Eric Lambert:
Eric is a fresh new face for the upcoming tours. Here is what Tom Lounges of Midwest Beat Magazine in Highland IN had to say....
"Eric Lambert has been writing, playing guitars, recording and performing for over thirty years. He firmly adheres to the old school philosophy of those ground breaking masters who inspired him , that music should know no bounds. His restless spirit has driven him into a variety of projects that have enabled him to tour extensively throughout America and Canada over the years as well as be a guest on several albums by an array of artists. Lambert is a likeable chap with a cherub face and a friendly smile that is framed in a graying beard, making him almost wizardly looking, in a warm and cuddly Jerry Garcia kind of way. While that former Grateful Dead icon is a musical hero of Lambert, he is but one of many from all genres of music whose influence seeped into the nooks and crannies of Lambert's artistic fiber.The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead,Lttle Feat, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs,New Grass Revival,Tony Rice,Doc Watson,David Grisman, and the three Kings of the blues, B.B., Albert, and Freddie likewise have inspired his own creative output over the years. Playing music since the age of thirteen, Lambert honed his skills in a variety of Chicago school bands while growing up, and today shares those skills as private musical instructor himself. Lambert successfully filters bits and pieces of the disparate artists who inspired him into a sonic brew of eclectic and amazing music. Music lovers with broadband tastes will find much to enjoy in Lambert's enthusiastic approach, fueled by his genuine love and deep respect for all walks of traditional Americana music. His no bounds mantra comes into play every time Lambert steps onstage or into a recording studio. Rock, folk, bluegrass, country, and blues all play equal parts in his musical output. Lambert excels at each style and bounces back and forth between them with an uncanny ease and smoothness."
Becky Buller:
A multi-instrumentalist from St. James, Minn., Becky Buller now resides in the Nashville, Tenn.-area. She holds a degree in communication from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, where she was involved in the Bluegrass and Country Music Program. In 2000, she released "Rest My Weary Feet," a self-produced solo release for SRS Records. Becky was awarded first place in the bluegrass division of the 2001 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in Wilksboro, N.C. Becky's songs have also been recorded by Rhonda Vincent; Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver; Mark Newton; David Parmley and Continental Divide; the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band; and, most recently, IIIrd Tyme Out. Her second album, "Little Bird," was release in October 2004 and is available fromBell Buckle Records. She proudly endorses D'Addario Strings and Nechville Banjos.
Bobby Davis:
Bobby paid dearly for his first bass; in order to the raise the necessary money, he had to sell off his 4-H project that year--a pair of Brown Swiss dairy cows! This Wheatfield, Ind., native actually got his start on the mandolin and fiddle. He is a former member of Peter Nye & The Chicago Bluegrass Band and Audie Blaylock and Redline. Bobby and his bass are featured on the "Stelling Banjo Anthology" as well as "Grave Run," the new record from Patrick McAvinue.
Chad Graves:
The ever-debonair Chad Graves comes to the group from Morrisville, Mo. Around the age of 12, Chad inherited a resophonic guitar from his Grandpa Dohle and was soon playing in local groups such as Ripplin' Waters, Waterloo Boy and Just in Tyme. He is a former member of Bluegrass trailblazers the Arkamo Rangers and is featured on their latest record "New Timey Thrill." Besides being a cracker jack picker, Chad is a great bass singer, pyrotechnics guru and excellent house painter. Chad proudly endorses Red Bear Trading Co.- Tortis Thumb Picks, and Rayco Resophonic Guitar.
As the twig is bent, so grows the tree. And when that tree is anchored in the fertile hills and dales of west Missouri, you can bet it will be strong enough to withstand a sudden prairie storm, yet beautiful enough to take away your breath when silhouetted by a vivid sunset.
This metaphor aptly describes the music of Valerie Smith as it has seasoned, firmly rooted in the musical soil of her Missouri childhood. One listen to the conviction of Valerie's voice as she delivers a tune lets you know that she is no hot-house flower, but was raised in a real world of both hardships and joys. Valerie's delivery can range from the force of a prairie twister to the gentle softness of a spring rain.
Music has always been there for Valerie. It's the lifeblood that flows through her veins and is part of her earliest memories. No stranger to hard work, her family raised tobacco, potatoes and corn, while her father worked in an auto assembly plant. The child of musical parents, Valerie showed talent at an early age, and soon began singing rousing Baptist hymns in church, and later began to accompany her parents to play her fiddle and sing with local country and bluegrass musicians in her hometown of Holt and the surrounding area. Not only did Valerie learn to sing in front of an audience, but she learned to be an entertainer as well, a skill which has endeared her to thousands of fans across the world.
Missouri is the musical crossroads of the nation, and Valerie heard western music drifting in from the high plains, jazz wafting along the Big Muddy from Kansas City, and the clarion call of bluegrass from the east. A strong desire to learn more and to teach others prompted Valerie to attend the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, where she received her B.A. in vocal music education and further broadened her musical horizons. While attending school, Valerie was to meet her future husband, Kraig Smith; and as fate would have it, a chance opportunity led Kraig to a job in Nashville shortly after they were married. By then, Valerie had been teaching school in her hometown for two years, and even though she knew she would miss teaching, she felt fate was pulling her toward Tennessee. In 1992 they arrived and settled into their new life.
It didn't take Valerie long to get into the Nashville music scene, even while holding down a job with an advertising agency, and then teaching middle school music. She formed the acoustic country group "Fresh Cactus" and played extensively in Nashville while honing her songwriting and performance skills. Valerie's love for bluegrass music never waned, and while attending a festival in Franklin, she met old time musicians Junior and Betty Parker. The Parkers quickly adopted Valerie, and invited her to play with them in the tiny Tennessee hamlet of Bell Buckle. It was here that Valerie met local entrepreneur J. Gregory Heinike, owner of the Bell Buckle Café. Valerie, J. Gregory, and Kraig Smith founded Bell Buckle Records and Valerie recorded her first highly acclaimed CD, "Patchwork Heart" and formed her band, Liberty Pike.
Since then, Valerie's music has taken her from coast to coast and around the world. She has become an ambassador of bluegrass music and has entertained music lovers in New York, London, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and hundreds of other venues throughout the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. She has been the recipient of IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) awards and has been nominated for a Grammy Award as part of the Ralph Stanley "Clinch Mountain Sweethearts" project, and she has appeared on the famous Grand Ol' Opry as guest of hall of famer Charlie Louvin.
Valerie, her husband Kraig and daughter, Josie now reside in their adopted hometown of Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike's Friend Space (Top 28)
Thanks Valerie! Hey, while you're at Silver Dollar City, say hello to my brother Dwight Murdy. He is a musician as one of the Homesteaders at the log cabins near the church. Have a great time, Nancy
