Jesse Brock
Innovative Mandolin Player Ready to Roll in 2021
Photos by Tia & Shane Reman
Jesse Brock arrived at a crossroads in his music career after making the difficult decision to leave the Gibson Brothers band after five years. The award-winning mandolin player decided to take control of his own career and step out as a band leader after leaving the Gibsons in 2018. Although there have been unexpected sidetracks along the way, his Streamliner specialty band and solo album is due out this summer.
Brock has recorded with every band he’s been a part of, but now chooses to play more of a role molding his sound, which is polished yet traditional. He cites the influences of masters Tony Rice, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Lost & Found, Jimmy Martin and the Osborne Brothers.
“Hearing the tones of fine instruments and beautiful voices together is what it is all about,” he said. “A flurry of notes only caters to a small percentile of what we need to grow into a larger audience. A German engineer once said, ‘There is beauty in simplicity.’”
Brock stepped out of his comfort zone and wrote the title track for the album, about a sleek steam locomotive that “will win your heart and take you back to another time.”
“I haven’t tried writing any lyrical songs in probably 30 years. I’m known for being more of a tunesmith and I woke up one morning and it just came to me,” he said in an interview in November 2020. “I was thinking the night before, I really need to have a song as a brand to attach to the album. When I woke up, I had the song in my head. About 20 or 30 minutes later I had four verses and a chorus and a melody in my head.”
He bounced the song off Greg Blake, who is handling most of the lead vocals on the project. The two met when Brock filled in with Jeff Scroggins and Colorado after Tristan Scroggins left the band. Blake approved and executive producer Dave Maggard agreed to make the song the title track. “That was a boost of confidence, because I have a hard time really bringing anything to the table,” Brock said.
Jesse is playing mandolin and singing some tenor and baritone vocals on Streamliner, in which he enlisted the help of some of the best in bluegrass.
In addition to Blake on guitar, Streamliner features Russ Carson on banjo, Jason Carter and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, Rob Ickes and Josh Swift on resophonic guitar and Barry Reed on upright bass. He also will introduce talented Sevierville, Tennessee, vocalist Felicia Mikels to the bluegrass world. The longtime friend of the Maggard family sings tenor on several tracks and Brock was impressed with her “country-flavored” voice.
Maggard, who produced the record at his Sound Biscuit Productions studio near Sevierville, said Brock’s vision for the project and the all-star band was a driving force for the project. “The album is actually put together with a lot of talent, just amazing,” Maggard said. “I love working with Jesse. He’s taught me a lot of things. I’ve helped him a lot in a lot of ways and we kind of bounce things off each other.”
While Brock has always been a sideman, Maggard applauds his efforts to step out and make his own mark in bluegrass music. “This is his baby. He’s putting this together and he knows who he wants and what he wants and how he wants it to sound,” Maggard said.
Brock sees Streamliner as a specialty band playing limited engagements. “They’re just incredible,” Brock said. “I couldn’t be more happy with what I’ve got recorded right now. I think it’s going to be great. There will be variations. We won’t be able to have everybody on every show.”
While some of the players are tied up with their own bands, he can also tap into his bandmates in the new Fast Track band for live shows.
On the Fast Track
Another band collaboration got off to a quick start and has been well-received by bluegrass fans. Brock was asked to partner with the remnants of the Cardinal Tradition band when bandleader David Parmley decided to retire in October 2019.
Fiddle player Steve Day contacted him about joining Fast Track, even though Brock had already begun work on his Streamliner project. Bass player Ron Spears wrote several songs for the band’s first album, and he and Duane Sparks share most of the lead singing duties. Sparks was a longtime member of Joe Mullins’ Radio Ramblers. Dale Perry plays banjo for Fast Track, which showcases a seasoned group of bluegrass professionals.
“It just kind of exploded quickly,” Brock said of Fast Track. “We started rehearsing in December and then I think we went into the studio in January or February. Within a month we had a single out and within a few months the whole album was done and ready for distribution. So, talk about a Fast Track.”
The band has a traditional contemporary sound and shines on a menu of original songs. Brock said the band is getting ready to record a gospel album on the Englehardt Music label.
Singles “I’d Like to Wander Back,” “Life’s Highway” and “Blue and Lonesome Again” have gotten considerable airplay. Sparks’ self-deprecating “Oh What a Time to Be Me” is a perfect anthem for the lost year that was 2020.
Like most bluegrass artists, Brock has learned to adapt and overcome no matter what comes his way. “With every step forward, I seem to be taking two steps back,” he said, reflecting on his career the past few years. “That’s just the nature of the business. Nothing is etched in stone.”
He and longtime girlfriend Kristine Tallent married in 2019. While Brock has had his share of peaks and valleys during the coronavirus pandemic, he is ready to roll with Streamliner and Fast Track when bluegrass touring resumes. “All of this is happening when I’m trying to figure out what to do about my solo career,” he said, describing the events of 2020 as a “triple whammy.” “You know, a lot of people don’t get a second chance at their career. I’ve gotten multiple chances, it seems like. I’m very fortunate.”
Family Band
Grainy YouTube videos from a 1985 New York festival performance by the C.W. Brock Family Band show a 12-year-old Jesse Brock picking his mandolin clean on solos and anchoring the band with a rhythmic chop.
Brock grew up onstage, and the musical spotlight is where he feels most comfortable, speaking through his instrument. The Illinois native started singing at age 7 and took fiddle lessons at age 8 before switching over to mandolin at age 9. Accomplished mandolinist Steve Aby left the band in 1982, which opened up a slot for Jesse. His older sister, Dawn, taught him three chords on the mandolin, and his dad told him to listen to records in order to learn more on his own. He is basically self-taught.
Brock’s time playing and singing in the family band laid the groundwork for the discipline and focus needed to rise to the top of his profession. He and his sisters practiced for three or four hours a night and Jesse was home-schooled after age 16. It was not an easy life.
Onstage these days, the 48-year-old musician comes across as brash and confident. Offstage he is introspective and soft-spoken, carefully choosing his words and clearly articulating his thoughts.
“That was the first job I had in music,” Brock said of the family band during a 2018 interview prior to a Gibson Brothers concert at Hollow Point Farm in Bushnell, Florida. “We played six years on the road. We went through 26 states. We went through several motorhomes, a bus, a van, a Suburban. You really learn how to be a gypsy in this business. It toughens you up, so when you have nice venues like this, it’s very welcoming and appreciated.”
Brock was named IBMA “Mandolin Player of the Year” in 2009 and 2015. Over the years during his stints in several high-profile bluegrass bands, Brock has added spontaneity to live shows with mandolin solos that are jaw-dropping every night. He was nominated again for IBMA “Mandolin Player of the Year” in 2020, which was an unexpected but welcome surprise in a turbulent year. “I was totally shocked and I don’t think it would have happened had I not done any work with Jeff Scroggins and Colorado,” he said of touring with the band that dissolved in 2019. “I was just literally blown away to even be considered and just in that I feel like a winner. Hats off to Alan Bibey for winning that.”
After the family band, Jesse worked at McDonald’s in 1988. Then he worked full time in a medical device company making hip implants, assembling internal staple guns, before moving to the polishing and sanding department. In 1997, Brock was working full-time for Caterpillar where he broke his left pinky finger and was playing on and off with both the Lynn Morris Band and Chris Jones and the Night Drivers. He knew he had to make a choice, and music had always called to him.
“I was making a steady paycheck where I was. I’d been there for four years with good insurance,” he said. “I thought if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it probably the rest of my life. I work so hard on my craft. Lynn offered me a full-time position in ’98. Lynn Morris and the band taught me traits I’d carry with me forever.”
He went on to play in Dale Ann Bradley’s band before joining Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, a band that was named instrumental group of the year four times during his tenure. Brock’s collaboration with Cleveland on a high-octane version of “Jerusalem Ridge” won IBMA “Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year” in 2009. A live version of the song has accrued hundreds of thousands of views online.
Brock also played a brief stint with Audie Blaylock and Redline before joining the Gibson Brothers. He spent five years with the band during the Gibsons’ rise to the pinnacle of bluegrass music.
Blending his voice with established singers is an art he has developed throughout his career. Expect to hear him singing more with Streamliner.
“About every band I’ve been in, I’ve been a backup singer, too,” Brock said. “My passion has always been to try to make other people sound better. Lead singing is expected of a bandleader and although I can do it, I’ve honed my voice to shape others. History shows in many examples where the leader does not take the lead position yet knows how to formulate the best recipe.”
Still Growing
Brock describes his playing style as improvisational and prides himself on playing innovative solos every night in live shows. He follows an outline and branches out when the spirit moves him. All the intricate picking and mind-blowing musicianship is delivered with a boyish grin. It’s clear that Brock enjoys his time onstage, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Brock is a perfectionist with a willingness to work hard that comes naturally because of his upbringing in the family band. His polished delivery makes his mandolin playing look effortless. “I’ve always been a supporter of whatever is around me and I think that’s one reason I haven’t really taken the reins on doing my own band nor writing any songs,” he said.
Veteran players appreciate his understated approach. Mandolin master Ronnie McCoury described Brock’s playing as tasteful. “He’s one of those guys who just knows what to play, when to play, when not to play—very, very tasteful,” McCoury said. “That comes from listening to what’s going on around you and from all the years he’s put into it. He’s one of the absolute finest today.”
Brock is still growing as a musician, with different influences coming into play. He has released a tablature book of his playing style. He currently owns a cherished 2019 “Red Diamond” mandolin, yet still owns his renowned and beloved Sam Bush model that was given to him in 2002 by Gibson. In February 2021 Jesse acquired the “Walter Kaye Bauer” Lloyd Loar Gibson. It was signed by Loar on February 18, 1924. Jesse said, “It got upgrades via Lynn Dudenbostel and replica pieces made by Don MacRostie (to save the originals).”
Bass player Rob Ravlin, friend and former bandmate in Mainline Express, said he enjoys hearing how Brock blends different influences into his own style of picking. “It’s funny because he is kind of a very quiet, soft-spoken guy, but when he’s playing, he’s like a monster,” said Ravlin, who left the band shortly before the new recording project was released. “The monster comes out and it’s just so much fun to watch that.”
Brock appreciates the time he spent with friends Ravlin, Gary Filgate and John Miller in Mainline Express. They played an annual gig for 15 years before starting up a short-lived partnership in early 2019.
Brock remains humble and appreciative of the accolades and awards. When he won his first IBMA “Mandolin Player of the Year” award in 2009, he almost passed out on his way up to the stage. “The first time, I almost fainted,” he said. “I could feel my heart just about to pound out of my chest and I just had to take a breath. To hear my name was just very surreal, quite an accomplishment to have a career and then finally be noticed amongst your peers and your heroes.
“I’m definitely humbled to this day and winning it again I’d feel the same. I don’t think it will ever go away with me because I try to stay down to earth and humble. It’s just the way I was brought up to really appreciate life and what comes to you after hard work.”
Vicki Dean retired in 2016 as digital editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida. A lifelong bluegrass music fan, she resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia and is a native of West Virginia.
