careers of Terry Eldredge, Jesse Brock, Josh Williams and Kristin Scott Benson, among others.
Today, Pinecastle is situated in Polk County, owned by businessman and medical doctor Lonnie Lassiter.
For more information, contact Pinecastle at 828-376-0065 or visit www.pinecastlemusic.com.
– article submitted by Pinecastle Records