Tim Raybon’s musical trek began early, as he played with his dad and brothers in the family band The American Bluegrass Express, starting at age eleven. With Central Florida as its base, the band met with great success throughout...
Tim Raybon’s musical trek began early, as he played with his dad and brothers in the family band The American Bluegrass Express, starting at age eleven. With Central Florida as its base, the band met with great success throughout the South during the mid-1970s, affording Tim the opportunity to sharpen his skills by playing festivals and concerts where he shared the stage with some of the greatest legends in Bluegrass music, including Bill Monroe, the McReynolds, and the Osborne Brothers.
Entering the 1980s, as his brother Marty made his way to Nashville and ultimately the band Shenandoah, Tim says, “I went on to college and just kind of fiddled around with music.” He ended up working in construction with his dad, and playing music on the weekends.
In the early ‘90s, the explosion of what was at the time called “new country” reignited Tim’s musical motivation. He landed a house band gig at the iconic Sanford, Florida club, the Barn, and began splitting his time between Florida and Nashville, where he was pursuing a music career more intentionally.
1997 brought a musical reunion to Tim and his brother Marty that produced the certified gold hit “Butterfly Kisses.” That same year the Raybon Brothers were nominated for the CMA Duo of the Year.
In 2019, along with Daniel Grindstaff, Tim founded the popular bluegrass band Merle Monroe. When a band member suggested writing a Christmas song to jumpstart the band’s quest for name recognition, as their first release was due out the following March, Tim found he was up to the challenge.
The group rebranded as The Tim Raybon Band in 2022. It currently features a roster of extraordinary musicians and showcases Tim’s story-telling ability through his masterful vocal delivery of a song. The group has been building anticipation for its third studio album, I Can Get Used To This, by releasing a series of singles over the last few months.
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By Dan Walsh
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