About
When you hear the Gibson Brothers—that twang of brotherly harmony, the interplay of banjo and guitar—you might think this bluegrass group gestated south of the Mason-Dixon line. But their sound is distinctly Yankee, born of a tradition that includes Joe Val, Don Stover, and others who imbued the music with a New Englander’s unique perspective. “I’m from as far north as you can be from,” says Leigh Gibson, who was born mere miles from the Québec border. “There has always been great bluegrass out of New England.”
Leigh and his brother, Eric, were born on a New York State family dairy farm, passed from father to son since the Civil War. The industry was struggling by the 1970s and the boys were not encouraged to stay. Leigh says their music is infused with “that torn guilt of not wanting to leave [our] parents, and the farm, and the birthright.” A discovered tape of Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall was a revelation; traditional bluegrass themes resonated with their experiences.
The brothers began on banjo and guitar in middle school, influenced first by country, folk, the nearby Québécois countryside, and church. “The Scotch Irish who settled Appalachia also settled Ontario,” explains Leigh. French television stations broadcast into their living room out of the Maritimes; they attended jams in Québec. Sundays were for a Wesleyan church. “The music in those churches came from the old hymnal,” Leigh recalls. It became their first stage, where their minister advised, “think about singing because words are important here.”
“Being removed from the rest of the population of [bluegrass] musicians—there was an individual sound created as a result,” Leigh says. Nine albums later, bluegrass fans have embraced this sound. They have been called “bluegrass superstars” by the New York Times, and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has awarded the brothers Entertainer of the Year award (twice), song of the year, and album of the year.
Video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=94fIA4mZBoo