Everett Lilly, band kick off new year with concerts

Bill Billeter
Register-Herald Reporter

February 10, 2008 07:14 pm

— With the success of their 2007 CD, Everett Lilly & The Lilly Mountaineers are expecting 2008 to be a concert-packed year.
The CD, titled “Everett Lilly and Everybody and Their Brother,” features an all-star cast of musicians, including Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Ronnie McCoury, Bill Walker and many more.
“Right now, this band — we are hotter than a firecracker,” said Daniel Lilly, who plays bass guitar. “We are getting with the bluegrass circuit and playing a lot of festivals. We are going to be on the road a lot this year.”
The band includes bluegrass and country music legend Everett Lilly and his sons Daniel and Mark Lilly; Rad Lewis, West Virginia state banjo champion; Chance McCoy, West Virginia state fiddle champion; and drummer Steve Sparks.
The group is headed to Florida for the Everglades Festival on Feb. 23-24, and on to several other venues in Pennsylvania and West Virginia throughout the year.
Everett Lilly got his start at the age of 6, playing in churches and schools in the 1930s. A few years later he played in Beckley at WJLS, then in Knoxville on the “Tennessee Barn Dance” show, and in Wheeling with banjoist Red Belcher.
“You might call that getting started accidentally,” he said. “One thing led to another.”
His career eventually led all the way to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, where he played with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. He and his brother Bea were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Honor in 2002.
“Playing music is a part of me. I believe in it — the kind of music we play, it tells a story,” he said.
Everett Lilly & The Lilly Mountaineers have shared their music far and wide. Whether entertaining President Bush, performing in Japan or returning to their roots at a local festival or church, the sound is unmistakable.
Country music legend Marty Stuart once said, “I think when we all get to Heaven we’re gonna find out that Everett Lilly is God’s favorite mandolin player — and mine, too.”
The band is still available for several concert dates this year, and plays at festivals, family gatherings and private parties.
To schedule a concert, call Daniel Lilly at 222-3091. For more information on concert dates, visit www.lillymountaineers. com.
— E-mail:
bbilleter@register-herald.com