Hamilton County Bluegrass Band

Originating in New Zealand as the Muleskinners, the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band took shape in 1966 and quickly ranked among the nation’s most prosperous bluegrass ensembles. Their debut album appeared in 1967, after which shifting lineups yielded roughly six further releases, one stretch of which found the group under contract with RCA Records. The ensemble shifted base to Australia in 1971, performed across the United States the following year, and disbanded in 1975, although a concluding album surfaced in 1978. Reunion occurred in 1994, producing the 1997 release Encore and, during the group’s renewed period, two 2008 albums titled The Tavern Revisited and Way Down South.