Marty Raybon has been such a big presence in the music business, especially over the last 15 years or so. But even before those 15 years of glory, before Marty had such great success in the the field of country music with the group Shenandoah, he had his roots firmly planted in a field of bluegrass.

He worked in a family bluegrass band with his father and two of his brothers as a teenager in Florida in the 1970’s. Though he loved Bluegrass, country music eventually came a-calling and by the late 1980’s Shenandoah had hit after hit, winning Grammy Awards and Country Music Association awards. His rugged good looks didn’t hurt any either. But as life moved on through the 1990’s, Marty became increasingly restless to devote more time to his spirituality and to his musical roots in bluegrass.

He’s now returned to bluegrass, not as a one shot deal, but as a regular career, putting a full time bluegrass band together and releasing a wonderful album in 2003, appropriately titled Full Circle.

The album combines newly written songs with a few underexposed bluegrass standards from its early days, plus bluegrass reworkings of a couple of his Shenandoah hits.

Our Lee Michael Demsey spoke with Marty Raybon when his CD, on the Doobie Shea label, came out last year. Lee found him to be one of the most centered, down to earth, southern gentlemen he’s had the pleasure to interview in his 28 years in the radio business.

Marty now lives with his family in Alabama. Since this interview was conducted, Doobie Shea has ceased to exist as a record label, though they still exist as a recording studio and publicity firm. Marty has been busy in the studio recording his new project, due in the spring or summer, for a label he’s not at liberty to disclose at this moment. Suffice to say, it will be a good one!

We have prepared an edited interview with Marty that includes samples of his music played live. You can hear the expanded interview on the Lee Michael Demsey show from February 19 through February 25th (we have to edit interviews to conserve hard drive space). Also, enjoy the download “All in the Hands of Jesus,” which is the full live track taken from the expanded interview.