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Event
Stevie Barr & The Mastertones with The Slate Mountain Ramblers at The Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center's (Milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Galax, VA) Saturday Evening Concert Series held in the Center's beautiful outdoor amphitheater nestled at the foot of Fisher Peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Saturday, September 6th's concert - from 7-9 PM - features Galax based Bluegrass Band Stevie Barr & The Mastertones and Blue Ridge Mountain Old Time Mountain Music Band The Slate Mountain Ramblers featuring Richard Bowman.
A fine bluegrass banjo player, Stevie Barr was born in 1975 in Galax, VA, in the very heart of old-time string band country. The son of Rebecca and Thomas Barr, he grew up in a family dedicated to making music, and was playing banjo by the age of four. Thomas, a fiddle maker, owned and operated Tom Barr's Fiddle Shop in Galax, a gathering spot for bluegrass and old-time musicians the world over, and Stevie literally grew up in the shop, taking it all in and becoming a fine player in his own right. He made his first recording, a cassette of bluegrass banjo classics, in 1986. He formed the bluegrass group No Speed Limit with Jacob Eller on bass and vocalist Amber Collins (who was only 16 when the band first came together), who were eventually joined by Josh Pickett on guitar and Ryan Blevins on mandolin. The group released a CD, Bluegrass Lullaby, in 2005, followed by a second, Sweet Virginia, a year later in 2006. Barr has also released two solo albums, Then and Now Bluegrass Banjo and Along the Crooked Road, which appeared on Arhoolie Records in 2007.
The Slate Mountain Ramblers, featuring fiddler Richard Bowman, have long been a staple both at fiddler's conventions and dances in the NW North Carolina and SW Virginia area. They are one of the finest family stringbands of the Blue Ridge. Fueled by Richard's energetic fiddling, and backed up by daughter Marcia's rock-solid, clawhammer banjo and wife Barbara's driving bass, the Slate Mountain Ramblers provide the perfect elements for a square dance; good rhythm and great old-time tunes. The band was formed 29 years ago around the time Marsha was born and earlier members included: Ray Chatfield, Bill Mansfield, Dan Williams, Buck Stouton and Barbara Poole. For the last 20 years, the current lineup has centered around the family with additional musical support from guitarist, Ted Ashe. In addition, to being fine musicians and winning numerous ribbons as an old-time band, Marcia and Barbara have won many dance contests with their flatfooting and clogging. The Slate Mountain Ramblers have performed in England, Austria, and across the US but they are best known as a mainstay of the dance and festival culture locally here within the region.
http://www.blueridgemusiccenter.org/Slate_Mountain_Ramblers.aspx
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LocationBlue Ridge Music Center (View)
700 Foothills Road
Galax , VA 24333
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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