The McLain Family Band

Last updated

The McLain Family Band
McLain Family Band at the Carter Fold.jpg
At the Carter Family Fold on January 7, 2017
Background information
Also known asBluegrass State
Origin Hindman, Kentucky, US
Genres
Years active1968 (1968)–present
LabelsCountry Life Records
Spinoffs
  • The McLains
  • Michael and Jennifer McLain
  • Al, Alice & Ruth
Members
  • Raymond Winslow McLain
  • Alice McLain White
  • Al White
  • Ruth McLain Smith
  • Daxson Lewis
  • Nancy Ann Wartman
  • Michael McLain
  • Jennifer McLain
Past members
  • Raymond Kane McLain
  • Michael Riopel
  • Beverly Buchanan
  • Tom Owen
Website mclainfamilyband.com

The McLain Family Band is an American bluegrass band founded in Hindman, Kentucky, in 1968.

Contents

Raymond Kane McLain studied folk music at university, and began playing bluegrass music with his then-three children in the late 1950s. They formalized their group in 1968, and played for WKYH-TV before moving to Berea, Kentucky. In the years since, the group has played in 50 U.S. states, at renowned venues across the US, and on nationwide television. Initially sponsored by the United States Department of State, the McLains performed in 63 total nations. From 1978 through 1987, the band hosted an annual family-friendly bluegrass festival in Bighill, Kentucky.

The McLain Family Band developed their sound by ear, with only their patriarch having been classically trained. Music reviewers and ambassadors of the United States alike spoke of the band's authenticity and heartfelt approach to music. In 2013, the International Bluegrass Music Association awarded the McLain Family Band with their Distinguished Achievement Award.

Some McLain songs are originals, some are bluegrass and country music standards, and some were specifically commissioned classical pieces: the first bluegrass band to combine those genres. The core of the band has always been the progeny of Raymond K. McLain, but the group has expanded and contracted over the years. Some members have worked on their own projects when the family band wasn't touring; at least a half-dozen albums attest to that.

History

Formation

Dr. Raymond Francis McLain (1904or1905 –May 2, 1981) was president of Eureka College, Transylvania University, and The American University in Cairo during his career in academia, [1] while his wife Beatrice "Bicky" Kane McLain (1906–2004) [2] was the director of the Center for Southern Regional Folklife Studies at the University of Alabama (1966–1976). [3] Raymond Francis and Bicky had two children: daughter Rosemary (a "singer/songwriter and artistic pioneer in the rubber stamping industry"), [1] [3] and son Raymond Kane McLain (1928–2003). [2]

Raymond Kane combined the passions of his parents; he majored in music theory at Denison University and did graduate work in folk music studies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina before moving to Hindman, Kentucky in 1954 where he became the director of Hindman Settlement School. While at Hindman, Raymond Kane developed an interest in bluegrass music; he introduced his three eldest children—Raymond Winslow, Alice, and Ruth—to the genre, and the four of them began playing together. [4]

Raymond Kane married Betty Winslow in 1952, [5] and founded the band at her encouragement in 1968. [2] [6] Initially performing under the name Bluegrass State, [7] the quartet performed on a weekly WKYH-TV television show for two years. [5] On December 31, 1968, the family's Hindman home burned to the ground; all seven family members and their instruments survived, [8] and in 1970, the family moved to Berea, Kentucky. [4]

Performing

The band performed in all 50 U.S. states, and particularly in Alaska during the winters where "people really needed music." [8] In 1980, Alaska Airlines sponsored the McLain Family Festival (January 11–12); inside West Anchorage High School, away from the −40 °F (−40 °C) weather, the family was joined on stage by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and future McLain band member Michael Riopel. [9] On the mainland, the band also stood before audiences at the Speed Art Museum, Carnegie Hall, the 1982 World's Fair, [4] the Lincoln Center, [6] the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (at least six times), [10] and the Carter Family Fold (since 1974). [11] They also appeared on the CBS Morning News , the Grand Ole Opry , Hee Haw , The Johnny Cash Show, Music City Tonight, Nashville Now , Today, [12] and their own weekly program on WKYT-TV. [4]

Nations outside the US that hosted MFB performances

After the McLain Family Band played for the National Endowment for the Arts' music committee in 1972, [13] Gian Carlo Menotti was so "charmed by the band" that he invited them to that year's Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. [6] That July, the band undertook their first international concert tour sponsored by the United States Department of State, traveling to Italy, West Germany, and Belgium. [4] The band made 14 overseas tours—including an "around-the-world odyssey in 1975", and performed in 63 different countries. [8]

