THE FARM HANDS QUARTET  

KICKS UP A LITTLE DUST

AT ROSSVILLE, TN,

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

APRIL 8, 2017

Rossville TN United Methodist Church built 1923

     THE FARM HANDS QUARTET from over around Nashville and Humphreys County in Middle Tennessee, dropped by the Rossville, TN, United Methodist Church on a perfect Saturday afternoon in April. The beautiful church was built in 1923 on land owned by the J. L. Crawford family after the original building was destroyed by fire. Pastor Roger Joseph welcomed the band and the audience, and we found him to be quite clever and funny! He shared a few stories of his own 'country livin' when he was a youngster. While the Farm Hands Quartet did not start another blaze at the church, their brand of bluegrass and gospel bluegrass is plenty hot! Apparently, church members and other bluegrass fans alike who packed the sanctuary were hungry and ready for some outstanding harmony singing and pickin' like nothin' you ever saw or heard! Toes were a-tappin' and hands were a-clappin'.

Sign to advertise the Farm Hands

The Farm Hands Bus/Van

     In the relatively brief time (2010) that the current band has been together, they have wasted no time in refining their sound and distinguishing themselves with the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA, or as fans pronounce it: spig' ma). The Farm Hands are the SPBGMA 2016 winners of Bluegrass Vocal Group of the Year and Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year.

 

L to R: Tim, Don, Daryl, Keith

L to R: Tim, Don, Keith, Daryl

      TIM GRAVES handles Dobro(r) responsibilities in the expert fashion that sorta comes with DNA. His uncle was bluegrass hall-of-fame member, Josh Graves. Uncle Josh, as he was known, introduced Dobro(r) to the world of bluegrass. Tim has performed with Bobby and Sonny, the Osborne Brothers, and his own previous band was Tim Graves and Cherokee. Tim holds 11 awards for SPBGMA Dobro(r) player of the year. He performed on the Grand Ole Opry for 20 years. He sings, too!

     DARYL MOSLEY sings and plays bass. He performed at the Grand Ole Opry for 10 years, and he is a four-time nominee for SPBGMA Male Vocalist of the year. Daryl was named SPBGMA Songwriter of the Year in 2016.

     KEITH TEW is the guitarist, vocalist, and smiling-est fellow in the band. He has had his own band, High Strung, and he has performed with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Vassar Clements, and Rock County. Grammy-nominated for his songwriting, Keith is a past winner of the SPBGMA Song of the Year award.

     DON HILL is the 'new kid' in the band. His banjo is lightning-hot, and he has the distinction of being state champion banjo player in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He has performed with Bobby Osborne and also Jesse McReynolds. Don is the tall, quiet fellow in the band. He, too, handles vocal harmony in the Farm Hands.

     Here is the program of exciting bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music that we heard on that lovely April Saturday afternoon:

     Anywhere Is Home; Crying for Crumbs; There's Just the Four of Us; The Way I Was Raised; The Great Speckled Bird (Tim Graves instrumental); The World Would Never Know, But I Would; Nashville Skyline Rag (Don Hill instrumental); The Bible in the Drawer: Mama Prayed and Daddy Plowed; Dig in the Dirt; Colors; Ask the Blind Man--He Saw It All; and the encore with audience participation was I Saw the Light. Great music with an even greater message!

 

Farm Hands Quartet

L to R: Tim Graves, Don Hill, Keith Tew, Daryl Mosley

     You can catch the Farm Hands Quartet again on Monday, September 25, 2017, at the Collins Theatre, 120 W. Emerson St., Paragould, AR, at "Bluegrass Monday" sponsored by KASU 91.1 FM on the campus of Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. The concert will be replayed on KASU 91.9 FM on the following Sunday, October 1. Listen online at about 12:30 PM CT to "Down Home Harmonies" with DJ Marty Scarbrough, Program Director at KASU.

 

For more information;

The Farm Hands Quartet  www.farmhandsquartet.com

Rossville United Methodist Church  www.rumconline.com  

KASU 91.9 FM  www.kasu.org