Grascals bring their jackpot hit -- 'Viva Las Vegas' -- to bluegrass fest

Bluegrass songs rarely make it to the top of Billboard's country singles charts. So it was no small feat when the Grascals' rollicking version of "Viva Las Vegas," featuring Dolly Parton on guest vocals, went to No. 3 last fall, making it one of the hottest bluegrass tunes in years.

COMING UP

WINTERGRASS

WHAT: Bluegrass and acoustic music festival

WHEN: Thursday through Feb. 27

WHERE: Sheraton Tacoma Hotel and Conference Center, Tacoma

TICKETS: $20 single-day pass and $100 weekend pass (discounts available, graduated prices for seniors, families, children and military); 253-428-8056, www.wintergrass.com

But it's a song the Grascals, who perform this week at the 12th annual Wintergrass Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival in Tacoma, nearly didn't record at all.

Terry Eldredge, the group's lead singer and guitarist, was skeptical when banjo player David Talbot suggested the group cut a version of the tune.

"We were all like, 'Well, I don't know, dude,' " Eldredge said by phone this week from his home in Nashville.

After all, "Viva Las Vegas" was a movie theme song and not a bluegrass tune. And more importantly, it was an Elvis Presley single.

"Nobody needs to cut a tune after Elvis did it," Eldredge said.

But when the Grascals rehearsed the song, everything fell into place.

"We thought, 'Actually, this is kind of cool,' " he said.

While performing at Parton's Dollywood theme park, the group mentioned to the buxom singing star that they'd recorded the tune.

"She said, 'You know, I always thought about cutting that song myself.' And we all kind of looked at each other and said, 'Why don't you just come sing it with us?' And she said yes."

In the studio, Parton sang a verse, then joined the group on harmony vocals.

"She pretty much got it in one or two takes. She nailed it," Eldredge said.

"Viva Las Vegas" will be featured at the Grascals' concert Thursday at 9:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel and Conference Center. At 11:30 p.m., the group will offer a live "bluegrass karaoke" set and is inviting singers to step in.

The annual festival, one of the largest of its kind in the country, continues through Feb. 27 with 160 other performers at the hotel and conference center, Bicentennial Pavilion and nearby First Baptist Church. Styles include bluegrass, newgrass, jazzgrass, acoustic, Celtic, old-time music and Americana. A complete schedule of live music on five stages can be found at www.wintergrass.com

More than two dozen vendors offer handmade instruments, art and crafts. Music workshops for adults and children also are scheduled, beginning as early as Tuesday.

This year's big names include Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur and Laurie Lewis, performing exclusively at Wintergrass as the Bluebirds Feb. 27 at 3:45 p.m. Also featured are bluegrass and acoustic-music stars David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Rhonda Vincent (nominated for a Grammy for 2004 bluegrass album of the year), King Wilkie, J.D. Crowe, Tony Rice and The Seldom Scene, performing at various times throughout the four-day festival.

Club Wintergrass, a dance featuring music by The Reeltime Travelers, Cross-eyed Rosie, The Wilders, Old School Freight Train and Tiller's Folly, is open Feb. 25 and 26 at the Sheraton Ballroom.

Casual performances also take place in the hotel lobby, hallways, suites and even elevators throughout the weekend, as hundreds of musicians converge in downtown Tacoma.

Eldredge of the Grascals is hoping for a big turnout at Thursday night's live karaoke set, which the group has dubbed "Terry-oke" because there are two guys named Terry in the six-member band -- Eldredge and bassist Terry Smith.

Other members include banjo player and guitarist Talbot, singer Jamie Johnson, mandolinist Danny Roberts and fiddler and mandolinist Jimmy Mattingly, who has collaborated with Parton for more than 10 years.

When Eldredge isn't playing with the Grascals, he performs with the Sidemen, the house band at The Station Inn, a long-running bluegrass club the singer-guitarist calls "the Carnegie Hall of the South."

The Grascals spent several months on the road with Parton last fall. The tour included a concert at the Everett Events Center.

"That was a heck of a lucky break for us, a new band coming out of the chute for the first time and getting a chance like that," Eldredge said. "That's like playing for the Lady Elvis. We got to reach out to so many more people that normally wouldn't even see us or know of us."

The Grascals formed about a year and a half ago and began collaborating with Parton last spring.

Parton was supposed to introduce the band at its Grand Ole Opry debut last weekend, but canceled after coming down with the flu.

"Even without Dolly, it was a true honor," Eldredge said. "For a bluegrass or country musician, to get to play the Opry is one of the highlights of your life, especially at the Ryman Auditorium. Like they say, it's the mother church of country music."

The Grascals concert at Wintergrass will feature songs from its debut album, released this month on Rounder Records. It's a lively collection featuring soaring harmony vocals, great picking and some remarkably catchy songs, such as "Mourning Dove," "My Saro Jane," "Where Corn Don't Grow" and "Sweet By and By" and the wistful, sentimental boyhood tune "Me and John and Paul."

"We took a lot of time on the album," Eldredge said. "We didn't just throw it together. We took about eight months picking out songs."

It's a collection that makes listeners want to step on the gas. It's great driving music.

"Two or three of my friends said they got speeding tickets while they were listening to it and getting into the groove," Eldredge said with a chuckle.

Bluegrass and old-time music got a huge boost a few years ago with the release of the hit movie and soundtrack, "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?" It's now evident in the growing popularity of events such as Wintergrass.

" 'O, Brother' propelled bluegrass to the moon," Eldredge said. "Now you're seeing young groups like Old Crow Medicine Show and King Wilke. They're drawing huge crowds, and people are just loving it."

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