Larry Stephenson and Randy Graham with The Bluegrass Cardinals (9/18/25) – photo © Dan Schram
Randy Graham had a big night this past Thursday, going into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of The Bluegrass Cardinals, and performing several of their big songs on the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards show in Chattanooga, TN. With a long and storied career in bluegrass, which also included memorable stints with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, David Parmley & Continental Divide, New Quicksilver, and in their reunion format, Baucom Bibey, Graham, and Haley, he was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.
But following their performance at the Awards Show, Graham was enjoying the afterglow when he suddenly lost consciousness, causing alarm among all in the vicinity. He was swiftly taken by ambulance to the hospital there in Chattanooga.
But he says that he is fine, after six hours of tests from the medical staff found nothing amiss with his vital organs, and no sign of a stroke.
Today he reports feeling fit as a fiddle, spending several hours doing yard work, not an easy task for a 79 year old in the best of health.
Randy says that he was a bit nervous on the show, playing songs he hadn’t done for years, but there was no warning of any kind before he passed out.
“I was stressed, but not a hint of any thing physically. At the time of the incident, I had lived 79 years and 14 days, and can unequivocally state that nothing like this has ever happened. Further, with the exception of self-inflicted wounds, this is the first time I’ve been in the hospital since my birth. I’ve enjoyed remarkably good health.
Thing was, there was absolutely no pain whatsoever. I was lucid one minute and on the floor the next. With the exception of a little IBMA sleep deprivation, I feel fine. It’s an absolute mystery, with a more than welcome outcome.”
He couldn’t skip joking about nearly upstaging his own Hall of Fame induction as well.
As they say, all’s well that ends well, and for Randy Graham that is just what happened.
Good news for sure.
