Veteran musicians strike out on their own

Darrin Vincent was barely old enough to walk when he first appeared on stage, singing with his family in a band called The Sally Mountain Show.

"I was 3 years old when I started singing on stage," Vincent says. "I've always been on stage, always played music."

He went on to play with artists ranging from Nora Jones to Emmylou Harris to Keith Urban.

He won numerous accolades, including five Grammy Awards as a member of the Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder band, and several nominations for co-producing efforts on one of his sister Rhonda's records.

He also won eight International Bluegrass Music Association awards with Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Instrumental Group of the Year.

He says he never even considered another career option outside of music.

"I knew exactly what I was going to do," he says.

He spent 11 years with Skaggs, singing and playing mandolin, bass and guitar.

At the same time, Jamie Dailey was racking up his own set of kudos for bluegrass vocals and his guitar-and bass-playing talents, landing a long-term gig with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver in 1998.

So it was a case of synergy when the two veteran musicians decided it was time to write and create their own brand of bluegrass together.

After giving their respective band leaders nearly a year's notice, they formed Dailey and Vincent. And they made their debut in a no less venerable venue than the Grand Ole Opry.

"We played there before, with our bosses," said Vincent, adding that he felt a flutter of nervousness at appearing on that stage to introduce his new partnership.

Vincent said it was a tough decision for him and for Dailey to leave their longtime musical homes.

"It was a huge decision," he said. "Of course, with Ricky Skaggs for 11 years, I was very stable and happy."

But the pair wanted to explore new musical territory, so they took a chance.

Their gamble definitely appears to be panning out.

That December concert date began a tour that brings Dailey and Vincent to town this weekend for the Naperville Bluegrass Music Festival.

The duo, along with band mates Jeff Park, Joe Dean and Adam Haynes, are set to perform at 1:50 and 9:05 p.m. Saturday.

"For a new group, we managed to stack up 130 shows in the first year," he said.

The band's first album, titled "Dailey and Vincent," was released Jan. 29. It made it to number two on Billboard's Bluegrass Albums chart.

Vincent said the Rounder Records release features original songs and Dailey's distinctive vocals.

"He's real high-voiced. He's just got a unique voice," said Vincent of his partner. "It's a rare blend that we have. What Jamie and I are trying to do is we're trying to preserve the original art form of the music."

The trip to Naperville will give Vincent a chance to visit with his brother, who lives in Chicago, and meet his newest nephew.

He'll also see his sister, bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent, who's on the festival bill with her band, The Rage.

His own family -- wife Julie, sons Chandler, 8, and Zachary, 13, and 11-year-old daughter Victoria -- won't make the trip this time, but Vincent said he gets home to suburban Nashville for a couple days after almost every gig.

"If we were on the road, continuously, my wife and kids would have me hanged," he said.