Jack Hinshelwood has been working for two years on a recording of old-time, blues and bluegrass music, entitled “50 Years in the Making.” He chose the title because it is music that has been gathering in his repertoire that long. The recording will be released at two evening concerts. The first is Monday, April 4 at the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry College, Emory, Virginia at 7 p.m., benefitting Appalachian Sustainable Development. A second concert is held April 5 at the Moss Arts Center, Blacksburg, Virginia, at Virginia Tech and benefits the Montgomery Museum of Art and History.
The April 4 concert features performances by Phil Wiggins, Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, Butch Robins, Ivy Phillips, Scott Freeman, Jacob Eller, Debbie Yates and Sandy Shortridge. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, $5 children 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased at www.asdevelop.org and www.ehc.edu/mca. They can also be purchased by calling the McGlothlin Center box office at 276-44-6333. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of the event is required for admittance.
Wiggins is a blues musician, teacher and artistic director, and a two-time winner of the prestigious WC Handy Blues Foundation awards. He is also a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a master of Piedmont blues style which he has performed alongside some of the finest Piedmont guitarist/singers like John Jackson, Warner Williams and John Cephas.
The International Bluegrass Music Association notes that Ickes is the most awarded instrumentalist in the organization’s history, having won Dobro Player of the Year for a record-setting 15 times. In addition to being a founding member of the influential bluegrass group Blue Highway, Ickes has worked with Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and many others.
A Tennessee-born guitar prodigy who made his Grand Ole Opry debut at age 11 alongside Earl Scruggs and Marty Stuart, Hensley has been called “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine. He is now half of Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, a powerhouse acoustic duo that has electrified the acoustic music scene with their picking and duet singing.
With his innovative mind and creativity, Robins has few peers in the world of the banjo and a resume that includes making music with heralded artists like the New Grass Revival, Leon Russell and the Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe. In 2016, Robins was inducted into the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Bean Blossom, Indiana.
Phillips’ star has been burning bright since age 3 when she first became hooked on bluegrass music. That music has been flowing from her ever since on fiddle, guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin – basically any instrument she picks up. She is the current champion in flatpick guitar and dance of the 2021 Kentucky State Fiddle Championships and holds state fiddle champion titles seven states. In 2016, her fiddling got her named the Best All-Around Performer, the most sought-after award at the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention.
Freeman comes from a family rich in musical talent and his dynamic mandolin playing is built on an interest in a wide range of genres including bluegrass, old time, and jazz. His numerous recordings on mandolin, guitar and fiddle have been made in solo settings and with artists like Skeeter & the Skidmarks, Alternate Routes, Edwin Lacy, Willard Gayheart and his daughter, nationally recognized recording artist Dori Freeman.
Eller comes from a musical family and his early experiences included playing bass for Galax-area bluegrass band, No Speed Limit, honing the skills that he brought to bear later with The Church Sisters and with mandolin superstar Sierra Hull.
Yates got an early start in old-time music playing guitar and clawhammer style banjo alongside her fiddling brother Brian in the Konnarock Critters. Their hard-driving and authentic sound made them favorites at music festivals on both sides of the Atlantic.
A guitarist with numerous recordings to her credit, Shortridge uses her baritone voice to great effect singing and playing Appalachian ballads and the award-winning songs she has penned about life in Southwest Virginia. Her songs have been recorded by such artists as Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers and Larry Sparks, one of the most revered performers in bluegrass.
Artists who are included on “50 Years in the Making” include Ronan Browne, Jim Van Cleve, Michael Cleveland, Jacob Eller, Brennan Ernst, Jamie Ferguson, Dom Flemons, Dori Freeman, Scott Freeman, Trey Hensley, Jeff Hoffman, Rob Ickes, Doug Jernigan, Doyle Lawson, Steven Mead, Dale Perry, Ivy Phillips, Butch Robins, Sandy Shortridge, Ronnie Simpkins, Wayne Taylor, Allan Walton, Phil Wiggins and Debbie Yates.
Hinshelwood produced “50 Years in the Making,” a 21-track recording and concert of old time, blues and bluegrass music with some of the finest artists from those genres. The former executive director of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, he has taught, performed, produced and recorded the heritage music of the Appalachian region for almost 40 years. Hinshelwood is a guitarist, fiddler, singer and winner of the Knoxville World’s Fair Guitar Championship, the Wayne Henderson Guitar Championship and a two-time winner of the Galax Fiddler’s Convention guitar contest.
