Our Story
The four original members of Lonesome Road combine traditional bluegrass favorites with innovative arrangements of songs from other music styles.
Based in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, Ron Pennington, mandolin and vocals; Shelly Smith, bass and vocals; David Maravilla, guitar; and Robby Boone, banjo and vocals, bring decades of experience with regional and national bands to their rhythm-focused brand of bluegrass.
Having won the 1999 SPBGMA National Band Championship in Nashville their second year as a band, they continue to enjoy making music together on and off stage and applying their creativity to solos and arrangements. Their members have been featured in national bluegrass publications. They have released six albums with a seventh to be released in the coming months.
From Country Gentlemen and Johnny Cash to Bonnie Raitt and Bad Company, Lonesome Road has something for everyone.
To inquire about booking Lonesome Road, please fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!
Members
From his start in the 1970s, Robby Boone was clearly no ordinary player. His Crowe-style banjo combined with his own signature tone is esteemed nationwide. According to one perceptive fan, “It sounds like he’s driving every note with a sledgehammer!"
Shelly Smith began playing country and bluegrass music professionally as a teenager in the early 80's at a show at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. There she refined her skills as a vocalist and instrumentalist for 8 years. Her forceful yet pleasant voice is the focal point of Lonesome Road's performances.
David Maravilla began his pursuit of bluegrass in the late 70's. He assisted in forming the band, Second Wind, whose personnel included Rhonda Vincent, and later, Alison Krauss. Afterward, David was invited to join Alison in her band, Union Station, to enter the 1988 S.P.B.G.M.A International Band Contest, which they
won.
Ron Pennington has a bluegrass resume that includes tours with Larry Sparks, Paul Adkins, Bob Paisley, Lynn Morris, Gary Ferguson, and The Bluegrass Cardinals. He has performed at such notable venues as The Lone Star Café in New York City and The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Ron remains high on the lists of many national acts as the one to call when needing a fill-in musician.
