July 2, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
The Kody Norris Show took downtown Smithville by storm Saturday afternoon with a crowd-pleasing mini concert on the stage of the Fiddlers Jamboree just before being presented the festival’s 2022 Blue Blaze Award.
The Jamboree’s Blue Blaze Award is designed to honor a group or individual that ‘keeps the embers of bluegrass music glowing for future generations.’
“I am truly honored and humbled to be the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Blue Blaze Award. Organizations like the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree embody so many of the same values that the band and I work so diligently to pass on to the next generation. By preserving ole’ time country & bluegrass music and presenting it in a positive manner, it is my hope that bluegrass and pure country music will last through the ages.” said Kody Norris of The Kody Norris Show. “Receiving an award given previously to many of my bluegrass friends and heroes is one of the most humbling experiences of our lives.”
Call it retro, hillbilly, bluegrass or rockabilly, the group strives for something Kody simply calls “dern good entertainment.” Deeply rooted in North American folk music, Norris has crafted a performance that harkens back and tips a hat to the traditions created by Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin’s showmanship, the Stanley Brothers’ harmonies, performances of the Grand Ole Opry and a bit of Vaudeville. Top notch picking is center stage, but humor and visual flash are part of the entertaining package. Always clad in colorful, tailored suits adorned with rhinestones, ties, classic hats and ornate boots, the band earns its moniker as a “show.” The brand is traditional, clean cut, acoustic and always entertaining.
The foursome is fronted by Norris on guitar and his fiddling “sweetie,” Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, Josiah Tyree on banjo and Cousin Charlie Lowman on the bass!
The band’s album, When I Get the Money Made, was named 2017 Bluegrass Album of the Year by the National Traditional Country Music Association. The Kody Norris Show was honored with seven SPBGMA nominations in 2018 and four nominations in 2022. In addition to winning Fiddler performer of the year, the Kody Norris show was also named the 2022 Entertainer of the Year!
Playing 90+ dates a year, The Kody Norris Show covers the road from Canada to Mexico, only missing two states to date. They’ve been part of the University of Chicago Folk Festival and have performed at the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center and are part of two weekly programs on the acclaimed RFD-TV’s network, The Cumberland Highlanders Show and The Bluegrass Trail. For more than 3 years, The Kody Norris Show has been the host of the Farm and Fun Time Noon Show. This is also a weekly broadcast through The Birthplace of Country Music Musuem and Radio Bristol, hitting over 5 million Views collectively.
The Kody Norris Show signed with Rebel Records from Charlottesville, VA in 2019 and has since then released, All Suited Up which debuted #7 on the Billboard Charts!