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NashCamp
Bluegrass Weeks 2005
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Greg
Cahill - Banjo, Bluegrass Week I Greg Cahill plays banjo and sings baritone and tenor vocals. Chicago born and bred, Greg has been playing bluegrass banjo since the early 1970s and formed The Special Consensus in 1975. Greg has composed many banjo instrumentals and released three albums featuring his unique style: Lone Star (1980) with guests Jethro Burns and Byrone Berline, Blue Skies (1992) with fellow Chicagoan Don Stiernberg, and Night Skies (1998) with Don and guests Sam Bush, Glen Duncan and Tom Boyd. He has appeared on all of The Special Consensus recordings, on numerous recordings by other artists, and on many national television and radio commercials as the banjo player of choice on Chicago's busy jingle music scene. In addition to conducting workshops at festivals and teaching at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Greg has released four instructional videos and is the Chairperson of the International Bluegrass Music Association's Bluegrass In The Schools Committee. |
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Fletcher
Bright - Fiddle, Bluegrass Week I With many years of teaching under his belt (eleven years at Augusta Bluegrass Week), Fletcher specializes in bowing patterns, double stops, tone quality and back-up and classic bluegrass breaks. His fiddling career began in the 40's listening to Chubby Wise, Benny Martin, and Tommy Magness on the Grand Ole Opry. He knows more bluegrass and old-time fiddle tunes than most people ever hear in their lives. His band, The Dismembered Tennesseans, have been together for over 50 years and recently played at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC representing music of their home state. Says Fletcher, "I love to fiddle and love to teach. I will play with anyone who asks and am always good for another jam session." |
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Jim
Hurst - Bluegrass Singing, Bluegrass Weeks I and II
Jim has recently been awarded his second IBMA guitar player of the year trophy. With his rich, warm vocals, Jim sings and plays everything from blues to bluegrass with equal finesse. He has toured with Trisha Yearwood, Holly Dunn, Claire Lynch, The McCarter Sisters and John Cowan. With 28 years in the business, Jim is rapidly becoming known as an artist in his own right, bringing musical maturity and sensitivity along with a high level of creativity to his sound. In 1998 Jim released his debut solo album, Open Window, and is now enjoying the success of "Two", his recent release with Missy Raines. "Merle Travis and Chet Atkins made me take a turn in the road.", says Jim. But he considers his biggest influence to come from Jerry Reed. "...a red-hot flatpicking guitarist, a strong, soulful vocalist, and a dexterous, versatile fingerpicker." - Bluegrass Unlimited |
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Chris
Jones - Guitar, Bluegrass Week II Chris' powerful approach to traditional bluegrass, his uncompromising professionalism and his quick wit build a strong bond between him and audiences worldwide. His strong rhythm and masterful lead guitar playing is influenced by George Shuffler, Larry Sparks and Tony Rice. Chris' guitar skill has brought him work as a sideman in Nashville, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry with Laurie Lewis, the Whitstein Brothers, and touring with Warner Brothers acoustic country group the McCarters and fiddle legend Vassar Clements. His Break Time column appears in Flatpicking Guitar magazine. Chris currently leads his own band, "Chris Jones & The Night Drivers". His last release for Rebel Records spent time on the Americana chart and recently spent 4 months in the top 10 of the National Bluegrass Survey. |
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Barbara
Lamb - Fiddle, Bluegrass Week II As a founding member of legendary yodeling cowgirl band Ranch Romance, Babs recorded three CDs for Sugar Hill Records and has gone on to record two solo fiddle CDs of her own: Fiddle Fatale and Tonight I Feel Like Texas. She's toured with Asleep At The Wheel, Riders In The Sky, the John Cowan Band, and Sweethearts Of The Rodeo. She's lit up the airwaves on The Grand Ole Opry, Prairie Home Companion, the 70th Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry (CBS), The CMA Awards (CBS), Prime Time Country (TNN), and An Evening with Robert Fulghum (PBS). Barbara currently plays with The Laura Love Band. And did we mention that Ms. Lamb gave Mark O'Connor his first fiddle lessons? |
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Missy
Raines - Bass, Bluegrass Weeks I and II A favorite in bluegrass music, Missy is the IBMA's '98, '99, '00, and '01 Bass Player Of The Year and a five time nominee for that honor from SPBGMA, of which she was the 1998 winner. Missy's debut solo album My Place In The Sun was named on of the top five bluegrass recordings of 1998 by The Chicago Tribune. She has toured the US and Europe with The Eddie Adcock Band. For four years she toured with Grammy nominee Claire Lynch. Missy has appeared on TNN's Prime Time Country, The Grand Ole Opry Live and This Week In Country Music. Missy is the winner of Bluegrass Now's Fan's Choice Award. "...Raines is among those reshaping the role of the bluegrass bassist..." - Bass Player Magazine |
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Mike
Witcher - Dobro, Bluegrass Weeks I & II Southern California resonator guitarist Michael Witcher boasts a long list of credits, both as a session player and as a sideman. He has performed with the Witcher Brothers, Laurel Canyon Ramblers, Laurie Lewis, bluegrass legends Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, The Lonesome River Band and Dolly Parton. Michael can be heard on a wide range of recording projects, having recorded for Universal Studios Tours, CMH Records and The History Channel's "History's Mysteries." He was also featured on the CBS movie of the week "Papa's Angels." Michael's Resonator Guitar instructional book has gained much acclaim from slide players worldwide. At age 20 Michael is already a much sought-after Southern California player, and is rapidly making his mark on the national bluegrass scene. |
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Roland