The band stopped extensively touring in 1990 to allow Raymond Winslow, Alice and Al, and Ruth to personally rear their children without being on the road for months at a time. In 2018, for their 50th anniversary, the band toured widely again through the US and Europe. [22]

Festival

McLain Family Band Festival
McLain Family Band Family Festival 1978 flyer.jpg
Promotional flyer for inaugural festival
Genre Bluegrass
Location(s)
Years active1978–1987
Founded byRaymond Kane McLain
Attendance6,000–7,000 annually

Raymond Kane had envisioned for years a family-friendly bluegrass festival dedicated to performing family groups, and in 1978 he found a 73-acre (30 ha) farm on U.S. Route 421 [30] in Bighill, Kentucky that perfectly met the needs of such a festival: "I found this farm with this marvelous hill forming a natural amphitheater. At the bottom of the hill is a grove of locust, wild plum and oak trees, a great backdrop for the stage. The rest is history." That year, the band hosted the inaugural McLain Family Band Festival [29] in Renfro Valley, Kentucky, but all subsequent festivals were held on the farm. [4]

The festival showcased both domestic (including Patsy Montana, [29] The Whites, Jim & Jesse, Janette Carter, and the Osborne Brothers) and international talent (including the Appleseeds from Japan, the Nuyens Family from Belgium, and Fesaci from Czechoslovakia). [15] Some years, the festival's performers were broadcast on NPR and Kentucky Educational Television. Between 6,000 and 7,000 people attended the festival each year, [4] many of whom camped on the McLain's farm for the duration. No alcoholic drinks or illegal drugs were allowed on the premises. In 1987, the entrance fee was US$10(equivalent to $26.82 in 2023); the festival ran for three days from noon to 11 p.m., [29] and ultimately lasted for ten years. [15]

McLain music

While Raymond Kane was classically trained, his children were taught and learned to play by ear. The band watched videos of their performances to find weaknesses and continually improve: "[Raymond Kane] said that we should be able to play a piece three consecutive times with no mistakes if it was ready to perform." [22]

The McLain Family Band's music has been reviewed as being "'cheery,' 'light,' and 'wholesome'", and lacking the painful, "dark and haunted side of bluegrass". [15] George Vecsey noted in 1975 that "[u]nlike many bands, the McLains do little talking, and they minimize their fancy solos." [31] The band performs music of their own composition, as well as "bluegrass and country standards, novelty songs, and eastern Kentucky traditional music." [10] Many of their songs are written by Raymond Kane's sister, Rosemary. [31] The McLain Family Band also played with symphonic orchestras, presenting pieces arranged by Phillip Rhodes, Newton Wayland, [4] and P. D. Q. Bach (the fictional alter-ego of Peter Schickele). [32] All band members sing both lead and harmony. [10]

In the late 1970s, the McLain Family Band pioneered combining bluegrass and classical music, [33] the first bluegrass band to do so. [34] [35] In 1973, composer Phillip Rhodes wrote Concerto for Bluegrass Band and Orchestra for the McLain Family Band, [15] the first "major work ever written for a bluegrass band and symphony orchestra." [34] The McLain Family Band has performed it "hundreds of times with orchestras from all over the [United States]." [15] Rhodes also composed orchestral arrangements of original McLain Family Band songs under a commission by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. [34]

One of the band's most-requested pieces is "Kentucky Wind", a song written by Raymonds K. and W. while homesick during a South American tour. Another is "Troublesome Creek", by Raymond W. about a waterway in Hindman; the song is like the creek, "sometimes, it is a placid stream, a place to catch tadpoles and crayfish. But other times, it is troublesome, a rising torrent threatening to flood houses." [8]

Over the years, the McLain Family Band has repeatedly said that they play because they enjoy doing it. Raymond Kane once said, "People pay us to leave our homes, to ride in a van for hours, to set up our instruments...but they don't pay us to play music. We do that for fun. The minute we stop enjoying that, we'll do something else." [15]

Discography

Logo for McLain Family Band albums and ancillary materials MFB logo.png
Logo for McLain Family Band albums and ancillary materials

Under their own label (Country Life Records), [15] the McLain Family Band released 14 LP records. [4]

On the Road [15]

