Guitar: John Doyle, Chester McMillian, Greg Loux, Jim Nelson, Beverly Smith, Abe Folmsbee, Dennis Hall, Erica Weiss, Riley Baugus
Singing: Donna Correll, Carol Elizabeth Jones, Robin & Linda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Patti Stutts, Beverly Smith, Joe Newberry, Ginny Hawker & Kay Justice
General Musicianship: Adam Hurt, Brian Schmiel, Jarred Nutter, Andy Edmonds, Donna Correll, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer
Raised on a tobacco farm in Caswell County, North Carolina, Beth Williams Hartness began singing and taught herself to play the guitar at the age of twelve. Influenced by her mother's passion for early 1960s folk music, Beth's original inspirations included Peter, Paul & Mary and Joan Baez, followed by Emmylou Harris and Robin & Linda Williams during her college years. While a freshman in college, Beth started experimenting with fingerpicking the guitar and soon began to play fingerstyle exclusively.
In 1982, Beth was introduced to old-time music while living in Charlotte, North Carolina, and joined a local band. During this time, she was a founding member of the Charlotte Folk Music Society, serving as vice president and festival organizer. While attending fiddlers' conventions throughout the '80s, Beth discovered that her unique style of fingerpicking resembled that of some of the Round Peak guitar players in Surry County, North Carolina, such as Paul Sutphin and Chester McMillian. Chester in particular became a mentor for Beth.
Beth has been a member of numerous award-winning string bands, including the Moonshine Monsters and the Lightnin' Bugs, both first-place winners of the traditional band competition at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia (2005 and 1995, respectively). Her playing is featured on several recordings, among which are two-finger banjo player Marvin Gaster's Rounder release, the second installment of the Young Fogies anthology, the Clifftop tribute CD, and Adam Hurt's newly-released second recording, "Insight."
Beth Hartness and Adam Hurt perform "New River Train" at the 2008 FOAOTMAD Festival in Gainsborough, England (video taken by Stuart Tod):
Beth Hartness and Adam Hurt perform "The Sinful Flirt" at the 2008 FOAOTMAD Festival in Gainsborough, England (video taken by Steve Wise):
Beth, YOU are my guitar hero (no game needed). And you will definitely see me and AP at clifftop --jennie is going to Peru, so she won't be around again until next summer :-(
I'll be lineforking it by myself--but i'd love to play some tunes, or dance to your music... xoxo, Julie
awww beth... of course I love you... I just don't have internet anymore... and I'll possibly be at clifftop... with new musician friends that you most definitely have to meet!!!!
We'll be there Friday so let's plan a Friday session after we all get set up. We'll try to be around our usual spot close to the concrete bathrooms. I'm looking forward to it! Mike
We thought it might interest you to hear that our debut CD is now available on CD Baby. Click on the little picture below and listen to some samples. Hope you like what you hear :-)
Cheers Jesper Big Hungry Joe Old-time band from Denmark
I need to come visit... really really really really badly... I have so much to talk to you guys about (I'm possibly, well actually, going to move to florida) that a teaser for conversation... so i will call you and tell the rest of that story later...
well... asides from work... i need to i have nothing else to do.. it just depends on what time it starts... i really really want (really really want) to come too!!!
It sure was great catching up and playing some tunes last nite! I sure do miss the times when we'd get together more often! See you at the Rendezvous if not before.
Hey Beth. Thank you for the add. I appreciate it very much. I try to play the guitar the old time way over here on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. If I am any good at that, you can hear, if you listen to our bands space site: www.myspace.com/hungryjoe where we are allready spacefriends.
