Colby T. Helms, a bluegrass and country musician from Southern Virginia, stopped by KGNU to share his music and stories from his life and career. He performed songs from his debut album Tales and Misfortune, including his heartfelt tribute Daddy’s Pocket Knife, and his upbeat homage to his hometown, Mountain Brandy. Colby discussed his band, the Virginia Creepers, his upcoming album recorded in Nashville, and how listeners can follow his music online. KGNU listeners got a taste of Colby’s East Coast roots, his storytelling, and his dedication to keeping traditional music alive. (Studio Session: 9/14/25)
Mike Finn: We have Colby Helms with us, and he’s gonna play a little. Colby, why don’t you just give a short introduction? I know you’re from Virginia, and sometimes you have a full band playing with you.
Colby T. Helms: My name’s Colby T. Helms, and I’m from Southern Virginia.
My band, the Virginia Creepers, just played our first show in Colorado. There are a whole lot of West Coast bluegrass bands that get to go out East, but I feel like from the East Coast it’s harder for us to make it out West. I’m very thankful to be out here playing some music, and I’m so happy to be on the station this morning.
Mike Finn: Yeah. Well, we’re happy to have you, and I’m sorry we can’t let everybody know ahead of time about your show last night, but that’s how it goes. Why don’t you go ahead and give us a sample—play us a couple tunes.
Colby T. Helms: Sounds good. This is my first single. It came out late 2023. We got this on Outlaw Sirius XM Radio and into rotation.
This is for all your Colorado folks who are missing the mountains out there. It’s called Higher Ground. [00:01:00]
[Performs “Higher Ground”]
Mike Finn: Wow. Very nice, very nice. I love the tune, but the lyrics were particularly cool on that one. I can see why it’s gotten a lot of airplay.
Colby T. Helms: Thank you.
Mike Finn: Go ahead and introduce the next tune you’d like to play.
Colby T. Helms: This next tune is very special to me, and I feel like it’s worthy of sharing. It’s off my debut album, Tales and Misfortune, which you can find on all streaming platforms.
I wrote this song when I was 13 years old about my daddy. He passed away when I was 12 from cancer. He was a big part of my life, a big storyteller, and he’s the one who got me into songwriting.
He carried a pocket knife with him to work every single day. After he passed away, that pocket knife went missing. About a year later, I found it and realized that he had placed it away so that one day I would find it and carry it again. I sat down and wrote this song. After I wrote it, my family said, “Alright, maybe you can write songs. Maybe you should keep on doing that.”
So I try to play this one wherever I go to honor my daddy. It’s called Daddy’s Pocket Knife. I hope you enjoy it. [00:05:00]
[Performs “Daddy’s Pocket Knife”]
Mike Finn: Wow. Very nice. I’m almost certain I’ve heard that song before a couple of times—probably on Outlaw Country or something. Seeing the name, I thought this might be the song I had heard. Awesome. Really cool. You’re a good songwriter, and an excellent musician too. So glad we can have you.
Hey, I was gonna ask you about your new album—Tales of… Misfortune?
Colby T. Helms: That’s actually my first album. I’m working on a new one I just recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with an awesome producer named Mr. David Ferguson. Hopefully we’ll get it out in 2026. It’s gonna have some bluegrass on it, some country flavors, but it’s all original music. We’re really excited to get that one out there.
Mike Finn: Great. I hope you send us a copy. I’m sure you will. Absolutely. I’d like you to play another one, but let me ask you—share with our listeners how they might be able to find out more about you: website, social media, that kind of thing.
Colby T. Helms: I have a website, colbyhelms.com. You can go on there, and a little newsletter pop-up will let you sign up with your email. You can find out where I’ll be playing, when I get new merch, and all the good news.
If you’d like to follow me on social media, just go to Colby T. Helms on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram—all the social media—and you can find out what’s going on with us. Please check me out out there, y’all.
Mike Finn: Cool, cool. And I have a little funny snippet I think you’ll enjoy. Have you ever heard of the Clever Lees?
Colby T. Helms: Absolutely.
Mike Finn: Yeah, first time I heard them they said, “Oh yeah, you can get us on that socialist media.“
Colby T. Helms: (laughs) Yeah.
Mike Finn: Alright, Colby, how about a tune to take us out?
Colby T. Helms: Alright. I wrote this tune to represent where I’m from—Franklin County, Virginia. We don’t have much claim to fame except for a certain substance that comes in a mason jar. We are known all across the world for this beautiful stuff. It’s called moonshine—or in the fancier terms, brandy.
I wrote this song to honor all the folks in Franklin County that are still carrying on that tradition. It’s called Mountain Brandy. If you’re ever out Virginia way, you’ll have to come down and see for yourself. Hope you enjoy it. [00:10:00]
[Performs “Mountain Brandy”]
Mike Finn: Really nice. Thank you, Colby. I’ve got Colby T. Helms with me in the station. Thanks for making the time, and I’m sure you picked up a few new fans. We’ll be waiting for you next time you come to Colorado.
Colby T. Helms: Thank you so much for having me.
Mike Finn: Okay, thank you. I’m gonna throw some Country Gentlemen your way.
Colby T. Helms: Alright.
