October 27, 2014

Apple, Kirby & Rounds with Friends

Tim Crouch, Tommy Burroughs, Irl Hees, and Kenny Loggains

The Collins Theatre ~ Paragould, AR

 

L to R: Tim Crouch, Brad Apple, Irl Hees, Pam Setser, Gary Rounds, Tommy Burroughs
and behind Gary is Kenny Loggains



       It is always a treat to attend Bluegrass Monday (4th Monday) at the beautiful Collins Theatre in Paragould, AR. The event is sponsored by KASU-FM 91.9 on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, along with other local sponsors. KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough serves as Master of Ceremonies for the outstanding bluegrass music events, and the house is usually packed full of enthusiastic fans.

 

          Local and regional favorites, Apple, Setser, and Rounds recently gathered some special friends to join them for a rare and outstanding performance at Bluegrass Monday on October 27, 2014. Brad Apple headed the project of gathering the band members and their friends. Brad is an Arkansas native who handles mandolin, guitar and bass with ease. He is a third-generation musician who began performing at an early age, and he has appeared on WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour in addition to many performances in Arkansas and Memphis, TN. He is also a recording engineer with his own studio and with Raney Recording Studio in Drasco, AR.

 

          Pam Setser is another Arkansas native who started performing when she was quite young with her family's band, the Simmons Family Band. Pam served as lead female singer of "The Country Music Story" stage show in Hot Springs, AR. She was second runner-up in the national finals of the Wrangler Country Showdown talent competition. In addition to her performances with Apple, Setser, and Rounds, Pam performs with the Leatherwoods at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR. Pam's credentials also include Louisiana Hayride on radio, and television shows such as You Can Be A Star, Nashville Now, Hee Haw, and the Tonight Show.

 

          Arkansas native Gary Rounds is known for his incredibly smooth and soulful vocal styling. Gary has performed on the syndicated radio program "At Home in the Country". With at least one CD to his credit, Gary Rounds' vocal and guitar styles range from folk to bluegrass to pop hits. He can sing songs the way they were meant to be sung. His voice sends chills down the spines of his many fans.

 

          Guest performer Tim Crouch from Strawberry, AR, brought his amazing fiddle style to the stage at Bluegrass Monday. The five-time winner of the Arkansas state fiddle championship has also won the national fiddle championship twice! The list of artists on whose recordings he has appeared reads like a Who's Who in country and bluegrass music: Vince Gill, George Jones, Bill Monroe, Glen Campbell, Dailey and Vincent, Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Charlie Daniels, Dierks Bentley and the Oak Ridge Boys. Tim also serves as the staff fiddler for the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. Perhaps you have seen Tim Crouch on Late Night with David Letterman, Hee Haw, Austin City Limits, and Conan O'Brien.

 

         Tommy Burroughs is another talented guest whom Brad Apple brought along. Tommy is from Memphis, TN, and his bluegrass roots go deep. He is the son of one of the original Tennessee Gentlemen, guitarist/vocalist Willie Burroughs. Tommy is extremely proficient on mandolin, guitar, and fiddle. Restless Heart and Martina McBride have recorded some of Tommy's songs. He is a seven-time winner of the Premier String Player award presented by the Memphis chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

 

          Irl Hees is the bassist of all bass players. The Missouri native has performed with Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, the Lonesome River Band, and Cedar Hill. Irl currently appears with the amazing comedy bluegrass group known as The Cleverlys. Hard-driving slap bass has fans running to YouTube to hear "Darcy Farrow," "Amazing Grace," or "Working on a Building" like they've never heard those songs before. Irl Hees will knock your socks off!

 

          Kenny Loggains resides in Arkansas, and he is the supreme guest percussionist, because he doesn't dominate the subtle nuances of bluegrass music. He often performs with Bucksnort Hill from Bono, AR.

 

          Here is the music chosen by these talented artists for Bluegrass Monday -- SET ONE: Dear Old Pal, Ozark Hills, Julianne, Wheel Hoss, Green Light on the Southern, Across the Great Divide, Uncle Pen, Darcy Farrow, Old Dangerfield, Tennessee Waltz, Black Mountain Rag (with local clogger Alex Prince), I'd Rather Died Young Than Live Without You (Magnolia Wind), Gone at Last. SET TWO: Sally Goodin, Eight More Miles to Louisville, Walkaway Joe, On and On, Milk Cow Blues, Fire on the Mountain, I Know Love Is All I Need, Crooked Ridge, Rose in a Spanish Garden (Last Letter Home), Sweet Georgia Brown, More Pretty Girls Than One, Midnight Moonlight, From a Distance, Take a Load Off Fanny/Annie (The Weight), Mandolin Fiesta, Amazing Grace, Orange Blossom Special, and two encores: Sweet Dreams and Lady Be Good.

 

Thanks to Marty Scarbrough and KASU-FM for the biographical information on the artists.

 

For additional information:

 

KASU-FM 91.9 with Marty Scarbrough in Jonesboro, AR, replayed the Apple, Kirby, and Rounds with Friends show from the Collins Theatre on radio Sunday, November 2, 2014, at 12:30 PM CST. (www.kasu.org) Catch any of the Bluegrass Monday shows on radio or online on the Sunday following a performance!

 

The Collins Theatre: 120 West Emerson St., Paragould, AR

 

Terry's Café: 201 South Pruett, Paragould, AR. Delicious Catfish Buffet served on "Bluegrass  Mondays" -- Opens 4:30 PM and serves 'til close at 6:45 PM

 

Bluegrass Monday on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BluegrassMonday

 

Pick away!