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About the video
"Aragon Mill" performed in 1993 by The Dry Branch Fire Squad
About the artists
Dry Branch Fire Squad was a modern bluegrass band dedicated to bluegrass,
old-timey, and Southern gospel music traditions. Mandolin player and comedian
Ron Homason founded the Fire Squad in 1976. The earliest incarnation the
group included guitarist John Baker, banjo player Robert Leach, and bass player
John Carpenter. Two years later, Mary Jo Leet became the group's vocalist. The
group released a series of independent releases before signing with Rounder in
1978; they would stay with the venerable roots label for the rest of their career.
The Fire Squad continued to release albums on Rounder throughout the 1980s;
standouts included Good Neighbours & Friends (1985) and the gospel-flavored
Golgotha from a year later. By 1996's Live! At Last, the group included
Homason, guitarist Adam McIntosh, and banjoist Dan Russell; Mary Jo Leet was
joined by her husband, Charlie, on harmonies and acoustic bass. The live album
displayed the Fire Squad's penchant not only for traditional bluegrass and other
Americana styles, but uproarious comedy as well. Memories That Bless & Burn
appeared in 1999. The record mixed older material with new, and featured
vocalist Suzanne Thomas. The band followed with 2001's Hand Hewn, and
continued to be a favorite on the bluegrass and folk festival circuit. A second live
album, the double disc Live at the Newburyport Firehouse, was released on
Rounder in 2005. In 2007 Rounder released Thirtieth Anniversary Special, a
retrospective that included four new tracks, followed by the all new Echoes of the
Mountains in 2009. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide