Country Gentlemen
Bands / Ensembles
The Country Gentlemen (1957–2004) were a bluegrass band from the Washington, D.C., area, led for their whole run by guitarist and lead singer Charlie Waller. The band began on July 4, 1957, when banjo player Bill Emerson brought in Waller, mandolinist John Duffey and bassist Larry Leahy to fill a booking at the Admiral Grill in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, after a car accident sidelined Buzz Busby's band. Duffey chose the name. Eddie Adcock soon replaced Emerson on banjo and Tom Gray replaced Leahy on bass, forming what became known as the band's "classic" lineup. The band mixed bluegrass with folk, country and contemporary songs, recording material by John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Kris Kristofferson and others. Adcock left in 1970. More than 100 musicians played in the band over the years, including Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Mike Lilly and Porter Church. The classic lineup was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Honor in 1996. Waller died of a heart attack on August 18, 2004, the same month the band's last album with him, Songs of the Spirit, was released.