The Cumberland Trail Suite: Musicians’ Profiles Emma Bell Miles artwork Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library A gala benefit concert at the gorgeous Tivoli Theater in Downtown on Friday, March 22nd 7:30- 10:00 pm. The concert benefits the Friends of the Cumberland, a non-profit created to sup- port the development of the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail and its related natural areas and park lands. The Friends contribute to the protection of natural beauty and unrivaled bio- diversity, impressive historic structures and priceless archaeological heritage, and celebrate the cultural heritage of the people and communities who neighbor the Cumberland Trail. Hosting and Performing~ Hosting and Performing~ Rhiannon Giddens: Tim O’Brien: Rhiannon Giddens didn’t know what to Tim O’Brien does it all, with musical gifts expect when she traveled to the first Black Ban- that leave his audiences in awe. He can jo Gathering at Appalachian State University fill an auditorium standing singly beside in 2005. In a day, she met the musicians that an assemblage of instruments, but he’s of- changed her life. Joe Thompson was there, ten paired with other master musicians, an African-American fiddler born in 1918, the best of their time. His virtuosity who lived not far from her home in the North has humble beginnings in West Virginia. Carolina Piedmont. A street musician named He absorbed his parent’s Perry Como re- Dom Flemons also showed up, and the soaring cords and the Lawrence Welk Show, but and raucus style of the Carolina Chocolate abandoned them for Dylan. He plugged Drops roared out. A music critic put it this away at the Peter Gunn Theme on a box way, “The minute the Carolina Chocolate Drops guitar, until his paper route afforded an were formed, the American music landscape was a electric guitar. With ten rock numbers much better place.” The Drops have since pro- and some school friends, he became a duced six albums, including a Grammy-wining performer. He kept the box, though, project entitled Genuine Negro Jig. tinkering with acoustic and folk music. At age 16 an aunt passed on her violin to Tim. Rhiannon grew up with the folk-style sound of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Disney classics, and some Segovia in the house. Love of singing led her to the distinguished Two years later, a mandolin and Sing Out! tablature led him to explore a multitude Oberlin Conservancy for classical training, and hard work cast her in leading roles of old-time fiddle tunes. By 1978, he was a charter member of Hot Rize, launching a in their operas. She was also taken in by sounds that were less formal, like Celtic 12-year career as a fiddler, singer, and mandolinist in the internationally acclaimed fiddling and old-time music. When she discovered the banjo’s African identity, bluegrass band. It was perhaps the most successful group carrying progressive sounds she searched for a means to explore all the history and music that surrounded forward, while acknowledging bluegrass’s root music, plus making some fun as a its mysteries. Her songwriting and arrangements have been lauded for their counterfeit western swing and country band, Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. complicated, entangled, genre references, all at once down home, modern, hip, and showy. Rhiannon and her band just might change the future of acoustic music. Tim O’Brien’s music remains an assemblage of very original compositions, tones, techniques, and melodies from lost times and new minds. He’s twice been honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association as Male Vocalist of the Year, and has a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album, Fiddler’s Green. His abundant voice captures everyone’s attention, and is heard on the soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain. Partnerships on stage or record with Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, Mark Knopfler, and The Chieftans have creat- ed extraordinary new music, and his own compositions have been recorded by The Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea, and Nickel Creek. Tim O’Brien has previously performed in Chattanooga, riverside, at the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival. 2 3 Featured Musicians of the Cumberlands Fletcher Bright: Tony Trischka, “the Godfather of New Acoustic Music” has named Fletcher Bright as his “favor- Ed Brown: Ed became a cult hero ite fiddler in the country” to play beside at a jam session- among progressive 5-string banjoists quite an endorsement! Fletcher Bright is the Chattanooga with two extraordinary albums in fiddler, and Chattanooga’s greatest supporter of traditional the early 1970s, Magnum Banjos, and bluegrass music. Playing for the National Folk Festival then Sequel to Magnum Banjos. These and the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, teaching fiddle were among of the most impressive workshops from Canada to