Dixie Dregs

Critically acclaimed musical virtuosos, The Dixie Dregs, or The Dregs, have announced they will perform a limited number of concerts in select U.S. cities beginning in March 2018 and will stop in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Thursday, March 1. “This tour is the result of the overwhelming requests we’ve received from a loyal audience of diehard Dregheads, and new fans who have never seen us perform live, but discovered the band for the first time through Steve’s membership in Deep Purple, or Rod as the drummer for Winger,” said Dreg’s bassist Andy West. “We can’t wait to play for them all,” West added.

For guitar aficionados, Steve Morse needs no introduction, and his place in the pantheon of guitar greats is certain. But in fact, his career started with the Dixie Dregs. The band traces its true beginnings to the band Dixie Grit, which started in a Georgia high school with Steve on guitar and Andy West on bass. Dixie Grit morphed into the Dixie Dregs at the University of Miami School of Music, where Allen Sloan (violin) and Rod Morgenstein (drums) joined up with Steve and Andy, who where the “dregs” of Dixie Grit. The members of the Dixie Dregs remained committed to attending the University of Miami School of Music, which hosted a lively and talented musical community during their tenure, including future great Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, T Lavitz and Bruce Hornsby, among many others. In 1975, the group’s demo album, The Great Spectacular, was recorded at the University of Miami and then re-released on CD in 1997.

After graduation, the band moved back to Augusta where Steve Davidowski (keyboards) completed the band that would eventually emerge and become known simply at The Dregs. The band paid its dues and honed its skills playing in bars and venues throughout the South in the mid-70s. They established themselves in the firmament of American instrumental music, seamlessly fusing rock with progressive and jazz elements to create a uniquely instrumental-driven style that has stood the test of time. Based on a short demo and a tip from former Allman Brothers keyboardist Chuck Leavell along with Allman/Dregs tour manager Twiggs Lyndon, Capricon Records signed the Dixie Dregs to record Free Fall (1977). The success and critical acclaim of Free Fall announced the Dixie Dregs to the world, and after its release, they would become a cult favorite band that would have a lasting influence on the much of modern rock.

Over the course of 40 years, the Dixie Dregs have released 11 albums of original material and a number of compilations, reissues and countless live bootlegs also exist. Along the way they have garnered six Grammy nominations. The band has played with several well-known additional alumni and guests and its original members have played and recorded on well over 300 releases including Deep Purple (Steve Morse) and Winger/Jelly Jam (Rod Morgenstein).