Country and bluegrass Mid-Missouri legends unite to release new CD

When legendary, award-winning country artist Leona Williams decided to record another bluegrass album, it was only fitting to work with a family of musicians from her native Mid-Missouri.

The Bluegrass Martins were overjoyed to combine their unique sound in the genre with Williams' legendary country vocals and original lyrics, and the musical talents of her son, Ron Williams, to produce a new album, "Travel Down This Road With Me."

"It really is a great album. For us, all of our other albums have been good, but I think we captured some of our soul on this CD, which is awesome," said Janice Martin, who sings and plays banjo with The Bluegrass Martins. "It was a wonderful, unique experience, and we had a ton of fun. We really enjoyed each other's company, and I think there is a magic created in our music when we get together."

The Bluegrass Martins, which includes Larita, Dale, Jeana, Lee and Anne, had an instant connection with Williams when they first met years ago. They were already fans, knowing her international stardom in the country music industry with original hits like "Yes Ma'am, He Found Me In A Honky Tonk," songwriting credits for for Merle Haggard's big hits including "You Take Me For Granted" and "Someday When Things Are Good," recordings with leading country stars and personal appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

However, Williams never forgets her roots in her hometown of Vienna. She often performs back at venues in her stomping grounds, and it so happened the Morgan County native and Jefferson City resident Bluegrass Martins were able to share the same playbill.

"We opened for Leona in Eldon and got to meet her," Martin said. "Her brothers and her dad all played together; she said she felt like she went back in time to when her family was playing (while listening to the Martins)."

The Bluegrass Martins became her backup band when she did a string of shows in Eldon and surrounding communities. The family music ensemble also performed with Williams in the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville, and with Ron, who is a regular host for the production.

Regularly performing and recording across the Midwest, United States and Canada, The Bluegrass Martins have built their own fanbase and were voted the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Instrumental Group of the Year 12 times and won the 2007 SPBGMA International Bluegrass Band Championship in Nashville. The most recent of their four CDs is "Turn Back the Years," which was released in 2013.

For The Bluegrass Martins, they found recording "Travel Down This Road With Me" with Williams and Ron a highly enjoyable and creative process, particularly because of the country setting at a cabin on Williams' Vienna property.

From December through July, the musicians would sit in a circle, learn Williams' songs and play.

"Usually, you have practiced the songs for awhile before you go record, but we didn't do that this time. Leona would play a demo on her guitar, and then we would practice in the cabin or sitting out on the nice front porch in the summer time. She would play the songs and we would play along," Martin said, noting Williams let them add some songs they wanted to record, too. "Sometimes you go to a studio and it can be tense and stressful, but not there. If we needed a break, we could go sit on the porch, look at the trees and the woods; it was just so beautiful and relaxing. That helped us all out. You can really tell when you listen to the album."

For Martin, she likes all the songs, but some of her favorites include "Looking for a Place to Shine," which was written by Williams' late husband, and the love song, "I Had to Be Shown," which incorporates Missouri's "Show Me" tagline into Williams' meaningful lyrics. Another tune about coming back to Missouri, "I'll Be Gone For A Long Time," also strikes a chord with Martin.

"The title track, 'Will You Travel Down This Road With Me,' involves the whole band. We all take a part in singing it during the last chorus. It is awesome we could feature everybody," Martin said. "Leona and Ron were just amazing to work with. Leona wanted to listen and get everybody's input. It came out so soulful, and the people are really responding to it."

Leona and Ron Williams will perform some of their tunes during an upcoming concert with T. Graham Brown at 6 p.m. Nov. 25 at Windstone Entertainment Center. The Bluegrass Martins will also perform songs from the album, as well as their 2008 Christmas album and others during a special holidays concert Dec. 16 at Avenue HQ. With albums available during the concerts, CDs and downloads are available through BluegrassMartins.com, CDBaby and iTunes.

For more information about Leona Williams, visit LeonaWilliams.com, and for more information about Ron Williams, visit RonWilliamsCountry.com.