East Nash Grass

The legendary East Nash Grass started as a weekly bluegrass night at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge every Monday. Musicians substituted for other musicians leaving for tour and eventually the group formed that is East Nash Grass today; James Kee, Cory Walker, Gaven Largent, Harry Clark, Maddie Denton, and Jeff Picker. True to their roots, East Nash Grass still performs at the locally beloved Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge every Monday evening at 6:00 p.m.

Their music can be described as polished yet rough, and high-energy. Stage dynamic livens the audience and draws in crowds of Nashville natives. Every member of the band is a writer, unifying a unique sound of deep Nashville origins. They released their debut album, Last Chance to Win, with Mountain Fever Records in August of 2023.

“I’ve known of this band for many years, and I know them all to be brilliant musicians. Together these folks merge into a unit that feeds off one another, and we can’t wait to see the success that is headed their way.” — Mark Hodges, President of Mountain Fever Records

Members

James Kee

Guitar

A professional on a number of string instruments, James Kee started playing when he was around ten years old. He was inspired by his grandfather, who showed him Mountain Opry in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and Kee took every opportunity to return. He was influenced by the works of IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band, and James King. He was self-taught until he began taking lessons at around 16 years old. He sang in school choirs and his episcopal church. At twelve years old, Kee was playing the Mountain Opry. He had his debut at the Grand Ole Opry House with Bailey and Vincent in 2016, playing the mandolin. He was self-taught until he began taking lessons at around 16 years old. A while after receiving his degree in environmental science from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, James moved to Nashville and began playing in local jam sessions with friends. This eventually sparked the creation of East Nash Grass.

Cory Walker

Banjo

Cory grew up about 45 minutes outside of Tampa, Florida, in a town called Lithia, but he now calls Nashville home. After receiving a business degree from MTSU, he more heavily focused on his career in banjo music. He won the 2014 IBMA Momentum Award for “Instrumentalist of the Year.” He has shared the stage/studio with countless greats in music, has opened the CMA Fan Fest with his brother Jarrod Walker at Bridgestone Arena, played the Grand Ole Opry dozens of times, appeared on CBS with Keith Urban, ABC with Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs and Kix Brooks as well as Good Morning America. He has worked with Sierra Hull, Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, Joe Diffie, Mountain Heart, Dailey and Vincent, The Dillards, The Jason Carter Band, Jim Lauderdale, The Steeldrivers, Ronnie Bowman and the David Grier Band among many others. He has toured all over the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, The West Bank, Israel, Micronesia, Czechia, Japan, and more. You can hear his banjo playing on many albums being played on bluegrass and country radio today. In 2014 he won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s ‘Momentum Award‘ for Instrumentalist of the Year. His debut solo record, “School Project” comes out September 8th, 2023 on Mountain Fever Records.

Maddie Denton

Fiddle

Maddie is a third-generation fiddle player from Murfreesboro, Tennessee who began playing fiddle at the age of five. She played competitively growing up, winning nationally recognized titles like the 2016 Grand Master Fiddle Championship, the 2009 National Junior Fiddle Championship, and 14 state championship titles. Maddie now tours with East Nash Grass and The Dan Tyminski Band, and is currently working with them to release albums. She released her debut album, Playin’ in this Town. Maddie has also worked with David Grier Band, Theo and Brenna Band, Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Molly Tuttle, Mark Schatz, and more. She played golf in college for MTSU, majoring in Organismal Biology and Ecology and minoring in music.

Harry Clark

Mandolin

At around ten years old, a young Harry Clark saw Ricky Skaggs play at UCA in Conway Arkansas and was inspired to explore a career in bluegrass. He was majorly influenced by Alison Krauss, Adam Steffey, and the Del McCoury Band. He moved to Nashville at age 18 to be a road musician and played for The Roys from 2012 to 2013. In 2017, Harry started playing jam sessions at Dee’s with what would evolve into East Nash Grass. He took a break from the group in 2019 and toured with label mates Volume Five. After touring with them for four years, he rejoined East Nash Grass and started touring with Dan Tyminski. He has played on Dan’s recent album, as well as Bronwyn Keith-Hynes’s first album. You can see him now touring with Dan and East Nash Grass.