Volume Five, a group that started as a casual jam band in 2008, has grown into one of bluegrass music’s most popular and unique acts. The soulful lead vocals by Mississippi fiddler Glen Harrell and the band’s tight instrumentals and vocal harmony have earned the group two International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards and many nominations from organizations such as the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards, and from the Society and Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA).
In 2023, Glen Harrell and Jacob Burleson (guitar and vocals) received 2023 Josie Music Award nominations for Musician of the Year for fiddle and guitar, respectively. The band also includes the extraordinary talents of Aaron Ramsey (mandolin and vocals), Chris Wade (banjo), and Jacob Eller (bass).
Volume Five’s touring schedule has afforded them the benefit of playing with numerous artists over the years, some of whom have become fans, such as Buddy Melton of Balsam Range, who says, “What defines a great band? Superior musicianship, impeccable singing, moving song selections. Volume Five has all the above and more. They are extremely talented yet humble and genuinely real people. Volume Five has a magical quality about them that will undoubtedly make a lasting impression in the world of acoustic music.”
In 2010, the band signed with Mountain Fever Records. The label released Down In A Cell, followed by the 2011 release of Children of the Mountain and Run in 2013. In 2014, the label released Volume Five’s well-crafted southern gospel-tinged bluegrass album, The Day We Learned To Fly which earned them nominations for the IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year and another for the IBMA Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year for The Day We Learn To Fly (album), Stacy Richardson and Leroy Drumm (writers), Volume Five (producers).
Continuing with that success, in 2015, Mountain Fever Records released the band’s fifth album on the label titled Voices. Due to their live performance popularity and album success, they received two separate industry award nominations. Volume Five received a Nomination for the 2015 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year Award and a nomination from the Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards for Bluegrass Song of the Year for the song, “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man.” The successful tune featured guest vocals by Rhonda Vincent on the Dolly Parton cover song.
In 2016, Volume Five’s album, Drifter, made its debut on the BillboardTM Top 10 Bluegrass Album Chart. This highly successful project, and one of their most-streamed albums, rightfully earned the group two IBMA Awards in 2017. They won the Emerging Artist of the Year Award and the prestigious Song of the Year Award for “I Am A Drifter,” written by Donna Ulisse and Marc Rossi.
In 2018, Volume Five celebrated its 10th anniversary with yet another BillboardTM Top 10 Bluegrass Chart album – Milestones. They followed up with the 2019 release of For Those Who Care To Listen, which includes two #1 hit radio singles (“The Army Vet Song” and “The 15th of October”) on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 Song Chart. In addition, a highly viewed video for “The 15th of October” was released. The video was filmed during their recording sessions at one of bluegrass music’s favorite venues - Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee, Georgia.
Of course, 2020 and 2021 brought many challenges to all of us. Early 2021 just after Volume Five finished recording their album KARMA, beloved banjoist Patton Wages suffered a stroke, but continues to improve and make great strides in his recovery. Late in 2021, Mountain Fever Records released the first single, “When Karma Comes Calling,” from that recording session. The song quickly debuted at #1 on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 Weekly Song Chart and reached the top spot seven times. In addition, it rapidly moved up the Bluegrass Unlimited National Survey Bluegrass Top 30 chart.
Karma’s second single, “What I Didn’t Say,” was written by Harrell and is an incredibly moving song about the loss of his parents. The song spent 15 weeks on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20, two months on the Bluegrass Today Monthly Top 20, and three months on the on Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s Top 30.
“Losing My Religion” was the third single release from KARMA. The song hit #1 on the Bluegrass Today Top 20 Monthly chart in November 2022 and was named in the Bluegrass Today’s Top 50 Songs of 2022. In addition, it spent six months in the publication’s weekly Top 20, reaching as high as #2 four times.
In January 2023, Karma was officially released and quickly followed by two more chart tracks, “You Take Me As I Am” and “My Life.” By May, they achieved another hit with “Restless Heart and a Rambler’s Soul,” which hit #1 two times on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 and #2 on their monthly chart just as the band celebrated their 15th anniversary as a band.
In August 2023, Volume Five’s, “Walk Beside Me,” marked the seventh track from KARMA to appear on a bluegrass radio chart and the fourth #1 song from the album. The song features harmony vocals by guest Shawn Lane. Chart success for all these tracks came from respected outlets such as Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s National Bluegrass Radio Survey Chart, Bluegrass Today Weekly and Monthly charts, Cashbox Magazine, Roots Music Report’s Top Bluegrass Songs and Albums charts, and others.
“When I put this group together, I knew the style of music I wanted us to play and the goals we wanted to achieve. It was just a matter of finding the right guys who wanted to create their own identity in the industry. I didn’t just want us to be another band that moves onto the scene and is gone in a few years, but one that would have a unique sound that players and listeners would remember for many years to come - one that sounded like no other band in the business," said Glen Harrell.
Awards & Nominations
- 2023 – Josie Music Award Nomination for Musician of the Year, Glen Harrell, fiddle
- 2023 – Josie Music Award Nomination for Musician of the Year, Jacob Burleson, guitar
- 2017 – Winner of the IBMA Song of the Year Award for “I Am A Drifter;” Volume Five, Donna
- 2017 – Winner of the IBMA New Artist of the Year Award - Volume Five
- 2017 – SPBGMA Award Nomination for Album of the Year for Drifter by Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2017 – SPBGMA Award Nomination Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year, Volume Five
- 2015 – IBMA Award Nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year Award
- 2015 – Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Award Nomination for Bluegrass Song of the Year for “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man” by Volume Five with guest, Rhonda Vincent. Songwriter, Dolly Parton.
