Veteran bluegrass singer and songwriter Valerie Smith has announced two new players in her touring band, Liberty Pike.
As we shared earlier this year, Wally Hughes and Lisa Kay Howard-Hughes have left the band after working with Val for 11 years. Wally played fiddle and reso-guitar with Liberty Pike, and Lisa mandolin, and both contributed to the vocals with Val.
To fill those spots Smith has brought in a couple of Virginia pickers, both career Army vets, to fill out the group.
On mandolin she now has Gary Davis, who will also sing with the band. Gary has been playing since his teens, and will play some guitar in the show as well. Living near Richmond, VA, he has played with a great many Virginia acts, and will add his outsized personality to Valerie’s stage show.
Vince May joins Liberty Pike on reso-guitar and harmony vocals. He started playing in 1988, inspired by the artistry of Mike Auldridge while stationed in DC. Vince has also played with a number of groups in the Old Dominion.
They join Val on guitar and lead vocals, Joe Zauner on banjo, and Stephen Hu on bass.
Smith and the band are working on her next album, titled Maggie’s Journal, expected early in 2026. The songs are based on the life of Valerie’s great grandmother, Margaret Attebury Brooks-McCamis, as told in her journal which a relative has given to Val.
Check out this preview of Maggie’s Journal which Smith prepared as a teaser in the form of two videos.
