BE YE STEADFAST,UNMOVEABLE , ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE
LORD , KNOWING THAT YOUR LABOUR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD
1 Corinthians 15:58
Gordon Wright regularly incorporates Gospel music in to his secular
based bluegrass repertoire. He is emerging as an internationally
acclaimed bluegrass songwriter and performer .
Distinctive
elements of his style of bluegrass music includes well formed and
balanced lyrics supported by melodic melodies in the traditional style.
These are always focused on the Christian faith and theology backed up
by soulful harmony singing.
On these recent cds with musical friend Ron Clark, Gordon Wright has produced extraordinary bluegrass and bluegrass gospel.
STRINGBEANS BLUEGRASS BAND
Wendy Jackson- vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Leo Kahans -fiddle, mandolin, vocals
Don Gula -double bass, vocals
Geoff Wright- Banjo, Mandolin, dobro, vocals
Wendy leads the band with her vibrant stage presence, and weaves her distinctive bluesy, country and folk vocals,with solid rhythm guitar. She is an accomplished musician who has toured Australia and parts of Europe and Asia in various musical incarnations.Wendy is a passionate musician who loves to sing,entertain and perform with great musicians and great enthusiasm.
Leo is a talented multi-instrumental musician who plays virtually anything with strings (including the piano).He improvises with abandon and draws his hot fiddle and mandolin breaks from bluegrass, country and jazz influences. He has toured the UK playing fiddle, teaches cello and bass guitar and performs with a number of bands regularly in Melbourne.
The original Stringbeans bass player is back and finding time to fit us in.
Where do you start.…one of the most generous community minded musicians in Melbourne,it can be hard to track Don down. He can be found playing double bass each weekin orchestras, country bands, duos and show bands. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays trumpet, piano, mandolin, harmonica and more.
If it’s got strings Geoff will play it - unless it’s a violin!! Geoff is an extra ordinary musician with a wealth of experience. Originally from NZ, he has recorded music for television commercials and documentaries and performed with a variety of bands – playing bluegrass,country rock,rockabilly and western swing. He recently competed in the National Bluegrass Championships in mandolin, banjo and guitar.
The Cockman Family Bluegrass Gospel Group is made up
of four brothers, their sister and their Dad. They sing because they believe
that God has given them this talent to glorify Him.
The Cockmans have a unique bluegrass gospel style. Their
harmonies, original songs and original arrangements of the old gospel songs have
been immensely popular with their audiences. Fans love their family-style
entertainment as well. As the family continues to grow, they are writing more of
their own music and coming into a style all of their own. They love to sing and
they love the Lord. Their family ties are strong, and the warmth of that is
conveyed in their performances.
The Cockman Family is featured in an hour-long PBS
television program entitled "Maker of the Stars: A Cockman Family Christmas."
The special is shown on American Public Television. They are also known in
North Carolina as cast members on a series of seven, one hour PBS television
specials, "The Arthur Smith Show, Now & Then." They also appeared on "George
Beverly Shea and Friends," also produced by PBS.
The Cockman Family has been nominated for Bluegrass
Artists of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year and Bluegrass Band of the Year
by the Country Gospel Music Association (CGMA), and for Gold Cross Bluegrass
Group of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association. The
Cockman Family was selected as one of "The 12 Most Creative Families In
America" by American Greetings Cards and USA Today
Weekend.
The Cockman Family is listed in the North Carolina
Arts Council for North Carolina Touring and Resident Artist Directory, and has
produced a concert video that is aired regularly on the SET (Southern
Entertainment Television) 24 hour satellite gospel programming network and other
local TV stations around the country. Volumes one & two, “Bluegrass
Festival” videos, were made available through Wal-Mart
Davidson Brothers win CMAA Australian Country
Music Award 2009
Hamish & Lachlan Davidson won thier first Golden Guitar Award saturday night (Jan 24th 2009) in Tamworth, NSW during the annual country music festival. The boys were nominated in three categories and were awarded the trophy for FenderInstrumental of the Year with the original track, Left HandDrive, from thecurrent self-titled album out on Shock records.This award has previously been won by Keith Urban and Tommy Emmanuel. The Davidson Brothers also performed the award winning track on the night.
