10/23/2026
Please help us congratulate The Grascals: “Bend in the River” tops the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey for October, its second consecutive month at #1 after climbing from #2 in August. Six months on the chart, and it is still at the summit.
We got to celebrate it in person this afternoon, presenting the band with their #1 plaque during the Billy Blue Records Showcase at International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga.
Written by Billy Droze and Michael Wright and sung by John Bryan, it is a bright, banjo-driven tune with a dark heart. As John says, there is nothing more dangerous than a scorned lover. It is from Not That Gone, the band’s first album for Billy Blue Records.
Thank you to every radio programmer who played it! And the week is not done: tomorrow night The Grascals perform at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, where “Broken Angels” (recorded with Dolly Parton), fresh off its Gospel Music Association | Dove Awards win, is nominated for Song of the Year.