  • Released: 1976 [36]
  • Format: LP record
  • Label: Country Life
  • Tracks: "New River Train" (Traditional) · "Old Maid Song" (McLain) · "Lonesome Day" (Traditional) · "Pretty Little Reckless Boy" (Traditional) · "If You're Ever Gonna Love Me" (Buck Graves and Leroy Mack) · "A Heavenly Song" (McLain) · "On the Road" (McLain) · "Jump Josie" (Traditional) · "Believe Me" (McLain) · "Brown Eyed Baby" (Stovall) · "Big River Blues" (Delmore) · "Can't We Get Together Once Again?" (McLain) [37]

Celebrate Life

  • Released: 2016 (2016) [8]

Members

The initial four members of the McLain Family Band were Raymond Kane and his first three children: Raymond Winslow, Alice, and Ruth. [29] Over the years, band membership expanded to include Raymond Kane's youngest two children Nancy Ann and Michael, Alice's husband Al White, and Ruth's husband Michael Riopel. At times, the group also featured Raymond Winslow's wife Beverly Buchanan and non-relative Tom Owen. [4] Raymond Kane's wife, and mother of the five McLain children—Betty—was the band's business and talent manager. [2] [4]

As of December 2018, the McLain Family Band lineup included Raymond Winslow McLain, Alice McLain and Al White, Ruth McLain Smith, and Daxson Lewis, occasionally joined by Nancy Ann Wartman, Michael McLain, and Jennifer McLain. [38]

Raymond Kane and Betty

Raymond Kane (second from left) performing with the band at the Carter Fold on September 28, 2002 Mclainsatfold02 (cropped).jpg
Raymond Kane (second from left) performing with the band at the Carter Fold on September 28, 2002

Raymond Kane McLain was born on April 18, 1928, in Alliance, Ohio. [13] In 1970, Raymond Kane began teaching the United States' first university-level courses in bluegrass and Appalachian music at Berea College. [35] Raymond Kane McLain was the bandleader of the group for 20 years. [39] He sang [35] and played the guitar and accordion. [10] Raymond Kane also wrote music; the Elizabethton Star called his arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach's second Brandenburg Concerto "the most stunning" of his musical compositions for the band. [34] After the band stopped touring in 1989, Raymond Kane became a librarian. [15] He died in Lexington, Kentucky on February 14, 2003, at 74 years old. [2]

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Winslow [5] (1928–2011) had a degree in psychology from Oberlin College, and married Raymond Kane in 1952. After they moved to Hindman, Kentucky, she became the recreation director of the Hindman Settlement School. [40] It was with her encouragement that Raymond Kane started the family band in 1968. [2] For "over 20 years" she managed the band full-time [40] —acting as talent manager and bookkeeper at home in Berea, Kentucky while the band toured [15] —and also hosted the band's annual Bighill, Kentucky bluegrass festival. She taught English country dance, and was an executive field director for the Wilderness Road Girl Scout Council. She was married to Bill Tallmadge from 1999 until his death in 2004. [40]

Raymond Winslow

Raymond Winslow McLain was born in 1953. [15] He enrolled at Berea College when the family moved there in 1970, [4] and married Beverly Buchanan in December 1979. [41] In 2000, Raymond Winslow was made the director of the Bluegrass and Country Music Program at East Tennessee State University. [6] [15] As of 2017, he was the executive director of Morehead State University's Kentucky Center for Traditional Music. [5]

A high tenor [42] playing clawhammer banjo, [43] and fiddle, Raymond Winslow is the most well-known of the McLain family outside of the band, [2] and one of "the most well-traveled musicians in his field". [44] Playing with the family band, Raymond Winslow "took nearly all the lead breaks in their early years." [15] He was a "musical ambassador" for the United States Department of State, and made more than 230 appearances with orchestras. [6] Paul Jenkins of Bluegrass Unlimited called Raymond Winslow's playing virtuosic, [15] and in 1972, he won a Bluegrass Music Award. [45]

After the family band stopped touring in 1989, Raymond Winslow joined Jim & Jesse and played with them for 10 years. [6] During those ten years, he also released two albums of his own: A Place of My Own (1992) and Kentucky Mountain Banjo (1995). Since then, he's also played with "Canadian harmonica virtuoso" Mike Stevens. [15]

A Place of My Own

Kentucky Mountain Banjo

Alice and Al White

Al (left) and Alice White in 2014 McLain Family Band, 2014 Festival of Faiths (14365733808) (Alice & Al crop).jpg
Al (left) and Alice White in 2014

