Three Jack Jenny

Location: R.A. Fountain

from our promo for this concert

[Fountain, NC]  Three Jack Jenny performs old-style country duets and traditional bluegrass at Fountain General Store this coming Friday night. 

Fronted by Karen Smedley on mandolin and lead vocals, this Raleigh-based quintet also includes her husband, Jeff Smedley, on vocals and guitar; Matt Hooper on fiddle; Tony Morris on banjo; and Greg Penny on bass.

Karen Smedley began performing as a child in a family band that featured her and her two sisters on vocals. At age 7, she saw Lester Flatt and Nashville Grass, whose mandolin player Marty Stuart, she says, set her “love of bluegrass on fire.” 

Jeff Smedley grew up in Texas in a family of Southern gospel and quartet singers. He adds tight vocal harmonies to Three Jack Jenny’s sound, and with his wife, they especially enjoy singing the old-style country duets popularized by such artists as the Monroe Brothers and Louvin Brothers.

Matt Hooper solidified his reputation as one of the best fiddlers in North Carolina while performing with Kickin’ Grass. He also plays with Diamond Creek and has toured with Don Rigsby. He is a frequent guest performer on recordings of all styles, and he teaches both fiddle and mandolin.

 

Banjo picker Tony Morris, who grew up on a small farm on the White Oak River, formed his first bluegrass band, the Core Creek Corn Commission, with his fiddling brother. 

 

Bassist Gregg Penny perviously played with the Gentlemen of Bluegrass and with Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road. He has recorded on Pinecastle Records and performed on the “Song of the Mountains” t.v. show.

 

This is the first time Three Jack Jenny has performed at RAF, although Hooper has played here several times, and Karen Smedley was a guest performer with her daughter’s act, Christiane and the Acoustics, this past June.

Tags: bluegrass, Concert, original, tradtional bluegrass