IIIRD Tyme Out

IIIrd Tyme Out emerged in 1991 as one of the foremost bluegrass vocal ensembles of the decade when lead singer and guitarist Russell Moore, fiddler Mike Hargrove, and bass vocalist plus electric bassist Ray Deaton formed the Georgia-based quintet soon after departing Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The ensemble has earned repeated Vocal Group of the Year honors from both the International Bluegrass Music Association and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Although its core repertoire draws from the bluegrass and country catalogs of Bill and Charlie Monroe, the Delmore Brothers, the Carter Family, Hank Williams, and Jimmie Rodgers, the group has proven equally adept with gospel numbers. Its 1996 release Living on the Other Side consisted entirely of gospel material and featured the Lester Flatt composition “I’m Working on a Road to Gloryland” with Earl Scruggs guesting on guitar; the track reached the Top Ten on the country charts and received the IBMA’s Song of the Year designation. SPBGMA later named IIIrd Tyme Out Best Contemporary Gospel Group for both 1997 and 1998.

The band’s sound draws strength from Moore’s soulful lead vocals—he captured the SPBGMA’s Best Contemporary Male Vocalist award three times and the IBMA’s Best Male Vocalist prize in 1994 and again in 1997—alongside Deaton’s resonant bass tones, all within a collective effort. Shortly before tracking its third album, Grandpa’s Mandolin, in 1993, mandolinist and harmony singer Wayne Benson took over for Alan Bibey while banjoist Barry Abernathy succeeded Terry Baucom; Abernathy was later replaced by Steve Dilling. IIIrd Tyme Out has maintained its stature as a benchmark for bluegrass vocal performance, securing another IBMA Vocal Group of the Year award in 1998 before issuing John & Mary the following year. The live sets Live at the MAC (1998) and Back to the MAC (2001) earned widespread approval from listeners and reviewers alike, and the studio album The Best Durn Ride appeared in 2004. A third live recording, Round III at the Mac, followed in 2006.