Alice McLain White (b. Rose Alice McLain [48] in 1956) sings, and plays mandolin and double bass. [35] She enrolled at Berea College when the family moved there in 1970. [4] She met her husband Al on the Grand Ole Opry before they married in 1977. [22] Al White (b. 1952) [15] grew up playing music in New Mexico, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to join the band Bluegrass Alliance. Al joined the McLain Family Band after marrying Alice; [49] he plays mandolin and guitar, [29] and sings. [35]

When the McLain Family Band stopped performing in 1989, Alice and Al remained in Berea, Kentucky. [49] There, as of 2017, Alice was a first-grade teacher, Al taught traditional instrument instruction at Berea College, [5] and the two of them played concerts and for folk and contra dancing. [49]

Ruth, Nancy Ann, and Michael

Ruth McLain Smith at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN (2010) Ruth McLain Smith (2010-10-08).jpg
Ruth McLain Smith at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN (2010)

Ruth McLain Smith (b. Ruth Helen McLain [48] in 1958) [15] plays mandolin, double bass, and sings. [35] When the band formed in 1968, she stood on chairs and milk crates to reach the neck of her bass. [50] On December 15, 1970, Ruth played the Appalachian dulcimer for the White House on national television after only 2–6 weeks of learning the instrument. [51] [8] In 2007, Ruth was playing regularly with Grandpa Jones' family, and was a director with Usborne Publishing. [12] Ruth has a Bachelor of Arts from Berea College, and as of 2016 was a lecturer at Morehead State University. [52] Prior to 2007, Ruth married Philip Smith, and they have four children. [12] In 2011, she moved back to Berea, Kentucky to care for her mother, Betty. [49]

Nancy Ann McLain Wartman was born in 1965, [15] had joined the band by 1979, [10] and performs on double bass, mandolin, and vocals. [35] Nancy Ann joined up with Usborne Publishing in 1994 and held the position of director within the company as of September 2016. [53] [15]

Michael, who was born in 1967, [15] plays banjo, guitar, [29] and mandolin. [54] He has played with the Claire Lynch Band and Dale Ann Bradley, [18] and he married his wife Jennifer a week after proposing atop the Crowne Plaza in Nashville, Tennessee. [55] As of April 2014, Michael taught bluegrass and traditional instruments at Belmont University. [15]

Others

Tom Owen had joined the band by 1979, and played banjo, guitar, and mandolin. [10] He was not related to the McLains. [4]

A band member by May 1981, [56] Michael Riopel (b. 1954or1955) married Ruth and played guitar, mandolin, and harmonica. [54]

Raymond Kane's mother, Beatrice "Bicky" Kane McLain (1906–2004) [2] —called "the matriarch of the band" by the Los Angeles Times —had joined the band by 1987 [29] and traveled with them for the better part of twelve years [3] singing traditional ballads such as the 17th century murder ballad "Two Sisters". [29] Bicky died on April 3, 2004, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. [2] [3]

Associated acts

Shortly after Michael and Jennifer McLain married, they joined with Raymond Winslow to form "The McLains". [55] In 1999, The McLains released their only album, More Fun Than We Ought to Have [57] (Pinecastle Records). [35] Michael and Jennifer later became the "Michael and Jennifer McLain Band", appending that with "featuring Dan Kelly" when the eponymous fiddler joined their group. [55] They released Hit the Road and Go on November 4, 2016. [18]

When Ruth returned to Berea in 2011, she and the Whites formed "Al, Alice & Ruth". They play "upbeat, Appalachian-flavored bluegrass music [... on the] banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass." In March 2013, Al, Alice & Ruth released their first album, Let the Mountains Roll. [49] [58] Their second album, a Christmas album titled 'Tis a Gift, was released December 2014. [58]

Let the Mountains Roll

'Tis a Gift

Reception and recognition

By 1972, the band was already impressing Bluegrass reviewers. [61]

In his review of the band's 1982 performance at Carnegie Hall, Robert Palmer described the combination of traditional bluegrass and "archaic modal harmonies" as slick and modern. Ultimately, while Palmer called out the amateur qualities of the family's performance, "they performed an attractive mixture of old favorites and originals, and their instrumental and especially their vocal arrangements were consistently fresh." [42] The Pittsburgh Press called a McLain Family Band performance "full of open-hearted earnestness, wholesomeness and energy." [35]