The Tamworth festival was a huge success for Australia's favourite bluegrass group, the Davidson Brothers,who performed to a full house everyday of the festival with their famous Bluegrass Breakfast shows. Many guest artist's joined them each day. Their band featured Peter Cooper on Guitar, Andy Toombs on Bassand Nashville based fiddle player, Aaron Till.
they managed to win the Barry Thornton Memorial Instrumental Award for the same track at the 2009 TIARA (Tamworth Independent Artist Recognition Association) Awardsheld at the Capital Theatre.
To round out the festival Hamish took out his first Australian National Bluegrass Championship on the Banjo and Lachlan won the Mandolin championship for the second year running. They managed to compete in the champion ships despite it being held during their breakfas tshow, with help from various drivers to make several trips back and forward across town.
The latest album has 7 finalist nominations at the 2009 Victorian & Country Music Awards which were to be announced on Friday the 6th of February as a part ofthe Whittlesea Country Music Festival.
and the Mixt Company family-The gift of music, be it
performing, listening, or dancing, is one that can be handed down from
generation to generation. Such was the case with The Halcomb Family, rooted in
the harsh mountains of Eastern Kentucky and transplanted to South western
Virginia. Frank and Ethel (Asher) Halcomb raised six girls in a home filled with
bluegrass music. Both the Halcomb side and the Asher side of the family were
known through the region for their musica labilities. Virginia Lee and her
sisters were raised up in a home of music. Someof them absorbed the music, and
it has played a big part in their lives. I -(Dave Blood, transplanted Yankee)
met the Halcomb family eleven years ago, nearNashville, Tennessee. It was at a
jam at "The Paint Store" in Goodlettsville, Tennessee I met the duo known as The
Virginia Ladies, Virginia Lee and her daughter, Letitia Jolene. They sang like
angels and stole my heart.I joined them musically, and later, in marriage, as
Virginia Lee honored me by becoming my wife. And so the band, Mixt Company, is
in its eleventh year of life. Virginia Lee (Monkey) sings and plays rhythm
guitar. Virginia's daughter,Letitia Jolene has carried the family tradition of
singing and playing into another generation, and sings and plays rhythm guitar
and upright bass. MartinO'Doherty, from Nashville, Tennessee, and originally,
Coventry, England, playsfive-string banjo. David Knight, from Nashville,
Tennessee, by way of Richmond,Virginia, plays upright bass, and sings bass
vocals on quartet numbers. The irst offering on the album, House Of The Rising
Sun, is a new take on an old song, transported from the Old World, brought to
the mountains, and carried to the rest of the country. Featuring Rhonda (the
baby) Halcomb, banjo, guitar and vocals, Jackie Halcomb, vocals, Letitia Jolene,
bass and vocals, Virginia Lee,vocals, and Dave Blood, mandolin and vocals, the
song has about forty-levenverses, which we pared down to our favorite five, to
tell a story. This leaves the listener with an eerie feeling of deja vu, as if
maybe he'd been there in the story with the singers. Most of these songs are
taken from Mixt Company'sfirst two CDs The final song on the album came from an
older family recording from the Seventies, featuring "Daddy Frank" Halcomb, with
his"high-lonesome" vocals and distinctive mountain lingo, and daughters Virginia
Lee and Rhonda. Virginia Lee, known to one and all as "Monkey",was born in
Beehive Holler, below Hazard, in Eastern Kentucky. She moved to the Roanoke,
Virginia area at the age of twelve, then to Nashville around 1986.Letitia Jolene
was born in Roanoke and followed her mom to Nashville soon after her mom went
there. I was born in Georgia, and our family traveled a lot. We finally settled
in Eastern Pennsylvania when I was twelve. After eight years inthe US Air Force,
I moved to Nashville in 1974. I have played with Eddie andThe Mueller Brothers,
Lonnie Jones and Newgrass Express, Harold Morrison andSmokin' Bluegrass, and the
Mueller Family. Since forming in August of '96, MixtCompany has travelled a good
part of the country, playing fairs, festivals,clubs, weddings and other assorted
venues. And they have done their dues on Nashville's Lower Broadway club scene,
including regular residencies at The Bluegrass Inn, Tootsie's, Robert's, and
once in a while at The Station Inn.They still perform locally and go out of town
once in a while, just not asoften as in the past.
Bluegrass Bio's & News
BLUEGRASS NEWS & BIO'S 
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