Biography
"Another Old Dog in the Race" ranks among the strongest releases from the country and bluegrass ensemble that emerged from the Ohio circuit in the mid-1950s. After serving an extended stint as guitarist and lead singer with Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys, Carlos Brock assembled the lineup. His guitar partner, Bill Price, had already drawn notice from Jimmy Martin during high school thanks to his picking ability. Once Price finished school, he joined Martin and a teenage J.D. Crowe on banjo in what seemed a promising trio.
Job shortages soon dissolved that unit, prompting Martin to team with the Osborne Brothers while Price and banjoist Bobby Simpson relocated to Cincinnati. There they encountered Brock inside Jimmy Skinner’s record shop, the same establishment where Skinner aired live broadcasts. The musicians quickly formed a new band and attracted interest from both RCA Records and the publishing company owned by Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. They spent a month rehearsing at Brock’s mother’s house—“She wouldn’t charge us no board,” Price later recalled, adding, “It’s good she didn’t, we didn’t have any money much”—before a new songwriter offered them “Why Baby Why,” written by George Jones.
That track came closest to commercial success; when the Country Pardners finally entered the studio with producer Chet Atkins, they learned that Red Sovine and Webb Pierce had already cut competing versions slated for release. The group did manage to record four sides for RCA, among them the aforementioned track. Brock then entered the army, and the remaining members watched bluegrass audiences dwindle under the rising tide of rock & roll acts such as Elvis Presley, pushing each musician into separate employment. Price returned to college and entered business, while Simpson began selling insurance.
The story did not end there. With fresh management the members secured guest appearances on the Opry for Price, who balanced those performances with his daytime job. In the late 1960s he and his wife launched a booking agency that gained momentum when Bill Monroe signed on as a client. During the 1970s the couple produced multiple large bluegrass festivals annually and began recording together, issuing several albums on Rural Rhythm. Price began performing under the name Bill Price & the Country Pardners. Simpson abandoned the banjo altogether and operated a bonding company in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brock settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where he raises cattle and leads a weekend band alongside brothers Lonnie and Bobby Brock.
Price long hoped to reassemble the original members at one of his festivals and, in the mid-1970s, offered five dollars apiece regardless of condition for surviving copies of the Country Pardners’ early recordings when Rounder included several tracks in its Early Days of Bluegrass series. Price died in 2001 at age 66 from liver cancer.
Job shortages soon dissolved that unit, prompting Martin to team with the Osborne Brothers while Price and banjoist Bobby Simpson relocated to Cincinnati. There they encountered Brock inside Jimmy Skinner’s record shop, the same establishment where Skinner aired live broadcasts. The musicians quickly formed a new band and attracted interest from both RCA Records and the publishing company owned by Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. They spent a month rehearsing at Brock’s mother’s house—“She wouldn’t charge us no board,” Price later recalled, adding, “It’s good she didn’t, we didn’t have any money much”—before a new songwriter offered them “Why Baby Why,” written by George Jones.
That track came closest to commercial success; when the Country Pardners finally entered the studio with producer Chet Atkins, they learned that Red Sovine and Webb Pierce had already cut competing versions slated for release. The group did manage to record four sides for RCA, among them the aforementioned track. Brock then entered the army, and the remaining members watched bluegrass audiences dwindle under the rising tide of rock & roll acts such as Elvis Presley, pushing each musician into separate employment. Price returned to college and entered business, while Simpson began selling insurance.
The story did not end there. With fresh management the members secured guest appearances on the Opry for Price, who balanced those performances with his daytime job. In the late 1960s he and his wife launched a booking agency that gained momentum when Bill Monroe signed on as a client. During the 1970s the couple produced multiple large bluegrass festivals annually and began recording together, issuing several albums on Rural Rhythm. Price began performing under the name Bill Price & the Country Pardners. Simpson abandoned the banjo altogether and operated a bonding company in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brock settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where he raises cattle and leads a weekend band alongside brothers Lonnie and Bobby Brock.
Price long hoped to reassemble the original members at one of his festivals and, in the mid-1970s, offered five dollars apiece regardless of condition for surviving copies of the Country Pardners’ early recordings when Rounder included several tracks in its Early Days of Bluegrass series. Price died in 2001 at age 66 from liver cancer.