Michael Johnathon of WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour called the McLain Family Band "musically[,] one of the best bluegrass bands of all times." Johnathon also said of the band, "They took what Bill Monroe did and put their own Kentucky stamp on it. They brought in textures of classical music and made the song and presentation more important than any one lead. They infused a youthful energy and musical depth, creating their own legacy." [15] In 2013, the McLain Family Band received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. [15] Sharon White said in 2018, "It is impossible to measure the influence this family band has had on the bluegrass music world. They continue to inspire and mentor future bluegrass musicians through their work in schools and universities." [8] In October 2023, Berea College awarded the band a lifetime achievement award upon the occasion of the school's 50th annual Celebration of Traditional Music. [62]

Outside the US

In September 1974, United States Ambassador to Pakistan Henry A. Byroade sent a diplomatic cable to the United States Department of State asking for a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) evaluation of Hellman's Angels and the McLain Family Band for possibly booking concerts in Pakistan. [63] The State Department acquired a review by an NEA panel member, replying, "McLain Family Band is pleasantly amateurish, however, their enthusiasm and spirit make up for their lack of polish and on this basis he would give a 'good' rating." [64]

After their April 11–14, 1975 performances in Manila, [14] United States Ambassador to the Philippines William H. Sullivan reported that the McLain Family Band "performed five times in Manila with excellent results, generating much enthusiasm among university students, professional musicians, and the public. [...] By every indication, McLain's 'bluegrass music' seems very welcome expression of Americana here; it helped dispel notion that Kentucky means only 'fried chicken'. [...] They establish wholesome, happy mood with audience, redily[ sic ] improvise, are each professionally expert". [28] Similarly, after performing in Laos from April 19–23 that same year, [14] the United States diplomatic mission in Vientiane gave "high praise of McLain Band performances. McLain's[ sic ] convey dramatically the joy of 'bluegrass music' and evoke enthusiastic audience response. McLain's[ sic ] are outstanding musicians who represent the finest in American traditions. Seldom in experience of all officers at post have we programmed a more cooperative, congenial and talented group." [26] The McLain Family Band performed in Romania May 21–25, 1975; [14] the United States diplomatic mission in Bucharest had nothing but good things to say about them:

How can anyone not like the McLain Family Band? Sincere people and talented musicians they represent the best in American character traits of friendliness, informality and a sincere respect for and curiosity about other cultures while offering their audiences a taste of a unique American musical genre. [...] Each audience demanded (and received) more than the standard program with 4 or 5 encores becoming the norm. The variety of the McLain program — humorous songs blended with religious and regional numbers impressed the listeners with the richness of bluegrass music. The musical talents and personalities particularly of young Raymond [Winslow] McLain and his sister Ruth provoked continuous applause. The McLain style is deceptively profissional[ sic ] without being slick or overtly commercial. The misical[ sic ] arrangements are simple and straight-forward but one never doubts the professionalism, the careful timing and pacing of the program. Audiences included classical music composers, journalists, theatre personalities and, in large numbers, young students. The unanimous reaction was positive with several people asking specifically that the McLains return to Bucharest for a third time. The McLains already have many commitments for 1976 but if they are available for a European tour the post requests a one-week program which will allow provincial city visits.

— United States embassy in Bucharest [65]

High praise came from United States Ambassador to Hungary Eugene V. McAuliffe after the band played there from May 25–30, 1975. [14]

Without doubt the McLain Family Band is the most senstational[ sic ], attractive and effective cultural presentation which could possibly be fielded by the [ United States Government ] in support of its goal of projecting the best and most favorable image of the U.S. to any audience, in any country, anwhere[ sic ]. Musically the McLains are first rate. Personally they radiate enthusiasm, simplicity, love of people, love of music. Their art form is little known, but it tells a lot of a side of American which usuually[ sic ] little known. They have universal appeal and can charm any audience into foot-stomping, thunderous applause. They are simply the best there is. [...] CU/ARTS could never find any better use of its funds than keeping this group on the road every year for as long as possible to as many countries as possible, and particularly in 1976.

