from left to right: Darin Aldridge, Shawn Lane, Tim Surrett
Experience Bluegrass Excellence
An exciting new collaboration between two of bluegrass music’s most treasured instrumentalists. And when joined with Shawn Lane, Darin Aldridge, and Tim Surrett, you're in for an incredible night of bluegrass you won’t hear anywhere else.
Wayne & Kristin Benson: Living right here in Boiling Springs, Spartanburg County, Kristin and Wayne shine a bright national light on the local music scene. Kristin, who has been named the IBMA’s Banjo Player of the Year five times, plays with the Grascals, while Wayne is the longtime mandolinist for Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out and runs a YouTube educational channel called Wayne’s World of Mandolin.
Darin Aldridge | Darin and Brooke Aldridge: Darin, a gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist, is a former IBMA Mentor of the Year. Darin and Brooke also received an IBMA nomination for Vocal Group of the Year in 2021, and they were named Bluegrass Artists of the Year at the 2023 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards. Together, they have performed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry more than 55 times..
Tim Surrett | Balsam Range: Tim Surrett lives in Canton, where he was born and raised, and where he learned to sing. Having been a professional musician since he finished high school, he has toured extensively, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman, and Carnegie Hall. Surrett is a Southern gospel singer of renown. Before his current role in the Balsam Range bluegrass band, he was best known for his decade with the Kingsmen Quartet, with whom he sang lead and baritone.
Shawn Lane | Blue Highway: Shawn Lane is a three-time GRAMMY Nominee and 28-time IBMA Award winner with supergroup Blue Highway. A fan-favorite vocalist, instrumentalist, and songwriter, Shawn co-founded Blue Highway and space-age I-Tone Picks. Shawn is as explosive on fiddle as mandolin and guitar, and has often lent his talents to the GRAMMY winning Earls of Leicester.
Ticket Prices
Adults: $35-$45
Box Office Phone: 864-583-2776
Box Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Friday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
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Full Bio
Wayne Benson is one of bluegrass music’s leading mandolinists and has established himself as a unique and gifted stylist. From Concord, NC, an area rich in bluegrass heritage, Benson first arrived on the scene as a teenager when Scott Vestal invited him to join Livewire. After three years and one album on Rounder Records, Wayne joined the well-known and critically acclaimed IIIrd Tyme Out in December of 1992. After more than a decade with the Atlanta-based band, Wayne had solidified his niche among the most respected bluegrass mandolin players, being featured on the cover of Bluegrass Now, Mandolin Quarterly, and Bluegrass Unlimited, while also enjoying numerous IBMA awards and the SPBGMA Mandolin Player of the Year award, five consecutive years.
In 2004, Wayne joined the John Cowan Band, spending three years with the group and recording two albums, showcasing his instrumental prowess in the progressive genre, most widely called, New Grass. After a three-year stint with Cowan, Wayne reclaimed his long-time home with IIIrd Tyme Out in May of 2007.
In 2003, Wayne released his first solo project, An Instrumental Anthology. With 12 original compositions, Wayne explores styles ranging from straight-ahead bluegrass to more progressive melodies. Joining Wayne are some of the industry’s most awarded and finest musicians, including Jeff Autry, John Cowan, Aubrey Haynie, Rob Ickes, Mark Schatz, Ron Stewart, Jim Van Cleve, Scott Vestal, and others.
Wayne has an established relationship with Acutab Publications, releasing an instructional DVD in 2004 with over 2 hours of material, featuring facets of Wayne’s distinctive style and songs from his solo project. In addition to the DVD, Acutab offers an extensive tab book that includes Benson’s solos from the popular instrumental series on Pinecastle Records.
After living in Nashville for 16 years, Wayne returned to the Carolinas, where he lives with his wife, Kristin, and son, Hogan. In addition to being a full-time member of IIIrd Tyme Out, he regularly records and freelances with many top, industry musicians.
Kristin Scott Benson is the five-time International Bluegrass Music Association’s Banjo Player of the Year and recipient of the 2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.
Since 2008, she has been a member of Grammy-nominated and two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Grascals. Kristin is one of the nation's top bluegrass banjo players, exhibiting impeccable taste, timing, and tone. With an attentive ear to back-up, she is known and respected as a true team player among her peers.
In 2022, Kristin became the newest endorser for Deering Banjos. Benson now plays a Custom Deering Golden Wreath model with a curly maple neck and speed finish. This banjo came about after trying a number of different Deering banjos and is an amalgamation of all the different models in Deering's Golden Series - the Golden Wreath, Golden Era, and Rustic Wreath.
Kristin's newest release is a unique project. Under the artist name Benson, the 2023 album Pick Your Poison was released by Mountain Home Records and is a collaborative effort between two of bluegrass music's most treasured instrumentalists: Kristin and her husband, mandolinist Wayne Benson. With decades of experience in top-tier bands, both have established themselves as stalwarts in the community. After years of paving separate musical paths, the two finally decided it was time to integrate their identities and create something new together. Benson is their first combined effort, despite having been married for over 20 years.
Kristin has been featured on The Grascals’ albums since 2008. As part of the Grascals, Kristin’s media performances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Fox & Friends, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and CBS’ The Talk, among others. The band has also performed for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as accumulating nearly 200 performances on The Grand Ole Opry.
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Benson - Icy Cold
Wayne Benson & Kristin Scott Benson, Pick Your Poison ℗ 2023 Mountain Home Music Company