New Essex Bluegrass Band: MembersHome Music Contact History New gigs Past gigs Single mic BG memories Links Paul Brewer Paul sings the lead on most
of the songs, and occasionally baritone, and plays rhythm guitar.
He first heard bluegrass music in the 1960s, fell in love with
it, and has remained devoted to its traditional form ever since.
On meeting Terry Hymers in 1989 the two of them formed the
Chelmer Valley Bluegrass Band with Phill Morley, the founder of
British Bluegrass News, on banjo and later Ivor Ottley on fiddle
and Alan Saxby on bass. When this band folded Paul and Terry
continued to sing and play together until they joined with Greg
Wright to create the New Essex Bluegrass Band.
Paul loves all the bluegrass instruments, and has a collection
of Martin guitars as well as a mandolin, Dobro and double bass,
but holds steadfastly to the belief that singing is the key to
the music. He has attended every Sore Fingers Summer School
since it started in 1996, usually joining the singing class, and
is thrilled to have met and sung with nearly all his favourite
bluegrass singers, including Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin, Keith
Little, Kathy Kallick and Lynn Morriss. He shares his extensive
knowledge of bluegrass with others at SFSS by acting as tutor to
the student bands. Terry Hymers Terry got into Bluegrass at
the early age of about 10 due to his father being a banjo picker
who styled himself on Earl Scruggs. After hearing a Bill Monroe
album on the record player one night, Terry was so taken by
Bill's style of playing that he got the 'bug'.... then he got a
mandolin! Completely self-taught by ear, playing along to
bluegrass albums from the likes of Jim & Jesse, Country
Gazette, The Osborne Brothers and obviously Bill Monroe, he made
his first public appearance playing with his father at a pub in
Essex. Since then Terry has played in a number of bands
throughout the Essex region until meeting Paul Brewer at a
picking session one evening in 1989 which ultimately led to the
forming of The New Essex Bluegrass Band.
Terry plays mandolin and sings tenor harmonies with Paul, and
together they reproduce many of the closest brother duet
harmonies to be found in bluegrass. Terry is also considered by
many as the ideal bluegrass mandolin player, and was described by
Frank Wakefield as having a ‘perfect right hand’
during Frank’s last UK tour. Mike Stanhope Not long
after moving to NW Essex from London in the mid nineties, Mike
saw the band at a local festival and became an avid fan. He then
served a demanding apprenticeship as a hanger-on before being
asked to try playing bass and singing harmony. So Mike joined his
first band, making a nervous debut at Didmarton in 2000. He now
provides the rock-solid and tasteful bass, which is the foundation
of the band sound, is the baritone in the trios and sings the occasional lead.
A long-time
lover of hard-core bluegrass, Mike has also controversially been
known to listen to other kinds of music: mainly these days some
50's & 60's jazz (all those double basses), and as usual, his
favourite artist - Bob Dylan.
He also now plays bass with the Saffron Walden
based acoustic duo The Hoxton Hobos. Dixon Smith American banjo player Dixon
Smith began his bluegrass career in Connecticut in 1964, moved to
Minnesota in 1968, and began making his living playing bluegrass
in 1977. The banjo players who have influenced him the most are
Bill Emerson and Allen Shelton, whose drive and bounce he has
always admired; other favourites are Earl Scruggs, Don Reno and
Eddie Adcock. Bands he has performed in include The Snake Hill
Boys (1966-1968), whose guitarist, the late Dick Fegy, toured and
recorded throughout the 1970s in The David Bromberg Band; and The
Bellville-Smith Bluegrass Band (1968-1970), whose guitarist,
Stephen Gammell, toured and recorded in the 1970s with guitarist
Leo Kottke. Full-time, professional work came with The String
Drifters (1977), who performed for Garrison Keillor on A
Prairie Home Companion, broadcast live every Saturday on
American Public Radio; their bassist, Tim O’Brien,
co-founded Hot Rize the following year. Other full-time bands
were Haywire (1980-1984), whose dobro player, Mike Cass, toured
with Tom T. Hall; Hybrid Grass (1989-1993); and The Blue Drifters
(1993-1994). Dixon also worked as a studio musician in
Minneapolis recording studios from 1969 through the 1980s. He
moved to England in 1994 and joined The New Essex Bluegrass Band
in 2006 where he plays banjo and sings lead.
Greg Smith No relation...Greg started out as a classical violinist, but got separated from that path at Cambridge University where he became interested in fiddling and was part of several bands including Cobblers Last, the Cambridge Crofters and Camus. To help pay his way through college, Greg played in several Ceilidh bands and took up calling dances. His interest in bluegrass was sparked when he was introduced to Pete Sayers and the Radio Cowboys in the 90s. He joined The New Essex Bluegrass Band in 2005 on the fiddle and is sometimes allowed to sing bass in the gospel numbers. In his spare time from bluegrass, Greg also plays with the Great Eastern Ceilidh Company . If you can ever persuade the band to remove their hats, Greg is easily recognisable as the only one with his own head of hair. Last updated: Tuesday, 19th December, 2006, GPS |