Published: December 08, 2008 08:45 pm      

Teen mandolin player joins bluegrass bands, records CDs

Although 16-year-old Jordan Young grew up listening to bluegrass music, he was never a big fan.

“I listened to it a little, but it wasn’t my favorite type of music,” the Independence High School sophomore said.

That changed when he was 12, however, when he asked his grandfather to show him a few chords on the mandolin.

“He always played music and I asked him to show me some stuff,” Young said. “He showed me a couple of chords and after that I was just hooked and I’ve tried to learn everything I could ever since then.”

After learning his first chords, Young began taking lessons, and when his mother Deborah heard about a bluegrass class at Mountain State University, she contacted instructor Everett Lilly to see if Jordan could participate.

“I called two years ago to see about him getting into the class, but he was too young,” she said.

Instead of joining the class, Jordan was invited to take part in a jam session.

From there, Lilly invited Jordan to join the Songcatchers, a local bluegrass multi-generational band composed mostly of young, budding musicians.

Since then, Jordan has continued on with the Songcatchers and also plays with a Mullens band, the Bluegrass Crossties.

“My granddad always went down to hear them play and I went with them,” he explained of how he joined the group. “They asked me to come down to their house and play some music with them. I played with them on occasion, but their mandolin player left the group and I’ve been playing with them full-time ever since.”

In addition to playing with his two bands, Jordan has placed fifth in the adult portion of the Tazewell County (Va.) Fiddle Fest and is often invited to play with the bluegrass band Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road.

“Two years ago, there was a music festival in Summersville and her band was playing,” Deborah said, explaining how her son became acquainted with Lorraine Jordan. “She just kind of took him under her wing, and if she’s at a festival we’re at, she gets Jordan up there to play with her every time.”

Through The Songcatchers, Jordan has also had the opportunity to take the stage at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fanfest in Nashville.

Although Jordan says he enjoyed his time on the stage, performing before thousands, he also enjoyed mingling with the famous bluegrass artists in attendance.

“Bluegrass is just music for the fans, really,” he said. “I really like it.”

The young musician has already recorded and released one CD and says his second CD, which he is tentatively calling “My West Virginia Girl,” will be on sale sometime around Christmas.

In the future, Jordan says he hopes to take bluegrass courses at East Tennessee State University, where many famous musicians have studied.

Although he says he hopes to join a professional band when he gets older, right now he is just enjoying playing his music.

“I hope to get in a band someday, but I’m just going to let the cards fall where they will,” he said. “Things seem to be working out for me right now.”

Anyone interesting in hearing Jordan’s music can visit www.myspace. com/jordanyoungandlimitededition.