For years, a number of studio musicians in Nashville have been meeting every Monday night at the Station Inn, a nightclub that’s been a haven for traditional country music and bluegrass for years. The musicians called themselves The Time Jumpers.
As for what came next, I’ll let Great American Country explain …
Started as a jam session in which off-the-road and off-the-clock pros got together to unwind by playing their favorite kinds of songs, the performances were scheduled for the club’s slowest night of the week, a time when only the most hardcore and appreciative fans were likely to show up. If nobody came, that was OK, too, because the pickers and singers were quite content to play for each other’s entertainment.
At first, only the critics went wild about the show. Then, as word spread, some very famous folk began dropping in. Reba McEntire was so excited on her first visit that she joined the band to belt out some Bob Wills tunes. Vince Gill often sits in. Following one of her concerts, Bonnie Raitt came by with her band and listened in awe as the Time Jumpers breezed through an unforgettable program of Western swing, jazz, country, pop and cowboy classics. Recently, rock icon Robert Plant even pulled up a chair. […]
On any given Monday, fans might find themselves rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rhonda Vincent, Ronnie Dunn, Delbert McClinton, Pam Tillis, Sonya Isaacs, Mel Tillis, Sheryl Crow, Lee Ann Womack, Jimmy C. Newman and Linda Davis; Nashville execs Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon; and legendary musicians Charlie McCoy, Paul Franklin, Gary Nicholson, Bob Moore, all of whom have been there to cheer the Time Jumpers on.
The Time Jumpers recently released a two-CD set of a live performance at the Station Inn, and a DVD of one of their concerts. Looking over the song list, it’s heavy with Bob Wills western swing tunes. Hearing the samples, fiddles and pedal steel guitar dominate the sound.
They include a performance of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” of which you can hear a sample here.
Here’s a video of a typical performance:
Such performances bring back great memories of the Station Inn, where I once saw the late, great Don Walser.
I discovered the Time Jumpers via XM’s “Outlaw Country” station a few months ago. Their rendition of “Route 66” is one of the best I’ve heard. I got the 2-disk CD about a week ago and give it a very hearty thumbs-up.
You get the impression that western swing is what Nashville musicians play when they can play what they like. Thanks for sharing this.