White - Mandolin, Bluegrass Week I Springing from a large family of musicians, Roland, along with brothers Eric and Clarence, first formed a band in southern California, The Country Boys (later to become the Kentucky Colonels). Moving from The Kentucky Colonels to a position as guitarist for Bill Monroe in the late ‘60s, Roland absorbed the traditional feel and repertoire from the Father Of Bluegrass that remains a strong element in his music today. Roland’s most recent musical affiliation, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, distinguished themselves as the premier bluegrass band of their generation, winning two Grammys and Grammy nominations on all of their albums. After a career devoted to playing bluegrass in several of the most influential groups in the music’s history, Roland now fronts his own group, The Roland White Band. He is known as one of the few unique stylists on the mandolin, with his own unmistakable sound and touch. Add to this his mastery of ensemble playing, harmonic sophistication, and warm voice guided by a subtle and swinging sense of phrasing, and you have the legend that Roland has become. |
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Matt
Flinner - Mandolin, Bluegrass Week II An experienced and popular workshop teacher, multi-Instrumentalist Matt Flinner has made a career out of playing acoustic music in new ways. Starting out as a banjo prodigy who was playing bluegrass festivals before he entered his teens, Flinner later took up the mandolin, won the banjo contest at Winfield Kansas in 1990, and took the mandolin award there the following year. Flinner's decision to focus on eight-stringed instruments, especially the mandolin, was primarily a function of opportunity. He explains, "I was getting more work on the mandolin." Sugarbeat, an eclectic quartet that also featured banjoist Tony Furtado, lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Demerath and bassist Sally Truitt allowed him the opportunity to master the mandolin in a contemporary folk and bluegrass context. |
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Tim
Scheerhorn - Setup and Care of Stringed Instruments, Bluegrass Weeks
I and II The list of folks who use Tim Scheerhorn's guitars reads like a who's who of resonator and slide guitarists. Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Sally VanMeter, Rob Ickes, Ben Harper, Phil Leadbetter, and Jimmy Stewart all rely on their Scheerhorns. Luthier Scheerhorn has background training as a tool and die maker, a tool engineer, and is a specialist in process automation for manufacturing. In the past, his hobbies generally involved rebuilding something - either boats or classic cars. But in 1986, Scheerhorn picked up a resonator guitar and later found himself immersed in the world of custom guitar building. Although Scheerhorn did have prior experience setting up banjos and resonator guitars for other players, he had never built a musical instrument from scratch. He did possess a new OMI Dobro, and a Regal from the 1930s. In February of 1989, Scheerhorn began building guitars based on the Regal model and his own innovations. In the summer of 1989 the guitar was tested by Mike Auldridge (Seldom Scene) at the Winterhawk festival in New York. Encouraged by Auldridge"s enthusiasm, Scheerhorn returned to his workshop and continued building. Tim joins NashCamp's staff as a teacher in set-up and care of instruments, band coach, and resonator guitar instructor. |
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Brad
Davis - Guitar, Bluegrass Week I Brad Davis has been grabbing the ears of producers, record executives, players and fans for a decade. He is the author of a line of music instructional courses distributed internationally by Melbay Inc., and is well know in instructional circles for his fine teaching skills. Brad has developed his own style of teaching ear training for beginning musicians.For the last seven years Brad has been a columnist for Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. His own band "wHITE wATER" debuted on the Bill Monroe portion of the Grand Ole Opry. White Water tours throughout the year and their "Dave Mathews"' brand of bluegrass has been blowing people out of their seats for some time now! Brad toured five years with Warner Bros. recording artist - The Forester Sisters, two years with The Sweet Hearts of the Rodeo and ten years with Marty Stuart. Brad currently tours with: Earl Scruggs, Sam Bush and Marty Stuart. Brad holds the patent to an amazing string bending device for the guitar called the Brad Bender. |
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Alan O'Bryant - Banjo, Bluegrass Week
II Banjoist/vocalist for the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Alan was 12 when he fell in love with the banjo. As soon as he graduated from high school in 1974, he headed for Nashville, met Pat Enright, and the two began singing together in clubs. His first pro job was as sideman for James Monroe, then he joined the Front Porch String Band. In '82 he played rhythm guitar and sang on John Starling's LP Waiting on a Southern Train. After that, he formed the NBB, and the rest is history. With two Grammy Awards, two Entertainer of the Year honors from the IBMA, and four wins as IBMA's Vocal Group of the Year, the band is no stranger to acclaim. Recently performing on the wildly successful film soundtracks "O Brother Where Art Thou" and "Down From the Mountain", NBB has become the acoustic music group to watch in the new millennium. |
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Cindy Sinclair - NashCamp Director
A native of Illinois, Cindy grew up playing music with her family. One of her earliest jobs was as a singer/banjo player on the steamboat Julia Belle Swain, and it was during this time that she had the good fortune to become friends with revered singer/songwriter John Hartford and his wife Marie, who convinced her to move to Nashville to find work. Sinclair followed Hartford's advice, but first she took care of some minor formalities: She received a double BA in Music and Theatre, Southern Illinois University. A member of AEA, AFTRA, SAG (former Nashville president), and the DGA, Sinclair's credits speak for themselves. Her TV production resume includes The Grammy Awards, The Latin Grammy Awards, The NARAS All Star Tribute to Elton John, The CMA Awards, The TNN Music City News Awards, The George Jones Show, The Statler Brothers Show, Willie Nelson & Friends, The ABC Walt Disney Christmas Parade, the series On The Record With Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Olivia Newton John, Dolly Parton, and more. Cindy is honored to be NashCamp's coordinating director. |
