As I sat at the red light enjoying the kidney stone splitting bass whumping and the truly inspiring lyrics about pimping, I took some delight in knowing that the young gentlemen in the car next to me would go deaf many years before I. Luckily they turned off into the parking lot of a sound shop, sparing me further second hand nerve damage. As the sound of the bass slowly faded, my attentions returned to the wonderful sounds of Ralph and The Clinch Mountain Boys’ Hills of Home playing at a most reasonable volume level on my car’s cassette player.
It is easy for the average person to assume that all youth listen to such wonderfully composed and arranged songs about chillin’ in the hood and popping a cap in a cop. However, not all youth are playing music which guarantees them a lifetime membership in the Beltone club by age 25, many are playing bluegrass. Inspired perhaps by younger musical groups such as Nickel Creek or movies such as Oh Brother!, there seem to be more and more youngsters pursuing this genre of music.
Bobby Wilborn of Ringgold, a long time picker, promoter, and ambassador of bluegrass, in a recent conversation stated “I have never seen so many young pickers in my life,” as he had seen at this year’s Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association (SPBGMA) convention held annually in Nashville. Steve Daugherty of Mountain Music in Redbank also reports this upward trend, remarking that a steady stream of young people coming into his shop to looking for traditional bluegrass and old time instruments.
The area around Chattanooga is full of bluegrass bands that play on a semi-professional level, and many more pickers that do it for the sheer enjoyment without compensation. Many of the hot shot pickers in the region can’t even vote yet, but they play like seasoned veterans. These are not just cutesy kid bands coming to show off for their families, these are serious hardcore bluegrassers with stage experience and recording projects under their belts.
James Kee, a Notre Dame High School student from Signal Mountain, has played with the big boys for several years now. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, James can rip out a fine break on a banjo, chop like a veteran on mandolin, or provide excellent rhythm and effortless runs on the acoustic guitar. He has performed with many veteran bands in the area. He turns up at many of the area’s bluegrass venues either to jam or perform.
Another fine example is the Barker Boys of Copper Hill, Tenn. They have already released a CD, sponsored their own festival, and appeared on television several times. When you hear them crank up you know that Jeremy and Jonathan have put in their practice time. They and their parents Angila and Scott have shared the stage with some of the heavyweghts – IIIrd Tyme Out, Ralph Stanley, the Lonesome River Band, and Honi Deaton. At ages 13 and 16, they pick well enough to run with the big dogs.
From Dalton comes the banjo boy Garrett Arb. He recently won first place in a regional picking contest in Cartersville, Ga. and played the Ballad Of Jed Clampett to enthusiastic audiences at the Catoosa Colonnade during the staging of The Beverly Hillbillies. He also has cut a CD and entertained audiences with his interpretation of the character Terrance Bulware in productions of the bluegrass musical Fat Shirley’s.
The Lovell Sisters Band from Calhoun has been on a fast ride in the professional festival circuit since they first appeared at the Mountain Opry in Walden, Tenn. less than two years ago. This group captured first place in the National Teen Talent Contest sponsored by Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion in 2005. One of the sisters, Rebecca captured third in the mandolin contest at Merlefest and second at Winfield, Kansas. (For readers unfamiliar with these contests, they are the big ones - money paying competitions with full bragging rights).The band has opened for Ronnie Milsap, performed at the Charleston, S.C. Picolo Spoleto, and shared their talents at the Kennedy Center. They are currently booked in 20 states.
Outta the Blue comes out of the hills of Lenoir City, Tenn. Another sister act, the group is composed of the Holloway Sisters of Lenoir City. All of the sisters sing and many of their high lonesome tunes have been crafted by their mother Nancy, who also serves as the band’s manager. This young group of ladies has played at numerous regional festivals and events, winning the hearts of the audiences with their smiles and musical abilities. They have appeared with such groups as Pine Mountain Railroad, and Southern Cross, and have opened for Blue Moon Rising and the Sisters of the Silver Sage.
According to a national survey, bluegrass is one of the fastest growing styles of music in the United States, with a listening audience in excess of 4.5 million. There are bluegrass radio programs scattered all over the country which tend to have a very loyal listener base and more than 500 festivals scheduled for 2006. This music has become international in scope as evidenced by the growth in the membership of the Nashville based International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the formation of the European Bluegrass Association and the numerous bluegrass programs originating out of Australia. Hopefully one day as I am waiting for the red light to change, the bass I hear whumping next to me will be that of an upright dog house keeping time for the high lonesome vocals of a young talented area bluegrasser.
(Thomas Brown is an educator, songwriter, freelance writer, and banjo enthusiast. You can contact him at spatialeffectsbluegrass@yahoo.com)