Blue Highway announces departure of Rob Ickes

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 18 Nov 2015 4:21 pm

Posted today on their website:

http://www.bluehighwayband.com/news/blo ... -rob-ickes

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 21 Nov 2015 8:31 am

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 21 Nov 2015 8:39 am

Dobroheads everywhere have been speculating over the past three days about who will be the next to hold down that coveted spot in Blue Highway.

Mike Selecky · Post by **Mike Selecky** » 24 Nov 2015 2:08 pm

I'm not sure even JD himself could fill those shoes...

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 24 Nov 2015 11:24 pm

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 25 Nov 2015 4:17 am

JD couldn't fill those shoes ? really ? really ?

I don't know if Rob plays with a capo or not but I would be willing to bet money that he has one of these little ditty's in his gig bag !

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 25 Nov 2015 9:50 am

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 25 Nov 2015 10:09 am

The brilliant Brent Burke is the dobro player for Rhonda Vincent, and he's also married to Rhonda's daughter Tensel, so it might not be a wise move for him to quit that deal.

Of course Jerry Douglas could fill the slot in Blue Highway - but he already has the best dobro gig in the business with Alison Krauss & Union Station. When Jerry eventually retires from that one dobro players everywhere will be tripping all over themselves to try to land the job.

Mike Auldridge fired from The Seldom Scene? I wasn't aware of that. I have been under the impression for years that Mike left the Scene to co-found Chesapeake because John Duffey was unwilling to do much in the way of touring in that period and wanted to keep the number of gigs per year to a minimum and fairly close to home.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 25 Nov 2015 10:39 am

thanks for your reasonable wisdom, mark.
a lot of crap gets spewed on here.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 25 Nov 2015 11:29 am

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 25 Nov 2015 11:39 am

Thanks Chris, though I'm not claiming to be correct on the third point - Steve might know a lot more than I do - it was just that it was an eyebrow raiser for me that Mike was fired from the Scene. And by Duffey - I would think the other founding member Ben Eldridge would have a say in this.

And with Mike being an original member himself, I'm surprised me that there was an actual firing involved - I'm guessing the Seldom Scene isn't like the stories of Glenn Frey and Don Henley "lording over" the rest of the Eagles.

At any rate, big shoes to fill in Blue Highway. Very unusual that in the history of bluegrass a band stays together for 21 years with the original members intact. *

* A number of years back for a short period of I believe less than a year banjo player Jason Burleson left BH and Tom Adams filled in, then Jason returned.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 25 Nov 2015 11:51 am

Steve, I just saw your post now as I was composing my last one.

One thing I do know for certain is that there is no "throat situation" with Alison Krauss.

She had a brief bout of dysphonia in 2013 which came to light during the Tony Rice Lifetime Achievement Award speech at the IBMA that year, but she jumped right on it and it was quickly healed. Varying degrees of severity with this affliction.

It healed so quickly that shortly thereafter she was a surprise guest of the Jerry Douglas Band at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass that October and came out and joined in on four songs, in fine voice I might add.

And my wife and I saw AKUS with Union Station at the Greek Theater in Berkeley last summer on the west coast swing of their tour with Willie Nelson.

AKUS has been working on the next album, no idea when we'll see it - they are very good at keeping a secret.

And Alison recently did a Christmas song with Robert Plant as part of the soundtrack for Love The Coopers starring John Goodman and Diane Keaton.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 25 Nov 2015 3:22 pm

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 25 Nov 2015 5:29 pm

I'm yet to see the shoes Jerry D couldn't fit ...

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Nov 2015 6:03 pm

I've seen Rob with Trey Hensley on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio hour recently. Just the two of them duet style. Trey picks pretty good flattop guitar. They did a mix of music including SRV's Pride and Joy.

I guess no matter what you do, comes a time when you tire of it and you need something else to satisfy your soul.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 25 Nov 2015 10:12 pm

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 25 Nov 2015 10:40 pm

Rob is a huge part of Blue Highway's sound. That being said, there are plenty of great dobro players out there. I see them all the time. It was thought that nobody could ever fill Buddy Emmons' shoes in the Texas Troubadours, but Buddy Charleton came to be the definitive sound of the steel chair in that band. It may even be that blue Highway could decide not to replace him at all and add a full time fiddle player, relieving Shawn Lane of having to switch off.

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 26 Nov 2015 4:15 am

Rob uses a capo when it fits the song.
His composition Monroe-Bro is a good example.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 26 Nov 2015 4:25 am

Joey Ace wrote:Rob uses a capo when it fits the song.
His composition Monroe-Bro is a good example.

OH NO ! Say it ain't so !

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 26 Nov 2015 5:30 am

Jerry Overstreet wrote:I've seen Rob with Trey Hensley on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio hour recently. Just the two of them duet style. Trey picks pretty good flattop guitar. They did a mix of music including SRV's Pride and Joy.

I guess no matter what you do, comes a time when you tire of it and you need something else to satisfy your soul.

I really like Rob & Trey's rendition of the Grateful Dead tune, "Friend of the Devil"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufWDQWblWk8