Album Notes

Gene Bush grew up in Mississippi. He was exposed to early Victrola hand-crank recordings, mostly Jimmy Rodgers. Formal musical training consisted of piano, clarinet, drums and church choir. Upon discovering the guitar and a Pete Seeger songbook at age 16 there was now a way to learn music by ear. Then records, radio, television and live shows became the source of different music including folk, blues, bluegrass and gospel. After a brief exposure to Mississippi John Hurt's music Gene was introduced to the Dobro guitar and began to learn and play that instrument in bluegrass settings. About this time he was fortunate to meet John Hurt and began to visit him in Mississippi on several occasions before his untimely death in 1966.
Although the world of bluegrass music was now Gene's principal musical expression and became his livelihood, he continued to play finger style guitar for his own enjoyment. During the seven year stint with Hubert Davis and the Season Travelers, Gene played the Dobro and sang lead and harmony parts. The band played venues in the Nashville area and traveled throughout the Southeast. They were guests on the Grand Old Opry and hosted the Martha White morning show with Grant Turner after the death of Lester Flatt. He played on some sessions most noteably Tom T. Hall's first bluegrass album. In 1981, he left the band and pursued interests other than music. For fifteen years the Dobro and the guitar went under the bed. Friends began to ask Gene about playing again and eventually he was persuaded to revisit music, if only for his own enjoyment.
Early in 2003, Gene began to listen to some suggestions that he record a solo project of guitar and vocals. Two years later his first solo work was released.
Since that time he has toured solo, as the Fedora Bros (Geno/Gene and Zeno/Bruce Nemerov) and has resumed sessions and live gigs playing the Dobro.