The Special Consensus
The Special Consensus | |
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The Special Consensus in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Bluegrass music |
| Years active | 1975—present |
| Labels | Compass Records, Pinecastle Records, ShyTown Records, Turqouise Records, Acoustic Revival Records, Tin Ear Records |
| Members | Greg Cahill (banjo) Brian McCarty (mandolin) Nico Humby (upright bass) Greg Blake (guitar)[1] |
| Past members | (see Past Members section below) |
| Website | Official website |
The Special Consensus is an acoustic bluegrass group led by banjoist Greg Cahill.[2][3]
Biography
History
In 1973, graduate student Cahill jammed with other bluegrass musicians at the University of Chicago Folk Festival. They began playing house parties, but in 1975 Cahill and bassist Marc Edelstein decided to pursue a music career for a few years as Special Consensus.[4] The initial line-up included Cahill, Edelstein, Jeremy Raven (mandolin), Jim Iberg (guitar), and Jim Hale (fiddle).[5]
The band name was inspired by a series of books written by Carlos Castenada about rituals of the Yaqui Indians. Special Consensus was a state where spiritual and physical good things physically came together. Plus, a band is a consensus of musicians providing performance and inspiration.[6]
As of 2021, the Special Consensus membership has included 18 guitarists, 12 bass players, 18 mandolin players, and two fiddlers. Bandleader Greg Cahill has been the one consistent member through the band's history.[7]
Touring
Special Consensus tours frequently across the U.S. Every other year, the band has also toured Ireland and the United Kingdom, through at least 2017.[8]
Bluegrass In Schools
In 1984, The Special Consensus initiated the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program, in which they introduce students and teachers to bluegrass in schools across the country. Cahill estimates TAM has reached approximately one million children.[4]
Special Consensus has also been involved with IBMA's Bluegrass In The Schools (BGIS) program. Cahill has been chairman of the BGIS Committee. He and his wife Jackie wrote a BGIS Implementation manual. In addition, Special Consensus provided the instrumentation for a Discover Bluegrass DVD.[7]
Awards
The group is a two-time Grammy nominee for "Best Bluegrass Album of the Year" for the 2012 album Scratch Gravel Road, and the 2018 album Rivers and Roads.[9][10]
Special Consensus has won a number of International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards through the years. [11]
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year
- 2014: "Thank God I'm A Country Boy"
- 2016: "Fireball"
- 2018: Squirrel Hunters
Collaborative Recording of the Year (formerly Recorded Event of the Year)
- 2014: "Wild Montana Skies"
- 2023: "Alberta Bound"
Album of the Year
- 2018: Rivers & Roads
Song of the Year
- 2020: "Chicago Barn Dance"
Music Video of the Year
- 2024: "Alberta Bound"
The individual members of Special Consensus have received IBMA awards during their tenure in the band.
Reunion concerts
Every five years, current and past members of the Special Consensus gather for and perform in an anniversary concert, often at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.[12]
Past members
| 1975–1976 | 1976–1977 | 1977–1979 |
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| 1979–1981 | 1981–1982 | 1982–1984 |
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| 1984 | 1984–1985 | 1985 |
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| 1985–1988 | 1988 | 1988–1989 |
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| 1989–1990 | 1990–1991 | 1992–1993 |
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| 1993–1994 | 1994–1995 | 1995 |
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| 1995–1996 | 1996–1997 | 1997 |
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| 1997–1999 | 1999–2001 | 2001–2004 |
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| 2004–2006 | 2006–2007 | 2007–2009 |
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| 2009–2011 | 2011–2013 | 2013–2014 |
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| 2014–2015 | 2015–2019 | 2019–2021 |
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| 2021–2023 | 2023–2024 | 2024–2025 |
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| 2025–present | ||
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Discography
Albums
- 1979: Special Consensus Bluegrass Band (Tin Ear)
- 1983: Blue Northerns (Acoustic Revival)
- 1986: Freight Train Boogie (Turquoise)
- 1989: A Hole in My Heart (Turquoise)
- 1991: Hey Y'All (Turquoise)
- 1993: Green Rolling Hills (Turquoise)
- 1995: Roads and Rails (ShyTown)
- 1996: Strong Enough to Bend (Pinecastle)
- 1998: Our Little Town (Pinecastle)[13]
- 2000: 25th Anniversary CD, DVD (Pinecastle)[14]
- 2002: Route 10 (Pinecastle)
- 2005: Everything's Alright (Pinecastle)
- 2007: The Trail of Aching Hearts (Pinecastle)
- 2009: Signs (Pinecastle)
- 2010: 35 (Compass)[15]
- 2012: Scratch Gravel Road (Compass)[16]
- 2014: Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute To John Denver (Compass) as Special Consensus & Friends[17]
- 2016: Long I Ride (Compass)[18]
- 2018: Rivers and Roads (Compass)
- 2020: Chicago Barn Dance (Compass)
- 2023: Great Blue North (Compass)
- 2025: Been All Around This World (Compass)
As primary artist/contributor
- 2001: various artists - In Memory of a Friend: A Tribute to Randall Hylton (Pinecastle) - track 5, "Thirty-Two Acres of Bottom Land"
- 2003: various artists - Blue Ridge Mountain Gospel, Vol. 3 (Pinecastle) - track 8, "When the Walls Come Tumblin' Down"; track 13, "Come Unto Me"
- 2003: various artists - Americana Gospel Series, Vol. 1 (Pinecastle) - track 2-09, "New Jerusalem"
- 2003: various artists - Pinecastle Christmas Gathering (Pinecastle) - track 16, "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
- 2007: various artists - Folksongs Of Illinois #1 (Illinois Humanities Council) - track 1, "Nine Pound Hammer"
- 2008: various artists Bluegrass Jamboree DVD (Pinecastle) - track 12, "Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight"; track 13, "Listening to the Rain"; track 14, "Irish Medley"
- 2013: various artists - Roanoke: The Music of Bill Monroe (Pinecastle) - track 6, "Strawberry Point"
References
- ^ "The Special Consensus | Bios". Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ "Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment". January 23, 2013. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ Official website
- ^ a b Thanki, Juli (March 5, 2015). "Special Consensus celebrates 40 years, to play Station Inn". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Royko, David (May 4, 2000). "Remarkably, After 25 Years, The Band Plays On". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ uncredited (July 12, 1991). "Special Consensus". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ a b Cardwell, Nancy (October 1, 2015). "Greg Cahill & the Special Consensus: Forty Years and Rolling". Bluegrass Unlimited. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Thompson, Richard (January 9, 2017). "Special Consensus ready for Europe". Bluegrass Today. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Topekan nominated for Grammy Award". Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ Teplyske, Donald (March 17, 2013). "The Story Behind...The Special Consensus". Fervor Coulee. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ https://ibma.org/award-recipients/special-consensus/
- ^ Stuart, Chris (November 1, 2010). "Greg Cahill – Consensus Builder". Bluegrass Unlimited. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Weisberger, Jon (October 31, 1998). "Special Consensus - Our Little Town". No Depression. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Jonathan Colcord. "Special Consensus: 25th Anniversary". Country Standard Time. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Foley, Michael (July 10, 2010). "CD Review: 35 by Special Consensus". Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ McGee, David (May 1, 2012). "Some Kind of Moment". The Bluegrass Special. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, David (February 28, 2014). "A tribute to a country boy: The Special Consensus' latest effort honors John Denver". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Lawless, John (May 25, 2016). "Long I Ride from Special C". Bluegrass Today. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
External links
- Official website
- The Special Consensus at AllMusic
- The Special Consensus discography at Discogs