Higher Ground History

Higher Ground was founded by Duke Weddington and Jeff Forbes in
January of 1998. Original members included Duke, Jeff, Doug Porter
on Guitar, Mark Smith on Bass, and Ron Lujan on Mandolin. From the
onset, their style spanned original, traditional and progressive forms
of Bluegrass. Doug's strong lead vocal and Ron's natural tenor
delivered a smooth vocal blend during performances. Strong individual
instrumental skills set a tone and pace that was truly unique. The
band placed first in the Band Competition at the Sante Fe Bluegrass
festival in 1998. The band performed in and around NM and CO,
playing the Durango Meltdow in April of '99. In the fall of 1999, the
sudden passing of Ron Lujan turned the band in a new direction, and
was the inspiration for the song "Higher Ground" written by Duke.
Soon after, Doug moved back East to attend school, which closed the
first chapter on Higher Ground. The parting conversation between
Doug and Duke led to the writing of the song "A Place in My Heart" on
the band's 2nd album.

Duke, Jeff and Mark reformed Higher Ground during the winter of
1999. Dave Devlin on Mandolin & Dobro, Diane Lujan on vocals, and
Fred Bolton on Guitar and vocals joined to start the second chapter
of the band. The vocal blend of Diane, Fred and Duke became the
highlight and noticeable aspect of the newly formed group. Strong
individual instrumental skills remained a cornerstone of the band as
well. In the winter of 2000, the band felt they were tight as a group
and HG went into the studio to begin recording their first album. The
focus of this first effort was original material. Six months and
sixteen (fourteen originals) songs later, "Black and White, Faded and
Torn", was released in April 2001. Chapter 2 of Higher Ground
promoted their new CD by playing in the NM and CO areas,
performing several times at the Durango Meltdown, Bluegreass on
the River festival in Pueblo, CO, and in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
In the winter of 2002, HG went back into the studio to record their
second album. Six months and thirteen songs (all originals) later,
"People, Places, Memories" was released in April 2003. In 2003, the
band was introduced to Mike Flynn, host of the syndicated radio show
"The Folk Sampler", who has graciously given air time to both HG
albums. HG took another turn shortly after the release, when Jeff
left the group to pursue a new career opportunity in the Northwest,
closing the second chapter Higher Ground.

Higher Ground, Chapter 3, has remained a quintet since Jeff's
departure in 2003 to the present time. The band continues to
perform in the NM and CO areas, promoting their style of
Bluegrass as often as they can. In the winter of 2005, HG
began recording their third album. The focus of the third album
was again on original material. Three and half years and
thirteen songs later, and much anticipated by HG fans,
"Miles and Miles", will be released in early summer 2008. With
ten years, three albums and thousands of miles behind them, a
new journey begins...