The music of The Country Boys and Slate Mountain Ramblers will be featured during New River Community College’s Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club Jamboree at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 28 at NRCC’s 117 Edwards Hall in Dublin.
The Country Boys have been playing traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music throughout North Carolina and Virginia for over 40 years. The band originally formed in the late 1960s, with several lineup changes throughout the years. The present band is made up of Donald Clifton, Johnny Joyce, Tim Bowman, Billy Hawks, Marsha Todd and Doug Joyce. The band cites the Country Gentleman and the Osborne Brothers as some of their musical influences.
The Slate Mountain Ramblers is a family old-time group from Mt. Airy, N.C. The members are Richard Bowman, Barbara Bowman, Marsha Bowman Todd and Randy Hiatt. The Slate Mountain Ramblers play for dances, shows, family and community gatherings, and benefits. The band has a winning tradition, placing at various fiddlers’ conventions and the group has traveled as far as Gainsborough, England, to perform.
Corporate sponsors of the jamborees include Anderson Audiology, Dublin; August Jewelers & Boutique, Inc.; Duncan Ford – Lincoln – Mazda, Blacksburg; Estes Auto & Truck Parts Inc., Pilot; First Community Bank, Pulaski; Gregory Seeding and Landscaping Company, Pulaski; King’s Tire Service, Pulaski; Pepsi Cola Bottling Co., Dublin; Pulaski Patriot, Pulaski; Shoney’s Restaurant, Dublin; Southern Furniture Warehouse, Radford; Sunshine Tours, Dublin; and Wade’s Supermarket.
The doors open at 5 p.m. for the 6 p.m. show.
There is no charge for admission; however, donations will be accepted to help pay travel expenses for the musicians.
The jamborees are held the second Saturday of each month, October through April at NRCC, a Crooked Road affiliated venue.
More information about the NRCC Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club is available from Tim Jones at 540-674-3683, and online at www.nr.edu/fiddle.
