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Event
Across The Blue Ridge: Two NC/VA Musical Familiesat The Blue Ridge Music Center
Saturday, August 23rd's concert - from 7-9 PM - is entitled Across The Blue Ridge: Two NC/VA Musical Families, is hosted by Paul Brown and features performances by Donald Clifton & The Country Boys and Chester McMillian & Backstep.
A musician since childhood, Paul Brown spent years collecting and documenting traditional music in southwestern Virginia and northwest North Carolina, particularly the stunningly rich traditions around Mount Airy in the region known as Round Peak. As a performer, a record producer, and a radio hostformerly of Mount Airy's famous hometown station, WPAQ, and now reaching a national audience as a newscaster and reporter for National Public Radio's Morning EditionPaul Brown has introduced millions to the special world of Round Peak music, and helped to ensure its preservation and vitality for future generations. Paul spent years learning music directly from some of the last fiddle, banjo, and guitar players to emerge before the age of radio and recordings, including Tommy Jarrell, Gilmer Woodruff, Fields Ward, Robert Sykes, Luther Davis, Verlen Clifton, and Paul Sutphin. Paul has recorded with many of his friends including Bruce Molsky, Mike Seeger, and Tara Nevins. His most recent recordings are Way Down In North Carolina with Mike Seeger, Benton Flippen: Old Time, New Times, and Blue Ridge Mountain Holiday: The Breaking Up Christmas Story. His most recent recording, Red Clay County, features Paul's banjo playing, fiddling, and singing, and it has received a rave review from The Old-Time Herald magazine.
www.brownpaul.net
Terri McMurray moved to North Carolina in 1982 to be near some of the great old time fiddle and banjo players and spent a lot of time learning banjo from Tommy Jarrell and Dix Freeman. She has played with many other great traditional players, such as Earnest East, Benton Flippen, Paul Sutphin, Fields Ward, Luther Davis, Verlen Clifton, and Kyle Creed. Terri was a founding member of the original Old Hollow String Band, along with Riley Baugus and Kirk Sutphin. She caught the attention of Paul Brown when she beat him in the banjo contest at the 1982 Old Fiddlers' Convention in Galax, VA and later joined him in matrimony and in the Toast String Stretchers.
www.mostlymountainboys.com/Terri_McMurray.html
Donald Clifton was born and raised in Surry County where he was exposed to traditional music and dance as a young boy. Donald's aunt played the guitar, and she showed him some chords to help him get started. After that, Donald listened to records and learned to play by ear. Donald stuck with the guitar for a few years, but he also became interested in playing the bass fiddle. He got a bass from his wife's uncle and, with some help from a neighbor, worked at it until he learned to play. There were a lot of music jams and dances with numerous guitar players, but there was seldom a bass around. Donald filled the needed niche, and soon he was playing with local bands. The first group he played for was with fiddler Earnest East. "Playing with that group was the most help with my timing," Donald says. "They were a good old-timey band with great rhythm."
Donald was always interested in bluegrass music, so he decided to form his own group, The Country Boys, about thirty-five years ago, and the band has been playing ever since. The band has played in most of the regional fiddlers conventions, and they have won the coveted first place in the Galax Fiddlers Convention competition a few times. The band also placed second runner up in the old Union Grove Fiddlers Convention. The band specialized in fiddle tunes and got a lot of their repertoire from Kenny Baker and Lester Flatt. More recent influences have come from the Country Gentlemen. "We don't try to copy them," says Donald. "But, we play a lot of their material."
A number of musicians have played in the group over the years, but a core group has been together for a long time. Johnny Joyce and Donald Clifton have been playing and singing together for more than thirty years; J.A. Midkiff joined the band more than twenty years ago; and Tim Bowman has been playing banjo with the band for about nineteen years. The newest member of the current lineup, Kevin Easter, joined the band about five years ago.
"We just enjoy playing," says Donald Clifton.
Backstep performs old-time stringband music in the "Round Peak Style" native to Mount Airy, North Carolina. Known for its driving rhythms and prominent melodies, Round Peak music is just the thing to make you kick up your heels and dance. The band won first place old-time band at the Mount Airy Fiddler's Convention in 2006. In 2004, Backstep won first prize at both the Fiddler's Grove fiddler's convention and the Mount Airy Fiddler's Convention. The band was featured on Mike Seeger's Old-time Banjo Styles instructional video featuring Kirk Sutphin on banjo.
Chester McMillian, one of the founders of the band, was born in Carroll County, Virginia, into a musical family and community. He has played traditional oldtime Round Peak style music since childhood. By the time he was eleven or twelve years old, he was living in Surry County and taking an active part in the Round Peak music community. In 1962, Chester married into Dix Freeman's family, and the two began playing a lot of music together. Chester played guitar with Tommy Jarrell for fifteen years, and he developed his guitar style specifically to play with Tommy. He has also played and recorded with Dix Freeman, Kirk Sutphin, and Greg Hooven, with whom he founded Backstep.
Nick McMillian was raised in the Round Peak community surrounded by music. He is truly of the tradition, bringing a whole family history into his banjo, fiddle and bass playing. He first learned to play banjo from his grandfather, Dix Freeman, whose style he can closely imitate. He also plays Round Peak fiddle style. Steeped in music from an early age, Nick made his first recording, "Back Step," at age eleven, and has performed in public since the age of eight. He also recorded with the New Pilot Mountaineers on fiddle and banjo. Nick's musical mentors include Fred Cockerham, his grandfather Dix Freeman, and father Chester McMillian.
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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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