| vol. 1, no. 1 | Fountain Express |
23 October 2005 |
Local blues star Lightnin' Wells' return to Fountain General Store for a Saturday night concert highlights our upcoming weekend of music that also includes bluegrass sensations Ted and the Tar Heel Boys.
Wells, a long-time Farmville resident and graduate of ECU, has established himself as one of the best bluesmen of his generation. But his shows are never confined to just one genre of music. He has in recent years added several classic ukelele tunes to his repertoire, which also includes a substantial store of ragtime and hokum vaudeville. He yodels with his country tunes and often accompanies himself on harmonica.
"We all benefit by the great talent that's in this region," said Alex Albright, R.A. Fountain General Store proprietor. "And Lightnin' is one of those who's been able to find national and international audiences appreciative of his art."
Wells' most recent CD, Ragged but Right, is distributed nationally by Allegra. It will be available at his Oct. 28 concert, which begins at 8 p.m. Admission is $5.
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On Friday night, Ted and the Tar Heel Boys return to Fountain for another night of dynamic bluegrass. Fronted by 19-year-old Ted Jones on mandolin, the Tar Heel Boys have released their first CD, which is getting good radio play on bluegrass shows throughout the region.
From Smithfield, the Tar Heel Boys also include Ted's father, Ronny, on guitar; Mike Langdon on bass; and, for this Fountain show, Les Sandy on fiddle.
"Ted and Les have both been popular acts here," said Albright, "so we're real happy to have them both on the same show."
Sandy, who traveled and recorded with Bill Monroe in the 1950s, has also recently released his first CD, made with his "Other Band": Johnny Batchelor of Elm City, Keith Gastor of Bailey, and Frankie Harrison and Christine Harris of Williamston.
Ted and the Tar Heel Boys' Oct. 29 show begins at 8 p.m.; admission is $5.
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The 4 days of music in Fountain begin with a free open mic on Wednesday night, hosted this week by bluegrass picker Jack Wrzesinski. A mandolin and guitar player who's made Greenville his home, Wrzesinski enjoys backing up a variety of musical styles.
The Oct. 26 open mic begins at 7:30. All types of family-friendly acts are welcome.
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On Thursday night, Michael Holland returns to Fountain for an evening of original and classic folk music. He has been nominated for best folk artist in the Triangle, and his most recent CD, Independent Dreams, was a record of the year nominee by the weekly Independent in Durham.
Holland's October 27 concert begins at 7:30; admission is $3.
R.A. Fountain, General Store and Internet Café, is located in downtown Fountain, at the intersection of US 258 and NC 222. Its family atmosphere does not permit smoking; alcohol is not served.
For further information, phone 252-749-3228 or visit our home page.
photo of Ted and the Tar Heel Boys at R.A. Fountain
Listen to Lightnin' play "Ragged but Right."
Listen to Michael Holland's "Fever for You."
Last weekend we celebrated our first birthday with two special events. On Friday, Don Helms joined the Malpass Family for a spectacular show. Helms, many of you know, is the architect of Hank Williams' sound. He brought along the same steel guitar he played on 10 of 11 of Hank's number one hits. Over the course of his 50+ years in the business, Mr. Helms has accompanied more than 40 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and recorded with many of them. He and the Malpasses did a Hank Williams tribute for their second set, and they're about to take this show on a national tour.
If you've not seen the Malpass Family, here's an indication of their fan base: we auctioned off one of the boys' blue cowboy shirts for $105! That money plus another $100 that R.A. Fountain is kicking in will go to the Tipitina's Relief Foundation in New Orleans, which is buying replacement instruments for musicians who lost theirs in Katrina, and is also assisting in finding housing for displaced musicians. If you'd like to kick in a bit on this tax-deductible donation, please let us know by the first of November. Checks should be made out to R.A. Fountain & sent to PO Box 44, Fountain 27829; you'll get a receipt from us and a copy of the letter of receipt from Tipitina's Foundation.
And then on Saturday night, we hosted our first jazz concert, performed by Triangle-based Second Third. Nearly 50 folks came out for a great night of jazz in Fountain, and we've booked this band back for April 06.
What You're Reading:
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