England, creating and producing and advanced double and triple the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival/Bluegrass on the River, banjo arrangements on record in and receiving the Governor’s Award in the Arts–all reflect that early progressive era, released a lifetime of generosity, good humor, and great music. on Ed’s personal and obscure label, Sequatchie Records. Bobby Thompson, Nashville’s revered Ed “Doc” Cullis has played banjo with Fletcher for 65 years, since he banjo pioneer, became the third banjo on the Sequel album. No overdubbing, of course. was a 7th grader and Fletcher a senior at McCallie. Doc witnessed the entire evolution of bluegrass banjo, and joined along, starting with Music has been Ed’s profession all of his life, but he’s remained at home in the Sequatchie rock-solid Scruggs-style when it was a modern wonder, then taking Valley, while playing out at theaters, churches, and festivals, and teaching more than one melodic forays after Bill Keith introduced a new style almost 20 years generation of Sequatchie Valley musicians. He established a community amphitheater, later. Some other members of the invincible Dismembered Tennesseans and launched the Dunlap Coke Ovens Festival, and has performed at the Smithsonian will be hand – the full band includes Laura Walker (bass), Bobby Martin Festival of American Folklife. With his father, Ray “Georgia Boy” Brown, he recorded and (guitar), Don Cassell (mandolin) and Brian Blaylock (dobro and guitar). performed with Fiddling Bob Douglas, one of our region’s most influential musicians. Earl T. Bridgeman: Earl is the last living bluesman in the The Chattanooga Choral Society for the Preservation of African American Song: Sequatchie Valley. His father, Shorty Bridgeman, was a Perhaps America’s first great contribution well-loved African-American fiddler who played for white to the body of world music is found in the dances alongside Jess Young, “the Fiddlin’ Coal Miner,” who spirituals and camp meeting songs that gave made fiddle records for Columbia in the 1920s. His uncle power and freedom to our vernacular and fascinated Earl with bottleneck blues guitar, and his family popular music. The Chattanooga Choral was ingrained with the music of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Society (CCS) for the Preservation of African American Song is a group formed After high school, Earl T. joined the Navy, and picked up for the purpose of preserving the rich the sound of the great bluesmen of the 50s. He took his heritage of African American songs with guitar and harp around the world, performing at sailor’s special emphasis on the Negro spirituals. hangouts in ports of call, or jamming below deck. Earl’s son, who lives on the West Coast, has performed throughout This diverse group is comprised of approximately 45 members with different the US and Europe for years as “Earl Thomas,” leading a professional backgrounds including students, professors, professional musicians, blues & soul band, often Grammy nominated. They’ve teamed up together from time and others that all share a love of music and a desire to perform it with to time, recently on a Caribbean “blues cruise” where Earl took his blues back to sea. an emphasis on quality. The Society has performed at the Tivoli with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and at colleges and churches in the region. 4 5 Clyde Davenport: Clyde has been honored Downer and Williams: The Old Time Travelers Continued: as one of America’s greatest traditional art- ists, receiving the National Heritage Fellow- Matt began recording his grandfather’s music and the overlooked fiddlers and singers ship from the National Endowment for the from the region in 1998. He eventually contacted Ron Williams, the pioneering Arts in 1992. Since his early 19th century folk music fieldworker in Hamilton County, and then joined his stringband, Citico, fiddle style came to light, he’s performed at for five years. Clark Williams, discovered Citico in a downtown Chattanooga club, Presidential inaugurations, at the Library and soon began playing with Matt and Daniel Binkley. Raised on classical music in of Congress, and for the Smithsonian In- Maryville, Tennessee, Clark has mastered many musical styles, composing and per- stitution. At age 92, he still makes good forming with Big Kitty Sector 9 (psychedelic folk rock) and The Fixins (original rock fiddles, and has guided a raft of rare and and roll). During the summer months, Downer and Williams perform at Rock City beautiful tunes into the 21st Century. The sweeping, brooding notes of his open-tuned six hours a day, three days a week, the hardest working musicians in old-time music. fiddle pieces were heard in Civil War times, and he will play from the repertoire of his father and his grandfather, a veteran who fought at the Battle of Mill Springs. It Meredith Goins: At age 23, is rare, indeed, to hear that music through a source so close to those ancient battles.