Volume Five

SEE EPK PAGE FOR AWARDS AND DISCOGRAPHY

What began as a casual jam band in 2008 has grown into one of bluegrass music’s most distinctive and respected acts. With soulful lead vocals, impeccable musicianship, rich vocal harmonies, and a carefully chosen repertoire, Volume Five has developed a sound that is unmistakably its own.

Led by Mississippi fiddler and vocalist Glen Harrell, Volume Five features an impressive lineup of musicians, including Chris Wade on banjo, Nick Keen on mandolin and vocals, Wyatt Harman on bass and vocals, and Jared Hensley on guitar and vocals. Together, they bring years of experience, exceptional instrumental ability, and a natural musical chemistry to both the stage and studio.

From the beginning, Harrell had a clear vision for the band.

“When I put this group together, I knew the style of music I wanted us to play and the goals we wanted to achieve. It was just a matter of finding the right guys who wanted to create their own identity in the industry. I didn't just want us to be another band that moves onto the scene and is gone in a few years, but one that would have a unique sound that players and listeners would remember for many years to come, one that sounded like no other band in the business,” says Harrell.

That commitment to creating an individual identity has remained at the heart of Volume Five. The band draws from both traditional and contemporary bluegrass influences, with song selection playing an especially important role in its music. Hard-driving bluegrass, gospel, heartfelt ballads, and songs that tell compelling stories all find a home in the Volume Five repertoire, anchored by Harrell’s expressive lead vocals and the band’s tight instrumental and vocal arrangements.

Volume Five’s music has earned widespread industry recognition, including two International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards, along with additional IBMA nominations and recognition from the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA), the Josie Music Awards, the Mississippi Music Awards, and others.

The band signed with Mountain Fever Records in 2010, beginning a recording relationship that has produced an extensive catalog of acclaimed bluegrass music. Early releases included Down In A Cell, Children of the Mountain, Run, and the southern gospel-tinged The Day We Learned To Fly.

In 2014, Volume Five received two IBMA nominations: Emerging Artist of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year for “The Day We Learn To Fly.” The band followed with another IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year nomination in 2015. That same year, “Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man,” featuring guest vocals by Rhonda Vincent and appearing on the album Voices, received a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination for Bluegrass Song of the Year.

A major career milestone followed with the release of Drifter in 2016. The album debuted in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart and ultimately helped bring Volume Five two of bluegrass music’s highest honors. At the 2017 IBMA Awards, Volume Five was named Emerging Artist of the Year, while “I Am a Drifter,” written by Donna Ulisse and Marc Rossi, was named IBMA Song of the Year.

In 2018, Volume Five celebrated its 10th anniversary with Milestones, another Billboard Top 10 Bluegrass album. The band followed with For Those Who Care To Listen in 2019, producing two No. 1 songs on the Bluegrass Today chart, “The Army Vet Song” and “The 15th of October.” A video for “The 15th of October,” filmed during the recording sessions at Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee, Georgia, further connected the song with listeners.

The years that followed brought challenges as well as continued musical success. In early 2021, shortly after Volume Five finished recording its next album, beloved banjoist Patton Wages suffered a stroke. Later that year, Mountain Fever Records released “When Karma Comes Calling” from those recording sessions. The song quickly became a major radio success, reaching No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 multiple times.

The resulting album, Karma, produced an extraordinary run of charting singles. Harrell’s deeply personal “What I Didn’t Say,” written about the loss of his parents, spent months on prominent bluegrass radio charts. “Losing My Religion” reached No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today Monthly Top 20 and was named among the publication’s Top 50 Songs of 2022.

Following the official release of Karma in 2023, the chart success continued with “You Take Me As I Am,” “My Life,” and “Restless Heart and a Rambler’s Soul,” the latter reaching No. 1 twice on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20. “Walk Beside Me,” featuring guest harmony vocals by Shawn Lane, became the seventh track from Karma to appear on a bluegrass radio chart and the album’s fourth No. 1 song.

Volume Five’s chart success has extended across respected bluegrass and roots music outlets, including Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s National Bluegrass Radio Survey, Bluegrass Today, Cashbox Magazine, and Roots Music Report, demonstrating a remarkable consistency at radio throughout the band’s career.

In 2025, Volume Five added another chapter to its recording history with the Mountain Fever Records album Leave A Light On. Staying true to the band's philosophy of putting the song first, the project blends its traditional bluegrass roots with the varied musical influences its members bring to Volume Five. Multiple singles from the project reached the Top 10 on the Bluegrass Today chart, and the album received significant airplay, including exposure on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction.

Volume Five’s extensive touring schedule has taken the band to festivals, concert series, theaters, and other music events across the country and beyond, allowing them to perform alongside many of bluegrass music’s most respected artists. Along the way, some of those fellow musicians have become fans themselves.

“What defines a great band? Superior musicianship, impeccable singing, moving song selections. Volume Five has all the above and more. They are extremely talented yet humble and genuinely real people. Volume Five has a magical quality about them that will undoubtedly make a lasting impression in the world of acoustic music,” says Buddy Melton.

More than 15 years after that first casual jam session, the qualities Harrell envisioned at the beginning remain at the core of Volume Five: a recognizable sound, exceptional musicianship, powerful singing, and songs that matter.

With two IBMA Awards, multiple Billboard Top 10 albums, numerous No. 1 radio songs, an extensive catalog of acclaimed recordings, and years of performances for bluegrass audiences, Volume Five has created exactly the musical identity Harrell envisioned from the start, one that sounds like Volume Five and no one else.