— McAuliffe [23]

Speaking on their performance in Czechoslovakia, Raymond Kane said, "It's one thing to say the trip was a success, but that really doesn't tell what we saw and felt. The Czechs were so overwhelmed that they came up to us and touched our faces and cried." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegrass music</span> Genre of American roots music and sub-genre of country music

Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it largely developed out of old-time string music, though in contrast, it is traditionally played exclusively on acoustic instruments and also has roots in traditional English, Scottish and Irish ballads and dance tunes, as well as in blues and jazz. It was further developed by musicians who played with Monroe, including 5-string banjo player Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt. Monroe characterized the genre as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's a part of Methodist, Holiness and Baptist traditions. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Flatt</span> American singer-songwriter (1914–1979)

Lester Raymond Flatt was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindman, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

Hindman is a home rule-class town in, and the county seat of, Knott County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 777 at the 2010 U.S. census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berea, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

Berea is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The town is best known for its art festivals, historic restaurants and buildings, and as the home to Berea College, a private liberal arts college. The population was 15,539 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing towns in Kentucky, having increased by 27.4% since 2000. Berea is a principal city of the Richmond−Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Madison and Rockcastle counties. It was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1890.

The Wheatland Music Festival is a music and arts festival organized by the Wheatland Music Organization, a non-profit organization specializing in the preservation and presentation of traditional arts and music. Community outreach services include programming for Senior facilities and schools across mid-Michigan, year-round instrument lessons, scholarship programs, Jamborees, Traditional Dances, and Wheatscouts - a free program educating children through music, dance, storytelling, crafts and nature. Each year, the organization holds its annual Traditional Arts Weekend the weekend of Memorial Day, and its annual festival during the second weekend in September in the unincorporated community of Remus in the state of Michigan, in the United States. The first Wheatland Music Festival was held August 24, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Dickens</span> American bluegrass musician, singer, and activist

Hazel Jane Dickens was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Cultural blogger John Pietaro noted that "Dickens didn’t just sing the anthems of labor, she lived them and her place on many a picket line, staring down gunfire and goon squads, embedded her into the cause." The New York Times extolled her as "a clarion-voiced advocate for coal miners and working people and a pioneer among women in bluegrass music." With Alice Gerrard, Dickens was one of the first women to record a bluegrass album. She was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame alongside Gerrard in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Rice</span> American bluegrass musician (1951–2020)

David Anthony Rice was an American bluegrass guitarist. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Ritchie</span> American folk singer, songwriter and musician (1922–2015)

Jean Ruth Ritchie was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the "Mother of Folk". In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way, many of which were Appalachian variants of centuries old British and Irish songs, including dozens of Child Ballads. In adulthood, she shared these songs with wide audiences, as well as writing some of her own songs using traditional foundations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Seeger</span> American folk musician and folklorist

Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him. He was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Del McCoury</span> American bluegrass musician

Delano Floyd McCoury is an American bluegrass musician. As leader of the Del McCoury Band, he plays guitar and sings lead vocals along with his two sons, Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury, who play mandolin and banjo respectively. In June 2010, he received a National Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts and in 2011 he was elected into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian music</span> Traditional music of the American Appalachian Mountains region

Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles, the African music and blues of early African Americans, and to a lesser extent the music of Continental Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Osborne</span> American musician (1931–2023)

Bobby Van Osborne was an American bluegrass musician. He was the co-founder of the Osborne Brothers, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Osborne was a member of the United States Marine Corps, received a Purple Heart for his service, and was honorably discharged in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Douglas</span> American bluegrass musician

Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. He is widely regarded as "perhaps the finest Dobro player in contemporary acoustic music, and certainly the most celebrated and prolific." A fourteen-time Grammy winner, he has been called “dobro’s matchless contemporary master,” by The New York Times, and is among the most innovative recording artists in music, both as a solo artist and member of numerous bands, such as Alison Krauss and Union Station and The Earls of Leicester. He has been a co-director of the Transatlantic Sessions since 1998.

The Festival of the Bluegrass, located in Lexington, Kentucky, is the oldest bluegrass music festival in the bluegrass region of Kentucky. The festival takes place the first full weekend of June each year. The Festival of the Bluegrass helped shape the early bluegrass festival culture.

Michael Johnathon is an American folk singer-songwriter, producer, author, and playwright. He has released 20 albums, published 5 books, a play, composed an opera, performs with symphony orchestras and in coffee houses, completed a motion picture script, created three volunteer organizations and tours nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Skaggs</span> American musician, producer, and composer

Rickie Lee Skaggs, known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardly Strictly Bluegrass</span> Annual music festival in San Francisco

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB), originally Strictly Bluegrass, is an annual free and non-commercial music festival held the first weekend of October in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. Conceived and subsidized by San Francisco venture capitalist Warren Hellman, the festival has been held every year since the first event in 2001.

