Charlie Sizemore, a bluegrass vocalist, composer, and guitarist, spent his childhood in Kentucky’s Magoffin County, where his father and grandfather both played banjo and thereby sparked his early immersion in mountain music traditions. He first picked up the fiddle at age six, then developed enough skill on guitar during adolescence to perform alongside local musician Lum Patton and to travel with the Goins Brothers Band. At sixteen he stepped into the role of lead singer for Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, taking the place previously held by Keith Whitley. For nearly ten years Sizemore performed with Stanley, contributing vocals to more than a dozen of the bandleader’s albums issued in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He eventually departed to launch his own Charlie Sizemore Band while simultaneously enrolling in college. Over the following twelve years the group produced seven albums—most issued by Rebel Records—and maintained a steady touring schedule, all while Sizemore completed a political-science degree at the University of Kentucky. After moving to Nashville he joined the staff of Paul Craft Music, placing material with Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin, Doyle Lawson, the Dry Branch Fire Squad, and Del Reeves, and he also served an internship at a local law firm during his studies. Upon earning his law degree he established a private practice yet kept performing, recording, and traveling with the Charlie Sizemore Band, whose present lineup features Matt DeSpain on Dobro, Danny Barnes on mandolin, Wayne Fields on banjo, and John Pennell on bass. In 2007 he entered an agreement with Rounder Records, which issued his first album for the label, Good News, before the year ended.
