VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings and HighTone Records proudly announce the long-awaited return of Boone Creek—the self-titled 1977 debut from the boundary-pushing supergroup featuring future bluegrass luminaries Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Wes Golding, and Terry Baucom.
Long out of print and previously unavailable outside its original release, the album returns across all formats—marking its first vinyl pressing in nearly five decades, alongside its debut on CD and streaming platforms (including hi-res digital). In addition to the original album tracklist, this reissue includes four recently unearthed bonus tracks salvaged from the long-lost session tapes—startling, left-field performances that show Boone Creek pushing the form into truly uncharted territory.
Arriving on June 26 and available for pre-order, the release is previewed by Boone Creek’s soul-stirring take on the Flat & Scruggs bluegrass classic, “I’m Gonna Settle Down,” available to stream/ download now. The track showcases the dazzling musicianship and fiery chemistry of four bluegrass masters coming together to form Boone Creek.
In 1976, Skaggs (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, lead and harmony vocals) and Douglas (Dobro, harmony vocals), fresh off of their tenure with bluegrass powerhouse J.D. Crowe & the New South, joined forces with songwriter Golding (guitar) and Baucom (banjo) to create a daring new sound that honored bluegrass tradition while boldly expanding its possibilities.
As they pulled from jam-band looseness, timeless pop craft, and even the sleek, sunlit soft-rock textures of the 1970s, Boone Creek incorporated electric guitar, drums, piano, horns, and even synthesizers into their finely detailed arrangements. What set their material apart from other 1970s country-rock songs were their tight bluegrass-inspired vocal harmonies, which remained a constant.
At the time, the results proved divisive. When Boone Creek first presented their debut to Rounder, the label deemed portions of the material “too commercial,” prompting the band to return to the studio and record more material in a more traditional bluegrass vein. The resulting album combined songs from these two sets of sessions for a diverse and eclectic experience that extends far beyond the then-accepted boundaries of bluegrass music.
In the years following the album’s release, the master tapes of the unreleased songs disappeared. “When it came time to collect the tapes,” Jerry Douglas explains, “it was found that the engineer had absconded with them.” Then, nearly five decades after the album’s release, the tapes were tracked down, but they were moldy and badly damaged. Through intense restoration efforts, four session recordings that never made the original LP were rescued—revealing an even bolder, more experimental side of Boone Creek that feels decades ahead of its time.
“It’s been over 50 years since Boone Creek made these recordings and it’s great to hear them remastered,” says Ricky Skaggs. “They sound better than ever, and I never thought the previously unreleased cuts would see the light of day. A big thanks to my bandmate, brother Jerry Douglas, for assisting in the remastering process—great job!”
“We hope you again enjoy Boone Creek’s freshman effort along with a glimpse back into the ’70s, where the personalities and young dreams of a band gone on safari were never to be completed,” adds Douglas. “This effort formed who we are individually today, unfortunately losing Terry in December of 2023. We thank everyone involved for their tenacity and forward thinking in bringing this remastered lost treasure back into the light.”
“The recovery of the four new tracks was a years-long research and restoration project,” explains reissue producer, Scott Billington, GRAMMY®-winning producer and musician. “The end result was worth it, because we get a glimpse into the creative minds of these four outstanding musicians that will surprise and delight many listeners. It’s one of the best ‘what if?’ musical stories of the year.”
Across its tracklist, Boone Creek captures a band moving with virtuosic ease between intricate instrumentals and tightly woven harmonies, balancing technical precision with unbridled emotionality. On “I’m Gonna Settle Down,” for instance, Boone Creek fully inhabit the wistful mood of the timeless tune, offering up a lonesome meditation on return and redemption. Whether delivering an original number like the LP’s bittersweet title track or whirlwind renditions of canonical bluegrass songs like “White House Blues,” Boone Creek embody a warmth and discipline that echo their instinct to stretch tradition without abandoning it altogether.
Through meticulous restoration, four unreleased songs from the Boone Creek sessions will finally find their audience. Those tracks include the freewheeling “Hitchhiking to California” and horn-laced “Dream Song”—which drifts into a subtly psychedelic haze—two standouts on a landmark album that feels strikingly modern even decades later, less a relic of its era than a lost cornerstone of the progressive bluegrass movement.
Prior to disbanding, Boone Creek put out just one more album: One Way Track, a 1978 LP that marked the first release from the then-newly launched Sugar Hill Records. During their brief lifespan, the band cycled through a number of bass players, including country legend Vince Gill (who contributes a harmony vocal part on “Misty Wind,” one of the newly recovered tracks).
Just 23 years old at the time of Boone Creek’s formation (and already hailed as a master of bluegrass), Skaggs next joined Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band and soon forged a formidable career at the forefront of American roots music, eventually earning 15 GRAMMY Awards and playing a vital role in multiple waves of roots revival. Another towering figure in bluegrass and beyond, Douglas has garnered 16 GRAMMY Awards and gained widespread recognition as one of the most influential and pioneering instrumentalists of his generation, currently as a featured member of Alison Krauss and Union Station.
Golding would later perform with beloved bands like Shenandoah Cut-Ups and co-found Wes Golding & Sure Fire. Baucom was a founding member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and IIIrd Tyme Out, before ultimately passing away in 2023 and earning a Distinguished Achievement Award at that year’s IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards.
Today, Boone Creek stands as both a time capsule and a revelation: a snapshot of four extraordinary musicians at the start of their journeys, unafraid to test the limits of their chosen form. With this newly restored edition, listeners are invited to step back into that moment and experience just how far ahead of its time Boone Creek truly were.
