Lost Highway

Posted on by WR

LOST HIGHWAY

  • From Southern California (Riverside County).
  • 1974, the original band was formed by Dave Dickey (guitar), Walden Dahl (mandolin), Pat Brayer (fiddle), Nick Haney (bass) and Lauren Seapy (banjo).
  • 1978, Dahl and Brayer left the band. Jerry Service (fiddle) joined and band leader Dickey switched to playing mandolin. Guitarist Ken Orrick also joined and eventually became the band leader (after Dickey departed a couple of years later). Orrick was originally from Smithville, Tennessee. He previously played in a gospel group called the Premanaires, which included Faye DeMent (older sister of Iris DeMent).
  • 1979, released “Hard Road to Travel” album (no label).
  • 1981, Stuart Duncan (fiddle) joined the band, replacing original member and band leader Dave Dickey (mandolin).
  • 1982, released “Lost Highway” album (no label), recorded at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas (Duncan was a student there at the time).
  • 1983, Duncan left the band to join Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers. He was replaced by Jeff Harvey (mandolin).
  • 1985, released “Memories of the Past” album (no label).
  • 1987, the group disbanded and then re-united in 1996. Members of the “new” Lost Highway included Ken Orrick (guitar) and Jeff Harvey (mandolin) who were with the group previously. New members: Dick Brown (banjo), Paul Shelasky (fiddle) and Marshall Andrews (bass).
  • 1998, released “November Rain” album (no label)
  • 1999, released Headin Down That Lost Highway album (Hay Holler).
  • 2000, mandolinist Harvey was replaced by Eric Uglum.
  • 2000, released Lifetime of Sorrow album (Hay Holler).
  • 2004, Andrews and Shelasky left the band and were replaced by Joe Ash (bass) and Mike Tatar, Jr. (fiddle).
  • 2004, released Bluegrass the Way You Like It album (Hay Holler).
  • 2006, they performed in Oman (southeastern coast of the Arabian peninsula).
  • 2007-2009, Orrick continued to perform with various part-time musicians but largely was unable to keep the band together due to his failing health. He died in 2009 at the age of 68.