The Primitive Quartet Takes Its Final Bow

After half a century, legendary bluegrass gospel group, The Primitive Quartet, has taken its final bow. The foursome wrapped up fifty years of performing May 20th in White Pine, Tennessee, at the Lakeway Performing Arts Center. Over the course of their remarkable career, The Primitive Quartet recorded more than 500 songs on at least 50 albums. Consistently chosen as one of Singing News’s top five nominees for its “Band of the Year” readers award, The Primitive Quartet has burned up the road, traveling to about 150 dates each year over approximately 50,000 miles. 

“In the younger days I could drive the bus all night full of energy,” Mike Riddle, 66, tells Bluegrass Unlimited in an interview before the band retired from the road. “It’s a little different any more.  I can’t do like we used to, but we still enjoy it brother. It’s just a little harder than it was 30, 40 years ago.” 

“I can honestly say over the years I look back, that it’s been a short trip,” says multi-instrumentalist Jeff Tolbert, who has been with the group since 1997. “I’m thankful for what God has given me. Music has always been a part of my life, and to see folks smile and enjoy. It’s about the people when they come out and listen. That’s a reward to a musician to know you’ve got fans that will come out. And also those who will come up and say, ‘We felt something in your singing. We felt the spirit of the Lord in what you were doing.’ I think, the older I get, how much more important that is to me than it was when I was growing up. We certainly want to do our best to use the talents that He’s given us. I definitely want to use that to lift Him up.”

Gone Fishing

“We just stumbled onto that,” lead singer Reagan Riddle says with a chuckle, when asked about the initial vision for the group. “Me and my brother, Larry, and some good friends, Norman and Furman Wilson, went on a fishing trip together. They had sung some with their dad—the Wilson Boys. Larry and I had sung some with our mother and dad. Norman played the mandolin, and he called and told me to bring my guitar, and we would pick a little bit. We learned a couple of songs on that camping trip. We had all the parts.”

The Riddles’ mother wanted them to sing her the songs, and the pastor who was there invited them to sing at church. Visitors at the church invited them to the monthly singing at their church.  “That was in the spring of 1973, and we’ve been singing ever since. God just willed it. I’ve loved every mile of the trip.”

Starting originally as the Riddle-Wilson Quartet, the foursome changed its name to The Primitive Quartet because they sang the traditional mountain shape-note style.  “We first started with the four of us and another couple of guys helped us play,” Reagan recalls. “We went in (the studio), and one of the Wilson boys brought some song books. The ones he’d pick out we’d sing them. I guess some of our very best songs were on that first recording. It was called When Jesus Brings Sweet Glory Down. The next record we made we titled In the Morning. We didn’t rehearse the record much at all. We had sung the songs maybe one or two times. Of course, we could all read the shape notes enough to know our parts, and we just read them out of the song books and picked our instruments and sang them live. I think we put 10 or 12 songs on the record just like that. We did it in about three hours.”

Riddle says the quartet never had any intentions to be a full-time traveling group or to be professional singers.  “That was the last thing on our hearts. We didn’t care about that. We loved to pick and sing. We finally made those records, and they started selling. After a while they were selling well enough to support us, and we could quit our jobs. That’s the way it happened with us. We were just blessed by God that’s all there is to it.”

In 1978 the Riddle and Wilson brothers went on the road as full-time musicians. Reagan and Larry’s brother Mike, who is the lead guitarist and sings bass, joined the group when Furman Wilson was called to the ministry. Norman Wilson, the mandolinist and tenor vocalist, died in 2014. Randy Fox of Richmond, Indiana, and the son-in-law of Reagan, is the emcee and sings lead/tenor/baritone. He joined the group in November of 1986. Prior to that, he traveled with The Sacred Bluegrass, better known today as The Isaacs. Jeff Tolbert from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, plays mandolin/fiddle/banjo. 

“We’re pretty much all family except Jeff. He’s our red-headed step-child,” Fox said. “Our fellowship is good on the bus. If it ain’t good on the bus, it’ll show up when you’re up there singing. If you’re not getting along or fussing and fighting off stage, it ain’t gonna work when you get up to sing. I like the fact that we’re a close-knit group and we go to church together and just love one another. I think that makes a difference, and it comes across when you’re singing in front of an audience.”

“We’re a ministry, but we want to be entertaining too,” Mike adds. “We want people to enjoy what we do.”

“I love good spiritual singing, and I love anything that’s got the touch of heaven on it, the spirit of the Lord,” Larry Riddle said. “I’m more of a worshipper than I am an entertainer. I sure do love to worship with the people and be an encouragement and blessing to them. He changed my world when He saved my soul, and I’m just very proud to be a born again Christian. We certainly want to encourage these little ol’ youngins to point other people to Christ that they can know the joy of loving Him on a personal way like we do. It’s worship for us, and I love good bluegrass music.”

“It never grows old,” Reagan says. “I love it. I love to be out there among the people and sing to them and sing with them. It’s my life.”

So much so that a few months after The Primitive Quartet retired, Reagan decided to dabble in the music some more. He has formed a duet with 28-year-old tenor singer/lead guitarist Brandon Cairns. They recorded the album The Bride Price and will be traveling in a new van to a few dates each month. Meanwhile, Jeff Tolbert has teamed with three other guys in his new band, Jeff Tolbert and Primitive Road. 

Farewell to Fans 

As a goodbye to The Primitive Quartet fans, the group has released their last set of studio recordings. Following on the heels of Through The Years, the multi-volume retrospective series for Mountain Home Music Company, The Primitive Quartet has compiled a digital collection of compelling and spiritually-powerful songs titled, Stay Their Arms. The Quartet included two of their best-loved songs: “If We Never Meet Again” and “Will You Meet Me Over Yonder.”    

“After 50 years of music ministry, our touring days have come to an end,” says The Primitive Quartet. “We hope our music will live on and be a blessing by way of our recorded songs. We’ve released Stay Their Arms, the final recording that we made, to all digital platforms. Thanks to all who have loved and supported us these many years. We love you all!”