bluegrass music
“I've wanted to do radio ever since I listened to the DJs on CKLW out of Windsor. And now that I am, the greatest thing about it is the music that we play on our show.
How did I come about this music? Hmm.. lets see.. when I was a young lad, my father would take me with him to see some friends of his that basically lived off the land. I think they came from the hills of Arkansas. Our kin came by way of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
I was raised on a farm near Lyons Ohio. But these folks listened to some different music than I heard on CKLW - Bluegrass! Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Rogers, Uncle Dave Macon on the old records. But then sometimes they would tune into this station late at night and you could hear Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs! Later I figured out this was WSM out of Nashville Tenn. They are still on the air today at 6:50 AM. They still come in best late at night.
There were the square dances at Ottokee Township Hall. Live music where Uncle Joe was callin' the square dance and cousin Shelby was on the fiddle ( he went on to play fiddle with some of the great Bluegrass and country musicians in our country). The fiddles would be playin’ the old time hoe-downs. The dancers would be do-si-doin’ and cloggin’ to the fiddle and banjo tunes! I think John Forrest played the guitar. Uncle Joe played the saw. Bill Kurfiss did some callin' too. The first time I ever seen a banjo played live was there. Ol’ Carlton Hamn, I can still hear him playing "The Beverly Hillbillies"!
So for me to be able to bring this great music to our listeners by radio, and maybe the world someday, I think is a great thing. Maybe someone will hear it and be inspired like I was or even more than I was. I hope they go on to be a great musician some day!”
Jerry Eicher
“I was born in Northwest Ohio. At a very early age, two of my favorite songs were, 'Yellow Rose of Texas," and "Cindy." Two old time standard tunes that are still played today in some circles. Music was always high on my list. Learning 'Darling Clementine,' 'Sweet Betsey from Pike', and 'Erie Canal' in kindergarten, I saw that there is a certain magic in that old music. Of course to me, at the time, it was brand new.
My first guitar (and lesson) came after seeing the 'Beatles' on the Ed Sullivan show. And after a brief extended affair with the electric guitar, I switched to the acoustic as the primary instrument. However, ‘Pink Floyd’, 'Jethro Tull', 'The Moody Blues', 'Jefferson Airplane' and 'The Grateful Dead,' remained a major concert influence. But always behind the scenes, was the acoustic sound... Spent some time drifting in the folk music world.
In the mid 70's, I saw an article in the the local newspaper about a bluegrass festival in Ottawa, Ohio, Headed down there with my acoustic guitar. Found a jam session, saw they were only using 3 chords.... how hard can it be?
After a few attempts to 'keep up' I put the guitar back in the case and settled in to listen. That weekend changed everything.
Eventually learned to play mandolin and did some time with Salt Creek, a band formed by the late local legend Conley Varble. I took a few years off music to raise two daughters. I am currently playing / working with several music projects... Bridge County bluegrass band, and a trio (looking for a cool name) with Tonie S. Long and Gil Evans. I attend jam sessions whenever possible, fill in with Fossil Creek and the Hand Hewn String Band when fortune allows, and co-host the "Ol Hippie Bluegrass Show". I can also be found doing music in several local churches.
It is all about the sound, the music, the feeling rises up when the music is good, and the echos of the mountains and the land and the people fill the space up and there is nothing better. And that's what it is about in the bluegrass music... the feeling. I'll look for you out there in radio land. Thanks for listening.”
Brad Long