Fountain Express

Lightnin' Wells, the internationally renowned bluesman from Farmville, returns to Fountain General Store for a concert this Saturday night.

Wells has traveled extensively throughout U.S. and Europe in recent years, delighting audiences at festivals, concerts, and clubs with his stellar renditions of classic Piedmont blues.

"Piedmont style features intricate finger-picking rather than the slide, which is associated more with Delta blues," said Fountain General Store proprietor Alex Albright. "But Lightnin' plays a pretty mean slide, too."

Wells, a native of West Virginia, grew up in Goldsboro where he began playing music in garage bands. At UNC-Chapel Hill in the early 1970s -- where he was an English major -- he developed an interest in oldtime, folk, and blues music and he began playing coffeehouses and clubs throughout the region. He continued to hone his musical skills and expand both his interests and repertoire while working in rehabilitation therapy at Pitt Memorial Hospital, after earning his Master's degree from ECU.

Wells has been a fulltime musician for over a decade, making a name for himself both as a solo artist and as an accompanist to a who's who of North Carolina blues legends: Big Boy Henry, Algia Mae Hinton, John D. Holeman, and George Higgs. Wells mixes his shows up with virtuoso performances on guitar, steel guitar, ukulele, and harmonica.

"Although he gets typed primarily as a bluesman," Albright added, "his shows are more like an encyclopedic tour of early twentieth century American music. Blues, country, oldtime, folk, vaudeville, gospel -- his command of styles is as impressive as his repertoire."

Wells' most recent CD, Ragged But Right, has been released nationally. "We've also got an excellent recording of him live in Fountain," said Albright, who hopes to arrange for its commercial release.

Wells has recently established his own webpage, at lightninwells.com. It includes a gallery of photos and two video clips of Wells performances at Fountain General Store. (Here's one.)

Lightnin' Wells' March 11 concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $5; reserved seats are available for $7.50 -- call or click here to buy.

Here are a couple of MP3s from Ragged But Right:
The Old Familiar Tune (1.9 MB)
Guitar Waltz/Knoxville Blues (instrumental, 2.6 MB)

Here's a photo of Lightnin Wells playing his ukulele at Fountain General Store.

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This four-day run of music in Fountain begins on Thursday night, with Fountain General's twice-monthly bluegrass jam, hosted by Greenville picker Jack Wrzesinski. Music starts at 7:30 on March 9; admission is free, and all levels of pickers are welcome.

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J.R. Stafford of Greenville, a frequent guest at these jams, brings his own band to town for a Friday night bluegrass concert. Joining Stafford for this show are Marshall Stephenson of Raleigh on mandolin and guitar, Patty Hopkins of Williamston on fiddle, and several other special guests.

Stephenson has been playing, promoting, and recording bluegrass in eastern North Carolina since the 1960s. He is host of the Sunday night radio show "Bluegrass Train," on Rocky Mount's 98.5 FM. Now in syndication, the show is also broadcast on over 20 radio stations as well as on the web, at thebluegrasstrain.com.

Hopkins, who graduates as a music major studying violin from ECU this spring, has become a popular performer at bluegrass jams in the region. The bluegrass pieces she will perform in April will represent the first bluegrass ever allowed in a School of Music senior recital. Details on this free concert, in Fletcher Hall, will be announced in the Express as soon as they are available.

Bluegrass music, Hopkins says, has always been her passion: "I'm getting the degree for my mama, but as soon as I'm done with school, it's nothing but bluegrass for me." Hopkins has planned on moving to the Asheville area in search of a good bluegrass band to join. "We're all hoping she'll get comfortable with some of the good players in this region," Albright said, "so maybe she'll wind up sticking around a while."

J.R. Stafford and the Mountain Boys have released two CDs, Blue Ridge Rain and Hold on to Your Britches. Both are available at the store or on-line.

The March 10 concert begins at 7:30. Admission is $5.

Hear a couple of numbers recorded by J.R. Stafford & the Mountain Boys:
"Shenendoah Breakdown" (instrumental, 4.2 MB) from the CD Hold On To Your Britches
and
the title track (2.6 MB) from the CD Blue Ridge Rain

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On Sunday, March 12, Farmville's Marlboro Boys return for their monthly free concert of classic bluegrass gospel. "They always put on an entertaining show," said Albright. "We get lots of people returning every month to see them, and every month there's a few seeing them for the first time."

Hear Marlboro Boys recordings:
"Prayer Bells of Heaven" (2.7 MB) from the CD God's Only Son
and
"Farside Banks of Jordan" (2.4 MB) from the CD First Time Around

R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Cafe, is located in historic downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere is smoke- and alcohol-free.

Reserved seats are available for most shows at an additional charge. Prices are always posted on our up-coming events page. For further information, phone 252-749-3228.

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