| Story and Photos by Drew Moody
Bluegrass music legend Melvin Goins joined old friends for
an evening of stories, laughs, and great music.
Buddy Griffin (L) waves his fiddle bow at an audience member as he
jokes with Melvin Goins Tuesday evening at the GSC Fine Arts Center.
Bill Lawarre and daugher Summer Skrzelowski, two-thirds
of the Lawarre Family, were special guests.
Even money says if snacks and hot dogs were available
the musicians along with most of the crowd might have jammed
into the wee hours of the morning.
Megan Murphy hails from a southern Athens County, Ohio
musical family. Patrick Thompson on banjo is behind her.
Goins contemplated sleeping onstage, as he wistfully looked forward
to GSC Bluegrass master Buddy Griffin bringing him breakfast.
Griffin was once a member of Goins band during the mid-seventies
something they both decided was a long time past.
Goins is an equally masterful storyteller, delighting the audience with tales of trading a rooster and four hens for a banjo.
Musician and radio station owner and manager Steve Peters
interviews Buddy Griffin and Lloyd Bone during intermission
of the broadcast on WHAW-WVRW radio based in Weston-Glenville.
Steve Peters of WHAW/WVRW, 980-AM and 107.7 FM
broadcast the concert live interviewing Goins, Griffin, and Lloyd Bone. After finishing with the 'real guests' Peters was stuck visiting with his cousin (me) - only because there wasn't anyone left to talk to and the music hadn't resumed as yet. Lucky the musicians returned to the stage before he and I had to start recalling the "old days" when Stumptown seemed about as far away as Akron...if you lived in Glenville.
GSC professor David O'Dell set up the video and joined the GSC
Bluegrass band onstage. O'Dell is an old-fashioned banjo player but
moonlights from his science duties in the bluegrass department. Preston Allison made a special appearance.
Luke Shamblin, who has joined Goins at a variety of
gigs, plays mandolin as Robin Singleton covers bass.
The GSC Bluegrass Band include: Luke Shamblin, Josh Chapman, Patrick
Thompson, Megan Murphy, Robin Singleton, Mary Sue Bailey and Katie
Walker.
The concert was a benefit for Glenville State College's bluegrass
program, that according to Griffin is the only 4-year bluegrass program leading to a B.A. degree in the U.S. Anyone unable to attend the concert may contact Sherri Skidmore or Buddy Griffin at 304-462-7361.
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