Addie Prater Graham was born in 1890 at Gilmore in Wolfe County in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. She was a masterful traditional singer whose life and repertoire reflect both deep tradition and an era of social change in the Appalachian Mountains. She sang ballads which trace back to the British Isles, others composed in America, frolic songs and ditties, and religious songs in the Primitive Baptist tradition. While the Old Baptist belief of her parents forbade the use of musical instruments, she became an accomplished unaccompanied singer in the complex, highly ornamented style of Kentucky's oral tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLain Ward</span> American equestrian

McLain Ward is an American show jumping competitor and five-time Olympic medalist.

"Blackberry Blossom" is a fiddle tune in the key of G major. It is classified as a "breakdown" and is popular in old time, bluegrass and Celtic traditional circles.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dr. Raymond McLain". The Tuscaloosa News . May 4, 1981. p. 12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "McLain Family Band | Biography & History". AllMusic . Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Beatrice Kane McLain". The Tuscaloosa News . Tuscaloosa, Alabama. April 16, 2004. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Guide to The McLain Family Band Records". Berea College. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Ruth McLain; White, Alice McLain; White, Sharon (September 2017). "Introduction". The McLain Family Band: 50 Years of Music. Berea College Printing Services. pp. 1–2. ISBN   978-0-692-92585-0.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The McLain Family Band". Symphony of the Mountains. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  7. ↑ Godbey, Marty (2011). "The Red Slipper Lounge". Crowe on the Banjo: The Music Life of J.D. Crowe. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 92–112. ISBN   978-0-252-078255.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kobersmith, Kim (October 1, 2018). "A Family that Plays Together". Kentucky Monthly . Stephen M. Vest. ISSN   1542-0507. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  9. ↑ Lew, Karen L. (March 1980). "Alaska Arts". alaskafest. pp. 29–32. Alaska is bluegrass country
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "McLain Family Band will appear Saturday". Daily News . April 25, 1979. p. 12-B.
  11. ↑ "8th Clinch Mountain Music Fest June 8th". Cybergrass . June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 "Give Me That Old Time Music — An Afternoon of Bluegrass". Tuba Bach Chamber Music Festival. 2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Ruth McLain Smith, Rich and the Po' Folks to Perform at UK". University of Kentucky. November 9, 2012. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Kissinger, Henry (December 6, 1974), CU/ARTS: MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Jenkins, Paul (April 2014). "They Sang for You: The McLain Family Band Re-examined". Bluegrass Unlimited . Vol. 48, no. 10. pp. 46–48. ISSN   0006-5137. OCLC   1788602.
  16. ↑ Ingersoll, Robert S. (March 3, 1976), CU/ARTS: MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  17. ↑ Kissinger, Henry (March 10, 1976), MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Michael And Jennifer McLain Band". Americana Rhythm. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kissinger, Henry (November 13, 1975), CU/ARTS: MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  20. ↑ Kissinger, Henry (February 25, 1976), CU/ARTS: MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  21. ↑ Adams, Noah (June 17, 1975). "McLain Family Band" (MP3). All Things Considered . NPR. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Scoggins, Katherine (November 14, 2018). "McLain Family Band celebrates 50 years". Kingsport Times-News . Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  23. 1 2 McAuliffe, Eugene V. (June 2, 1975), CU/ARTS: CULTURAL PRESENTATIONS: MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  24. ↑ Ingersoll, Robert S. (May 22, 1975), CU/ARTS - CHARLIE BYRD TRIO; FOLK GROUP
  25. ↑ Ingersoll, Robert S. (December 11, 1974), CU/ARTS:MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  26. 1 2 Pate (April 22, 1975), MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  27. ↑ Ingersoll, Robert S. (March 6, 1975), CU/ARTS:MCLAIN FAMILY BAND PRIVATE TOUR
  28. 1 2 Sullivan, William H. (April 15, 1975), MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hillinger, Charles (August 23, 1987). "Bighill, Ky., Plays Host to 6,000 Music Lovers". Los Angeles Times . Bighill, Kentucky. ISSN   0458-3035. OCLC   3638237. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  30. ↑ "7th Annual McLain Family Festival August 10–11". Daily News . September 4, 1984. p. 3.
  31. 1 2 Vecsey, George (August 23, 1975). "Family pick of Bluegrass crop". St. Petersburg Times . p. 6B. OCLC   5920090.
