Groovegrass

An all-star project combing bluegrass with classic funk, Groovegrass was the brainchild of Boston-based session musician Scott Rouse, a longtime bluegrass fan who first began experimenting with dance mixes of "Deep River Blues," "I Wonder How the Old Folks Are at Home" and other traditional favorites. Rouse's mixes became hits on the local club scene — an area DJ coined the term "groovegrass" — and on the advice of family friend Doc Watson he relocated to Nashville, where the concept was roundly rejected by Music City executives until Warner Bros. agreed to cut a dance remix of John Anderson's "Swingin'." Although the track went officially unreleased at Anderson's behest, it was extensively bootlegged and became a cult favorite at nightspots across the country. The first official Groovegrass release, a remix EP of the Osbourne Brothers' "Rocky Top," went on to sell over 100,000 copies, and soon after Rouse recruited bluegrass legends including Watson, Mac Wiseman, and Del McCoury — as well as funk icon Bootsy Collins — to play as the Groovegrass Boyz, issuing a self-titled 1997 effort containing their rendition of the smash "Macarena." Groovegrass 101 Featuring Groovegrass Boyz followed in 1998.