New Vintage
Bands / Ensembles
New Vintage (1989–2000) was a bluegrass band from Cary, North Carolina, led by mandolinist, lead singer, and songwriter Russell Johnson who founded the band with guitarist Earl Llewellyn. In 1993 New Vintage won both the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown in Owensboro, Kentucky, and SPBGMA's national bluegrass band contest. Its 1995 Pinecastle album, No Time for the Blues, with Gena Britt on banjo and vocals and Carl Cardwell on bass, reached the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 10. Julie Elkins replaced Britt on banjo in 1995. By 1997 Jody King had taken over on banjo, with James Doncsecz on bass and Kim Gardner on Dobro. The band played its last show at IBMA's Fan Fest in 2000 though Johnson reformed the band in 2007.
In the newsletter
- No. 18 Winter 1999