- 2014 – IBMA Award Nomination for Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year for The Day We Learned To Fly, Volume Five, Songwriters Stacy Richardson and Leroy Drumm, Volume Five producer.
Discography
- 2023 – Karma, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2019 – For Those Who Care To Listen, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2018 – Milestones, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2016 – Drifter, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2015 – Voices, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2014 – The Day We Learned to Fly (gospel), Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2013 – Run, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2011 – Children of the Mountain, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
- 2010 - Down In A Cell, Volume Five, Mountain Fever Records
Band Bios
Glen Harrell (Lead Vocals, Fiddle)
Glen has been around music since he was just a child. He started playing guitar at the age of nine and the fiddle at age fourteen. He played with various local bands during his high school years before playing in several bands performing on the bluegrass festival circuit. In 2002, he joined country music artist Marty Raybon (former lead singer of the country supergroup Shenandoah) and toured the next six years playing venues across the country and overseas. In addition, the band had numerous television performances and played the hallowed Grand Ole Opry multiple times. Glen created Volume Five in 2008 and said, “I have found the music I have always wanted to play. Also, nothing is better than playing music with friends and having them as bandmates. We all have the same vision for the band.” In 2023, Glen received a Josie Music Award Nomination for Musician of the Year for Fiddle. Glen now lives in a small town in northeastern Mississippi called Booneville. He and his wife Michelle have been happily married for over 34 years and have three children.
Jacob Burleson (Guitar, Vocals)
Jacob is from Newland, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, and is the son of Jason and Shelly Burleson. Since his dad is a founding member of the award-winning group Blue Highway, Jacob has grown up around bluegrass music allowing his talents to thrive by attending festivals and jamming with some of the top pickers in bluegrass. After a few years of jamming and honing his craft as a musician, he landed a gig with Kenny and Amanda Smith’s band. Jacob’s early influences include his heroes - Sam Bush, Adam Steffey, Dempsey Young, Shawn Lane, and many more. The artists he has listened to and studied the most are Blue Highway, Volume Five, Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and the New Grass Revival. In 2023, Jacob received a Josie Music Award Nomination for Musician of the Year for Guitar.
Aaron Ramsey (Mandolin and Vocals)
Multi-instrumentalist Aaron Ramsey joined Volume Five in 2020. He is also a recording engineer with Mountain Fever Records and has worked with Volume Five on several of their albums.
Aaron is from Morganton, North Carolina, and began playing mandolin when he was 12 years old in a Gospel bluegrass band called Damascus Road. His father, Michael Ramsey, played bass in that band. In 2002 at the age of 17, he joined the Linville Ridge Band, where he played mandolin and guitar. In 2004, Aaron released his solo project Aaron Ramsey, and two years later, he joined Randy Kohrs and the Lites. In 2007, Aaron joined Mountain Heart, where he stayed until joining Volume Five. Aaron also has another solo album, “Gathering,” released in 2013.”
Chris Wade (Banjo)
Chris is from Fredericktown, Ohio. His dad took him to bluegrass festivals and concerts when he was a kid, and Chris got his first banjo when he was 11. He attended college at ETSU and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. At the age of 25, he battled osteosarcoma, bone cancer in the knee, and briefly lost the ability to play banjo due to neuropathy from chemo.
Chris has performed with Alecia Nugent, Darrell Webb Band, Marty Raybon, and Full Circle, Nothin' Fancy, Ken Mellons, Sideline, David Grier Band, Steve Thomas, Carrie Hassler, Appalachian Road Show, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, and The Cleverlys. Some of his early influences are Flatt and Scruggs, JD Crowe, Jim Mills, Terry Baucom, Lonesome River Band, and Blue Highway.
Currently, Chris lives in the Nashville area and works for HCA Healthcare in Human Resources.
Jacob Eller (bass)
Jacob Eller bass – Jacob Eller comes from a musical family and his early experiences included playing bass for the Galax area bluegrass band No Speed Limit, honing the skills that he brought to bear later with The Church Sisters and with mandolin superstar Sierra Hull. Jacob is also the band leader and bass player for Highlands Fellowship Church and plays for a few of his favorite southwest Virginia singer- songwriters.
“When Jacob Eller played his first gig with us, I knew he had the groove we were looking for.," said Glen Harrell. “He’s a very talented guy and fits right in with Volume Five in every aspect. We look forward to playing and recording music with him!”
Honorary Member - Patton Wages (banjo, guitar & vocals)
Patton is currently on leave from the band. He suffered a stroke in early 2021, right after the band recorded their album set for release early that year. Please continue to keep Patton in your prayers so he can continue to recover. Patton was raised in Stockbridge, Georgia, and began playing banjo at age 9. He was first influenced by Earl Scruggs, J.D. Crowe, Terry Baucom, and Scott Vestal, who Patton met at Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee, Georgia shortly after his stint with Doyle Lawson. Patton then worked with the Georgia-based group Lost Horizon, playing festivals around the southeast and making numerous appearances on national television. Patton then spent four years in Nashville, sharing the stage with Marty Raybon and working at the Gibson Guitar Corp. OAI Division.
He now lives in Mountain Rest, SC. Patton’s interests include his son, Brayden, music, and whatever comes up to pass the time.