Greg Cahill, band leader and banjoist with Special Consensus, kicked off a Tuesday morning session at World of Bluegrass ’25 discussing the changes that he has witnessed in bluegrass over the past 50 years. He has been playing banjo since the early ’70s, and founded Special C in the Chicago area. The band has recorded 19 projects, five of which earned IBMA awards, and two were Grammy-nominated.
A former board chair of IBMA and of the IBMA Foundation, Cahill has received IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award as well as being named a Kentucky Colonel. He has taught at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago for over 40 years, as well as conducting workshops and masters classes at bluegrass camps worldwide.
This man who has dedicated his life to music spoke humbly, on his birthday, and shared his beginnings.
“I’m honored to speak. It started as friends, then jams, then playing for parties, and then we formed a band in 1973 and started playing clubs. It wa a way to learn how to play bluegrass together.
1975 was a milestone year. We were eaten up with music. We quit our day jobs and thought we’d do it for two or three years, but that didn’t work. It just got worse. The desire was overwhelming!
I didn’t want to be a band leader, but began leading by default. We decided to be a business and make commitments. Chicago was a vibrant music scene. A lot of different genres supported each other and formed a community.
We traveled in two Datsun station wagons and would be gone three to four weeks at a time. It wasn’t easy. Sometimes we slept in rest areas or took mattresses off the bed in hotels. Two would sleep on the mattress and two on the box springs. Calls were made on pay phones in gas stations.
I learned to stay calm. You have to be determined. You have to work for it to do what it takes. You make so many friends. It’s a gut-level connection.
We bought a sound system and a van. Each put in $500, and then when someone leaves they want their money back. You have to be prepared for the reality of it. It’s all about relationships. How do you stay with your partner after you have kids?”
Next Cahill talked about the business side of music.
“Publicity and advertising are crucial. You have to believe in yourself. For the first couple of years, it was always that one big gig. Always waiting one more year.
My parents were so supportive. Dad was a CPA. He did my taxes and he’d say, ‘How can you live on that?’ When he retired, he booked our band. Sometimes I would say, ‘Dad, I don’t know if I’ll continue.’ Dad would say, ‘Give it one more year.’ Five days later, he died of a heart attack so that was it. There was no way that I could do anything else.”
Greg then shared how he named his band.
“Carlos Casteneda came out with his first book, The Teachings of Don Juan, on the Yaqui Indians and their spiritual side. One of their ways of being spiritual is to follow the path with heart. The place in this physical world where these things connect is a very special place in the spiritual world. That spot is called the Special Consensus, and that’s how we got the band name.”
Next, Greg talked about changes in band personnel.
“You have to have mutual respect and remain friends. Expect members to leave. Don’t try to totally replace that person. Bring in someone with something different. We benefit from it. Personality has a lot to do with choosing people to be in a band, not just great talent. Keep growing. Don’t stop. Keep bringing in new ideas.”
Then he talked about the band’s repertoire
“We all listen to new material. The best thing that happened to Special Consensus was being signed by Alison Brown and Compass Records with Garry West. We’ve been with them for 12 years.
Our first record [with Compass], 35, that was for 35 years. She wanted to record us in the studio, Hillbilly Central. I asked her to produce it. We talked about the songs. She would write out charts and brainstorm. There’s no filler song. Every song is like an album. It keeps the attention of the audience. We change lead singers and key changes; sometimes we make up a bridge. It’s always a learning process and it never ends.”
Cahill is also an educator.
“Back in the 1980s, a teacher friend asked me to bring a banjo into class. Hearing me, other teachers asked. So I asked our guitarist, Chris Jones, to join me. I decided to create an oral program. I went to the library and put together the TAM [Traditional American Music] Program, an introduction for any level [of student]. It was part of the joy: making music to share with young people. It was a big part of us. It was a commitment to work with the kids.”
Greg was also asked to give advice to his 25-year-old former self.
“Keep the faith. At times, it will feel overwhelming. Believe in yourself. This is who I am. I think I can do it. If you stay on the path with heart, it will work.”
Greg Cahill concluded his session saying…
“I’m starting on my next 50 years. I’m still at one more year. I’m constantly adding something new. Music is always in motion and growing. I want to stay on top of it, individually and as a band.”
From the audience, Joe Newberry, commented, “You are special.”
The audience readily agreed.
