Paul Brown, Terri McMurray and John Schwab played a house concert on 24 May at Gene Bowlen’s home in Harrisonburg, VA. Great concert space. See http://www.bearcademusic.com
John Schwab is the author of “Old-Time Backup Guitar: Learn from the Masters.” He has played with the Hoover Uprights, two-time winners of the traditional band competition at Clifftop.
Paul Brown, a long time broadcast and online journalist with NPR, is a very talented fiddler and banjo player, and the producer of several significant old time recordings including several that immortalized the music of Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys.
Terri McMurray was a founding member of the original Old Hollow String Band, along with Riley Baugus and Kirk Sutphin. As her bio says, 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.”
They make great old time music, playing a great range of styles. Paul and Terri play clawhammer. Paul up picks a variety of styles. A bit of two and three finger stuff. Here’s their latest CD:
http://www.mostlymountainboys.com/Store.html
I especially liked the version of Cluck Old Hen that Paul learned from Ed Weaver of Stuarts Draft, VA. They played it last night. I purchased the CD and went right home with the goal of learning this version from their CD. Quite different from the Cluck Old Hen we all know and love.
Play Hard,
Lew