The Time Jumpers - Kid Sister

'Kid Sister' isn't just The Time Jumpers' fond farewell to a fallen musical comrade. It's also a luminous demonstration of how music alleviates pains of all sorts, whether death, heartbreak, separation, loneliness, or just the messy fallout of plain bad judgment.

The 'kid sister' of the title is Dawn Sears, The Time Jumpers' infinitely versatile girl singer, who died Dec. 11, 2014 after 10 years of gracing the band and 22 years of touring as harmony singer for Vince Gill, now an enthusiastic Time Jumper himself. She was the wife of Time Jumpers bandleader and fiddler, Kenny Sears.

For the uninitiated and yet-to-be dazzled, the four-time Grammy-nominated The Time Jumpers is a 10-piece band made up of superpickers who normally pay their bills by working recording sessions or touring with major artists. Apart from Gill, who provides vocals and guitars, and Kenny Sears with fiddle and vocals, The Time Jumpers include Joe Spivey and Larry Franklin, fiddles and vocals; Paul Franklin, steel guitar; Ranger Doug Green, guitars and vocals; Billy Thomas, drums and vocals; Jeff Taylor, accordion, piano and vocals; Andy Reiss, guitars; and Brad Albin, bass.

The album stands as a testament to the camaraderie and stellar talent that the Time Jumpers exude with every note they play. With ten members, multiple writers, 7 lead singers, and an unending supply of virtuosity, the band is the very definition of versatility, while always maintaining their signature Western Swing style.