Special Consensus is coming up on 50 years, and bandleader Greg Cahill is still going strong. He founded the Chicago-based bluegrass outfit in 1975, and since then they’ve garnered six International Bluegrass Music Association wins and two Grammy nominations while recording more than 20 albums. The band’s latest recording is Great Blue North, a paean to the songwriters of Canada.
While well-known for his prowess on banjo, it wasn’t his first choice. No, Greg Cahill started with harmonica, followed by accordion, before he finally made the move to banjo. “I was attracted to folk and acoustic music,” he says, which led him to the folk music of the ’60s. He cites such artists such as Pete Seeger, the Kingston Trio, Colin Yarbrough and the Limeliters, and Peter Paul and Mary as early favorites.
His band’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Special Consensus is a superb bluegrass outfit in a classic vein,” according to the Folk & Music Exchange. “The vocals are spotless, the playing as shiny as a newly minted penny, and music like this is the reason people come to love bluegrass.”
In addition to the recordings with Special Consensus, Cahill has performed on numerous recordings by other artists and done countless radio and TV jingles. His resume also boasts three solo albums, along with one European bluegrass music recording, four banjo instructional videos/DVDs, and three banjo tablature/instructional books. Whew! He conducts workshops and master classes at bluegrass camps and festivals worldwide and has taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago for more than 40 years and has received countess awards, including the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award.
LESTER FLATTS AND ROY SCRUGGS – FOGGY MOUNTAIN BANJO (1961): It’s all instrumental. I’ve gone through at least three vinyls. I listened to it in the late ’60s, and I’d slow it down to 16 [rpm]. I’d retune the banjo, then do it again. Everything about the banjo-playing – [Earl Scruggs’] playing was impeccable, the ideas, harmonies, tone. He’d retune as he played. I don’t know any professional banjo player who doesn’t know every tune.
J.D. CROWE AND THE NEW SOUTH – J.D. CROWE AND THE NEW SOUTH (1975): My mentor. The group bridges the gap between traditional and doing some progressive songs. He passed away in 2021. That record became so popular. Any song on that record challenges a banjo player. Every song is so good. The singing is fabulous as well. They blend styles, the backup vocals and harmonies – it’s a great record.
CHARLIE CHRISTIAN – WITH THE BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET AND ORCHESTRA (1955): It’s the best record of the swing era, 1939-1941. Charlie Christian was a fine guitar player. He tuned the guitar like a banjo. It goes back to Dixieland and puts the clarinet in the same range as a lot of banjos. I still listen to it.
- Dave Bainbridge of Downes Braide Association: The Albums That Shaped My Career - October 9, 2024
- Greg Cahill of Special Consensus: Albums That Shaped My Career - September 16, 2024
- Narada Michael Walden: The Albums That Shaped My Career - September 9, 2024
