2008 Children's Stage schedule
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Grammy nominated singer-guitarist Don Edwards continues to build a legacy that enriches our vision of the American West. In tales of the day-to-day lives and emotions of those who have lived it, his ballads paint a sweeping landscape of both mind and heart, keeping alive the sights, sounds and feelings of this most American contribution to culture and art. The quality of this cowboy balladeer's music stems from the fact that he is so much more than a singer. Bobby Weaver of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, summed up Edwards' importance as "... the best purveyor of cowboy music in America today." An historian, author, and musicologist, unusually well - versed in cowboy lore and musical traditions, Don brings a rare complement of knowing and loving his craft. Mostly though, there is the soul of a poet; a man who has never succumbed to the temptations of presenting a glamorized or romanticized version of the West. Edwards deals with bad weather, petty motivations, sadness, nostalgia and longing, as parts of the landscape like any other, www.somagency.com/donedwards |
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Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid has honed his craft over the last 30 years in countless clubs, festivals, street-corners, cafes, schools, coffeehouses and concert halls across the nation. One critic called him the "renaissance man of folk music." He has absorbed a vast repertoire of American music and woven it into his own colorful, personal and distinctive style. His 13 solo albums on Woodpecker Records showcase his mastery of many instruments and styles of acoustic music, from hip-folk to country, slashing slide guitar blues to bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, ragtime and even classical, www.woodpecker.com |
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Whether in concert halls or on sweat-soaked dance floors, the Terry Quiett Band consistently serve up a wild brew of blazing rock energy, monolithic R&B hooks and guilt-free, roof-rattling three-piece blues-pop. Thick, nimble funk grooves launch soulful melodies and rootsy blues guitar riffs across the seemingly insurmountable chasm between contemporary AAA/pop and classic R&B - from slinky to sultry to pure swamp - creating a sound that is somehow both comfortably familiar yet firmly modern, www.terryquiettband.com |
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Hot Club of Cowtown More than a decade after its formation, Hot Club of Cowtown has grown to be the most globe-trotting, hard-swinging Western Swing trio on the planet. The band--Elana James on violin and vocals, Whit Smith on guitar and vocals, and Jake Erwin on bass and vocals--still swings harder than ever as it continues to develop it's unique, ever-changing sound. This journey, which began with the roots of the Hot Jazz era, Americana music, vintage pop and folk music and continues to unfold into the new sound of the group's original songs. In the United States, Hot Club of Cowtown has been featured on All Things Considered, The Grand Ol' Opry, $40 Dollars a Day with Rachel Ray, Mountain Stage, A Prairie Home Companion, and numerous other radio and television programs. In the UK they have appeared extensively on BBC Radio with Bob Harris and Andy Kershaw, and on BBC TV's "Later" with Jools Holland, the "Live From Glastonbury Festival" broadcast, as well as throughout the UK at festivals, theatres, and clubs. Among the youngest members ever to be inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, in 2006 they also toured as musical ambassadors for the US State Department and were honored to be the first American band ever to tour in Azerbaijan. These days, tours with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, the Mavericks and others keep the Hot Club of Cowtown busy dazzling new audiences both nationally and internationally throughout much of the year. www.hotclubofcowtown.com |
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Tom Paxton's place in folk music is secured not just by hit records and awards, but by the admiration of three generations of fellow musicians. An internationally recognized and loved cultural figure, he has always chosen goodwill over commercial success. His generosity has taken the shape of a benefit concert performance for a little girl fighting leukemia, or a personal note of encouragement to an up-and-coming songwriter. This is the man who wrote and lives the words, "Peace will come, and let it begin with me." www.tompaxton.com |
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A full-time professional musician since the early 80s. Billy Ebeling has traveled the globe spreading his unique style of music to the masses. Originally from Lawrence, Kansas USA he has toured Europe, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Fiji. Billy spent twelve years playing in New Zealand and Australia with his own band and with The Ebeling Brothers. A prolific songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Billy's recorded sixteen albums to date. Along the way Billy has played with or opened for Brownie McGhee, Red Hollo-way, Buckwheat Zydeco, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Robert Jr Lockwood, John Hammond, Johnny Johnson, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, W.C. Clark, Tailgators, Rosie Ledet and Wayne Toups. Billy is now based in the United States playing in the Kansas City area either as a soloist or with The Late For Dinner Band, www.billyebeling.com |
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Tia McGraff was born Tia Lynne Hofgraff in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in a small town on Lake Erie called Port Dover and remembers her first trip to the "city"! She was only 7 years old and her parents were taking her to see the musical Camelot in Hamilton, Ont. Although the "big city lights" were impressive, Tia's eyes and ears were opened when she heard the orchestra play the first bar of the overture. She turned to her mother and said, "I want to be on stage"! Since that life calling experience, Tia's musical career has led her on a journey that includes 4 albums ( Small Town Life, Jewels Cafe, Outside Of The Circle, Day In My Shoes ); videos on CMT Canada; exposure on CBS Nightly News with Katie Couric; and radio play on Americana, Triple A, and Country radio stations around the world; and has had songs placed in film and TV. www.tiamcgraff.com |
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For nearly three decades, Bryan Bowers has been to the autoharp what Earl Scruggs was to the five-string banjo. He presents instrumental virtuosity combined with warmth, eloquence, expression and professionalism. Bower's creativity and talent have won him induction into Frets Magazine's First Gallery of the Greats after five years of winning the stringed instrument, open category of the magazines readers' poll. This distinction put Bowers along side other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O'Connor, recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter, www.bryanbowers.com |
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Mark Bowling is a singer/songwriter from ArkCity. He writes from his life experiences and captures the humor, irony and beauty around him in his songs. He draws his influence from Lyle Lovett, Hal Ketchum and Don Williams with such a creativity and breadth, that his songs sound familiar in a brand new way. In 2005, Mark performed two of his original songs at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson and won the State Finals competition of the Colgate Country Showdown. In 2005, Mark released his CD, "A Room With A View", with 16 original songs. This CD taps into the human condition with laughter, tears, new love, loss and hope, www.markbowling.org |
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Previous Tumbleweed Festivals