Can a fan of the heavy metal band Metallica and a fan of the Bluegrass great Earl Scruggs ever find a common musical ground to stand on?

The surprising answer is, yes, in the form of Bluegrass Cover band Iron Horse. This band, comprising Vance Henry, Anthony Richardson, Ricky Rogers, and Tony Robertson, is well known in the Shoals area as a rare and intriguing sound.

Iron Horse began their unique career in 2003 after Jim Silvers of CMH Records heard their “Riding Out The Storm” CD on www.cdbaby.com and asked them to cover two Metallica songs. When Silvers heard their covers, two songs turned into an entire album entitled, “Fade to Bluegrass.”

“When we were originally asked about this, we wondered if it could even be done. The two genres are so far apart,” said Henry, who plays guitar for Iron Horse.

Rogers, who plays the banjo for the band, agreed with Henry. “I had only heard of Metallica,” he said. “We had given some thought to doing covers of softer rock. But when you’ve got head banging music like Metallica, you almost want to say from the beginning that it can’t be done.”

Despite their early misgivings, the band decided to give it a try. What they discovered was a new-found respect for the heavy metal band.

“It wasn’t until we delved into the music that we saw what was there and how talented Metallica really is,” Richardson said. “After we did a couple of songs, we got excited about it. We spent more time on that than we have on anything we’ve done since.”

And the band has certainly done a lot. Included in their list of accomplishments is a European tour, a Grammy nomination for “Fade to Bluegrass”, public recognition from Metallica themselves (the band sometimes plays Iron Horse’s covers before a concert), the honor of performing at the wedding of the daughter of Katherine Ross Johnson of Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals, and appearances on the Liz Wilde and Rick and Bubba shows, causing such heavy fan traffic that their website crashed.

“We’ve seen a lot of things that we wouldn’t have been able to see without these projects,” said Robertson.

Now Iron Horse has another project. Their Christmas CD is entitled, “Small Town Christmas,” The CD consists entirely of original material in the popular Bluegrass genre the band is known for. With Christmas right around the corner, this CD will be a best seller. More than 100,000 copies of the compiled works of Iron Horse have been sold so far.

“This CD is awesome,” said Josh Coots, a fan of Metallica and The Goo Goo Dolls. Coots finds the Bluegrass take on some of his favorite band’s songs refreshing. “It would make a great Christmas present. I think the original songs are as good as the songs that Iron Horse covers of other bands.”

“Small Town Christmas” can be found at Counts Brothers Music in Muscle Shoals. To learn more about this established band with the unique sound, visit their official website at www.ironhorsebluegrass.com.