  32. ↑ McLellan, Joseph (January 6, 1985). "Bark To Basics With P.D.Q. Bach". The Washington Post . Donald E. Graham. ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   2269358. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  33. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2004). "Bluegrass Bends and Blends". Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. pp. 37–52. ISBN   0-275-98115-0. LCCN   2004050964.
  34. 1 2 3 4 "Symphony of the Mtns. will celebrate Bluegrass and Ole Time Music at concert". Elizabethton Star . April 4, 2007. p. 6.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "McLain Family Band to reunite for concert Saturday". East Tennessee State University. November 14, 2000. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  36. ↑ The McLain Family Band. "Vintage Recordings". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  37. ↑ On the Road (Liner notes). Berea, Kentucky: Country Life Records.
  38. ↑ Halsey, Derek (December 13, 2018). "The McLain Family join Huntington Symphony for holiday show". The Herald-Dispatch . Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  39. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2004). "The International Language of Bluegrass". Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. pp. 91–100. ISBN   0-275-98115-0. LCCN   2004050964.
  40. 1 2 3 "In Memory of Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Tallmadge". Lakes Funeral Home. 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  41. ↑ "...And Dance". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . February 1, 1980. p. 6-C. OCLC   51645638.
  42. 1 2 Palmer, Robert (April 29, 1982). "Bluegrass: McLain Family Gives Carnegie Hall Concert". The New York Times . p. C22. ISSN   0362-4331. OCLC   1645522. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  43. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2004). "Fiddling to Flatpicking". Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. pp. 53–68. ISBN   0-275-98115-0. LCCN   2004050964.
  44. ↑ "Raymond W. McLain". Morehead State University. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  45. ↑ "McLain Concert Slated Wednesday". The Tuscaloosa News . August 26, 1973. p. 11D.
  46. ↑ "A Place of My Own - Raymond W. McLain | Releases". AllMusic . Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  47. ↑ "A Place of My Own - Raymond W. McLain | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  48. 1 2 Kissinger, Henry (February 27, 1975), MCLAIN FAMILY BAND
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 "Al, Alice & Ruth free concert, CD release party at Berea Arena Theater on Saturday". Richmond Register . March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  50. ↑ Simonson, Jordan (December 19, 2015). "Ruth McLain Smith: A lifetime of music". The Daily Independent . Morehead, Kentucky. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  51. ↑ Gary, Charles L.; Fowler, Charles B.; Bessom, Malcolm E., eds. (March 1971). "The Sounds of Children". Music Educators Journal . 57 (7). 16th Street NW: Music Educators National Conference: 47–51. doi:10.2307/3393804. ISSN   0027-4321. JSTOR   3393804. LCCN   94095753. OCLC   422008967. S2CID   151510948.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  52. ↑ "Ruth Smith". Morehead State University. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  53. ↑ Wartman, Nancy Ann. "Our Story". Usborne Books & More. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  54. 1 2 "McLain Family to perform at Fort Harrod". The Advocate-Messenger . July 23, 1982. p. 23.
  55. 1 2 3 McLain, Michael; McLain, Jennifer. "Michael and Jennifer McLain Band - Milestones". Michael and Jennifer McLain Band featuring Dan Kelly. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  56. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2005). "Johnson Mountain Boys". From Every Stage: Images of America's Roots Music. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. p. 91. ISBN   1-57806-740-5.
  57. ↑ "More Fun Than We Ought to Have". AllMusic . Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  58. 1 2 3 "About the Band". Al, Alice and Ruth. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  59. ↑ "Let the Mountains Roll - Al, Alice & Ruth | Releases". AllMusic . Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Let the Mountains Roll - Al, Alice & Ruth | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  61. ↑ Davis, Chandler (October 1972). Kuykendall, Peter V. (ed.). "Bluegrass Family—Family Bluegrass". Bluegrass Unlimited . Vol. 7, no. 4. pp. 5–8. ISSN   0006-5137. OCLC   1788602.
  62. ↑ "Celebration of Traditional Music to honor McClain Family Band". Richmond Register . Berea College. October 11, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  63. ↑ Byroade, Henry A. (September 4, 1974), CULTURAL PRESENTATIONS: PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS TOURING ABROAD COMMERCIALLY
  64. ↑ Kissinger, Henry (September 14, 1974), PERFORMING ARTS GROUPS TOURING ABROAD PRIVATELY
  65. ↑ Viets (May 28, 1975), MCLAIN FAMILY BAND CONCERTS IN BUCHAREST

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.