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Bluegrass at the Ritz
with Jake Landers and Friends
Kay Bain and The Jake Landers Band
Saturday, February 18, 2012
1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Ritz Theatre
Advance Tickets: $7.00 for one show, $12.00 for both shows
Tickets at the Door: $8.00 for one show, $14.00 for both shows
Jake Landers is a premier bluegrass songwriter who co-founded The Dixie Gentlemen. He was one of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys and has played the Grand Ole Opry. Landers penned several hit songs including Walk Softly On this Heart of Mine
that sold 22 million copies. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Jake holds the distinction of Music Achiever at the Alabama Music Hall
of Fame. He was inducted with the first class into the Alabama Bluegrass
Hall of Fame. The Jake Landers Band will perform at the Ritz bluegrass festival.
Jake's Guests
James Bryan is considered by many to be
the best traditional Southern fiddler playing today. Born in 1953 and raised in
Boaz, Alabama, James began playing fiddle at the age of eleven. He was
encouraged by his father Joe Bryan who played guitar, taught James his first
tunes, and introduced him to area fiddlers such as Monk Daniels and members of
the Johnson family. He learned tunes from local repertoires as well as
bluegrass tunes from master fiddler Kenny Baker; who accepted Bryan as an
apprentice. He won his first fiddlers' convention at the age of twelve. James
and his father played at local radio stations, dances, and fiddle
conventions. In 1970, at the age of sixteen, James won the title of
Fiddle King at the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddler's Convention in Athens
Alabama. Three years later in 1973 he won it again. In 2011, James
received the prestigious Alabama Folk Heritage award for his lifetime of
fiddling. James has recorded two solo albums on the Rounder label and many more
with Norman and Nancy Blake as the Rising Fawn String Ensemble. He plays
Southern old-time and bluegrass tunes learned by ear as well as vintage tunes
from New England and Britain, many collected from rare old tune books or
“gleaned” from his extensive knowledge and archive of old 78 rpm records.
Carl Jones
has been involved in the old-time music community ever since he first attended
fiddlers’ conventions in Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia back in the 70s. As a
student in the commercial music program at the University of North Alabama, he
was able to hear many great songwriters in the famous Muscle Shoals Studios. He
later toured with Norman and Nancy Blake and James Bryan as a member of the
Rising Fawn String Ensemble, playing mandolin, guitar,banjo, and fiddle. He
often plays as a duo with James Bryan, when possible with his partner (fiddler) Erynn Marshall, or as part of a trio with Bruce Green and
Don Pedi. Known for a humorous and
enthusiastic, light-hearted approach, Carl has taught at many music camps
around the country, and his songs have been recorded by the Nashville Bluegrass
Band, Kate Campbell, Rickie Simpkins, Little Windows, and a growing list of
others.
Kay Bain is Tupelo's WTVA The Mornin' Show host. She performs at festivals, nursing homes, senior-citizen centers, civic and at charitable events. Kay and her late husband, Buddy, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw.
Wayne Jerrolds & Savannah Grass - Jerrolds has won the Mid-South Fair fiddling championship dozens of times,. He co-produced music for the film, Walking Tall
in which he was a featured fiddler. He has appeared on TV, the Grand
Ole Opry and at the 1981 World's Fair. He was a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and was inducted into Monroe's Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Jerrolds founded the Savannah (Tennessee) Bluegrass Festival.
Breaking Grass is
a bluegrass band composed of 5 multi-talented guys from northeast
Mississippi. They have performed at churches, festivals, and community
functions for the past 4 years. this group combines strong vocal
harmonies with skilled instrumentation to create an exciting stage
performance filled with traditional favorites as well as original
material. The band has performed with a number of top bluegrass and
gospel artists and have quickly become an audience favorite. They won
the Leon Frazier Memorial Gospel Talent Search in June 2010 and was
named the 2011 State of Mississippi Bluegrass Band Champions at the
state sanctioned competition in New Albany, MS.
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