Fountain Express

The diverse music weekend upcoming at Fountain General Store includes bluegrass, jazz, eclectic folk, and a concert of original Christian ballads. It is headlined by Greenville jazzman Steve Creech, who brings his sextet back to Fountain for a Friday night performance that will also showcase Carol-Ann Tucker.

Creech, who retired as a director for Pitt County Mental Health in 1997, is a tireless promoter of jazz in the area, and he has established a solid reputation for bringing along with him, wherever he plays, an outstanding band.

Creech began playing guitar when he was 6. He has performed and recorded since he was a teenager in eastern North Carolina and while a student at Wake Forest. His sextet includes Fred Moye of Kinston, tenor sax; Keith Dobbins of Rocky Mount, bass; Larry Siegler of Greenville, drums; and Larry Jones of Kenansville, keyboard.

Tucker has recently released her third CD, Love Me, Love Me Not. Hear a selection from that CD, "It Had to Be You" (2.5 MB).

The Steve Creech Sextet with Carol-Ann Tucker's March 31 show begins at 8 p.m. General admission is $5.

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Farm and Home, which showcases the songwriting talents of Shorty Mooring, opens the 4-day weekend of music in Fountain with a bluegrass show on Thursday night.

Also in this Grifton-based band are the Gaddis brothers, Jim on mandolin and Bob on fiddle and banjo; H.C. Croom, rhythm guitar; and their newest member, John Booker on bass.

Hear Shorty Mooring perform one of his original songs (not recorded with Farm and Home), "My Poor Heart" (1.9 MB).

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Watermelon Sugar, a folk bluegrass duo from Washington, DC and Asheville, makes its Fountain debut on Saturday night.

Hypatia Kingsley and Louise Bendall began performing together in 2001, and their third CD is set for release this summer. They play a variety of stringed instruments -- guitars, banjo, violin, and mandolin -- and are particularly noted for their vocal harmonies.

Named for the Richard Brautigan classic of the 1960s, Watermelon Sugar maintains an active touring schedule throughout the eastern seaboard coffee house circuit.

Watermelon Sugar's April Fool's Day concert begins at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $5.

You can hear Watermelon Sugar songs on their web site, but don't listen to "Republican Shocker;" or, if you, don't say you weren't warned.

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On Sunday, Christian folk singer Melody Brown returns to Fountain for a free concert at 3:00.

A native of eastern North Carolina, Brown writes many of the songs she performs, based on her fond memories of growing up, and of her Kentucky roots.

Brown's debut CD, A Voice 4 Him, was released in 2005. Hear her peform a song from that CD: Hammer and Nail (3.0 MB). Brown and her husband, Steve, live in Zebulon.

Reserved seats for all shows are available for an extra charge.

April is Poetry Month
Barton College in Wilson will host "Walking into Poetry: Moving the Mountains East," on Saturday, April 8.

Visiting poets will be Keith Flynn, editor of Asheville Poetry Review, and Kathryn Stripling Byer, North Carolina's Poet Laureate, who lives in Culhowhee. Barton's poet-in-residence Jim Clark, a Tennessee mountain man in his own right, will be part of the program, which also showcases Barton College student poets.

Clark has performed at Fountain General Store as a solo artist and also as a part of the Near Myths, who will celebrate the release of their new CD Wilson in Fountain on April 29.

Registration for "Walking into Poetry" begins at 8:45, and a lunch is available for a small charge. Contact Barton English professor Rebecca Godwin for further information or to register email rlgodwin@barton.edu.

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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