Sherri Ramsay, bass; Greg Ramsay, dobro & guitar; & Kelly Lore, guitar. All members of the band sing both lead & harmony vocals.
Frequent guests include Dan Vanada on mandolin and Russell Bloom on banjo.
Influences
Not necessarily in this order: Cache Valley Drifters, Tim O'Brien, Blue Highway, Front Range, Dan Fogelberg, Ronnie Bowman, the Acousticats, IIIrd Tyme Out, Tony Rice, Del McCoury, Freewheelin', the Witcher Brothers, Kate Wolf, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, church choir while growing up, and anybody we ever heard sing good harmony.
The members of Jessum Buds originally got together as part of a five-piece bluegrass band; however, they found that keeping the schedule and location needs of five people satisfied just never seemed to work out. On the other hand, they enjoyed playing with all of the people who had ever been in the band. They solved this dilemma by becoming a core trio that had "guest pickers"; their name, Jessum Buds, even came from a countrification of the phrase "just some buds."
While they enjoyed the collaboration, as time went on the sound of the trio became tighter and they added more original songs; it became tough to find players who could just step in and play with them. Jessum Buds came to the difficult decision that they would make guest pickers a less frequent event. This allowed them to concentrate on creating the sound they really wanted without worrying about keeping it simple enough to make guests comfortable.
Jessum Buds now plays a mixture of the traditional, the not-so-traditional, gospel, original songs, and the occasional song stolen from the folk genre. The group is becoming known for their great harmonies but hasn't lost the bounce that makes people smile and tap their toes. Their joy in playing for audiences is reflected in their warm & friendly sound.
The Band Members
Kelly Lore: Has been playing guitar for more than thirty years. He got interested in bluegrass music in the 80s when he started attending Traditional Music Association events in Oklahoma City. He is a one-time member of the Prairie Land String Band that still performs throughout Oklahoma; Kelly performed with them at places as varied as the Oklahoma Opera and Frontier City Amusement Park. Along with playing guitar, Kelly contributes vocals and original songs.
Greg Ramsay: Grew up in California where he sang with a variety of musical groups. He joined the USAF and became a member of the Keesler Male Chorus while doing technical training; that's where he met Sherri. He didn't get interested in bluegrass until he bought Dan Fogelberg's "High Country Snows" album. When he and Sherri started attending bluegrass festivals some years later, he got bit by the bug and had to have a guitar. For the last two years, Greg has been developing his skills as a dobro player. In addition to singing and playing, Greg often works out the band's vocal arrangements.
Sherri Ramsay: Started out life in Texas where she grew up playing classical piano, accompanying singers, and singing in the choir. She enlisted in the USAF and went to Keesler AFB where she found yet another group that needed an accompaniest and the guy in charge of the group at the time happened to be Greg. After getting married, Sherri & Greg were stationed in Germany and eventually moved to California. The couple sang together for many years before they began singing bluegrass. They became part of an enthusiastic bluegrass community in California and found another great bluegrass community when they moved to Colorado. Sherri started out playing the mandolin but moved to the bass when she found that her talents were more needed there. Sherri not only sings and plays bass, but she writes some of the band's original material.
Booking Information
If you are interested in booking Jessum Buds for an event, please send an email to jessum.buds@yahoo.com.
Well, thank you guys for the invite to the Pickin'! Not sure if I will make it though. Tis quite a haul from ol' Cheyenne, especially only being able to stay Saturday night... But, I'll see how I feel Saturday morn, you know how those wild hairs get sometimes!
