RCCA: Nu Blu

After releasing five Top Ten Billboard albums, North Carolina based Nu-Blu, fronted by husband and wife duo Carolyn and Daniel Routh, quickly established themselves as one of the top Acoustic acts in the music industry. Now celebrating 20 years of entertaining, they deliver a set of songs that range from the melancholy to the exuberant, and at every step they prove they’ve got a knack for finding their way into the deeper parts of you. “Carolyn Routh, to me, is the breathtaking heir to the kingdom that Alison Krauss built…” -Nashville Entertainment Weekly. Over the years, they’ve turned many heads, garnering major headlines with their George Jones inspired tribute single “Jesus and Jones” featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer ‘Soul Man’ Sam Moore (of the iconic duo Sam and Dave). The award-winning band has also made appearances on Fox News, while also having their music featured on CBS “Sunday Morning.” Recently they have moved into the role of helping bring Bluegrass to the masses, serving as the permanent host of the nationally-syndicated TV show “Bluegrass Ridge,” which airs in 120 million homes worldwide. Hailing from Siler City, the textbook definition of a picturesque small southern town, Nu-Blu’s heart and soul is husband-and-wife duo Daniel and Carolyn Routh. Carolyn’s caramel-coated soprano is one of the band’s defining traits, at times a tender lullaby, at times a freight train headed straight for you, but always unwinding a surprising tale. Daniel is the group’s backbone, a multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist who also handles band management. Austin Hefflefinger on banjo, guitar, and vocals, and Justin Harrison on mandolin, fiddle, and percussion round out the quartet’s warm, layered, Appalachian sound. Together they deliver upbeat, blazing-fingers pick work just as well as gentle, heartwarming ballads, and they do it all with a natural togetherness that can’t be faked, forged over hundreds of shows on the road.