Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver will play the Temple Theatre Thursday,  April 1 in a concert presented by the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation.

    Lawson, born in Ford Town near Kingsport, Tenn., April 20, 1944, says he has loved music as far back as he can remember. Listening to The Grand Ole Opry the group that impressed him most was Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys.

    “His music was different, more intense. High lonesome is the term we used for it. I could hardly wait for Saturday nights to arrive so I could listen. I decided early on that I wanted to play that kind of music,” says Lawson.

    In a recent telephone interview Lawson said audiences at the Temple can look forward to being entertained and cheered up.

    “Times are tough all over and people are wondering when will all this level out,” Lawson said. “We try to take that load of anxiety and apprehension off their shoulders for a while and give people a chance to enjoy themselves.”

    Lawson said he and his band have enjoyed a good upsurge in acceptance lately with more bluegrass fans than ever.

    “What goes around comes around,” Lawson said. “That’s not to say that any kind of music is for everybody. You can’t expect everybody to like one kind of music, but that makes it interesting, too.”

    Lawson said he acquired his love for quartet music through his parents and sister, who were members of gospel trios and quartets that sang a cappella in churches and at revivals when Lawson was young.

    Lawson tells the story of when he was 11 or 12 years old he expressed an interest in learning to play the mandolin, so his father borrowed one from one of the members of their quartet, Willis Byrd, so he could try it out.

    “I mostly taught myself to play by listening to the radio, a few records, and watching the occasional TV show. I eventually returned that mandolin to Mr. Byrd, and years later, he gave it back to me at one of the first concerts Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver played in Sneedville, Tennessee. I still have it,” Lawson said.

    “I met Jimmy Martin when I was 14 years old. He is from Sneedville, Tennessee, where we had moved to in 1954. Around that time, I made up my mind that I wanted to play music for a living, and realized that only playing one instrument was somewhat limiting, so I made it a point to learn how to play the banjo and guitar, too. Four years later, in February 1963, I went to Nashville and got a job playing banjo with Jimmy Martin. In 1966, I started working with JD Crowe in Lexington, Kentucky. I first played guitar and later switched to mandolin. In 1969, I was back with Jimmy Martin for about six months playing mandolin and singing tenor but then went back with JD Crowe until August of 1971. I started with the Country Gentlemen on Sept. 1, 1971 and stayed with them until March 1979. By this time, I had played in bands for more than 10 years, that had their ‘sound’ before I joined them. I wanted to put together a group that would have my sound.”

    In April 1979, he formed a group called Doyle Lawson & Foxfire but soon changed the name to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

    “I was looking for our sound and that first group tried many different types of songs. I wanted a strong quartet like the ones my dad used to sing with. In the next few months, Terry Baucom, Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid and I laid the foundation for what has become the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver sound. The makeup of my band has changed many times in the last 27 years. I jokingly tell folks that Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver is the farm team for bluegrass. I try to integrate each member’s special talents into my group, while not sacrificing the Quicksilver sound. While the sound changes a bit with the introduction of a new band member, it is important to me that people hear what they expect to hear when we take the stage, no matter who is in the group.”

    The gospel music that the group records and performs on stage is important to Lawson. He and Quicksilver have made more gospel recordings than secular ones.

    “It is apparent to me that the folks who buy our music and come to our concerts feel, as I do, that there is no better message than the message of Jesus Christ. On the first Sunday of May, in 1985, I rededicated my life to our Lord Jesus. It is my fervent hope that my musical mission will lead others to Him.”

    Lawson looks forward to returning to Meridian.

    “Once or twice I’ve visited the Jimmie Rodgers Museum,” lawson said. “Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family were the springboards of country music. I really enjoyed the museum..”

    Lawson will have what  he refers to as a “shake and howdy” after the show. He will meet fans and CDs will be available including his newest gospel release.