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Where Bluegrass Lives! |
Busted at age 14 by Dad for skipping school to learn to play the Dobro, I finally admitted I was hooked on bluegrass. As a native of the Washington, DC area, I grew up listening to the sounds of Flatt and Scruggs, Jim and Jesse, and a little known group at the time, the Seldom Scene, eventually even taking Dobro lessons from Mike Auldridge, himself. After retiring from the U.S. Navy in 1999, I made my way from Florida to the frigid northlands of Connecticut and rekindled my love of the music and the desire to pick. Monthly jam sessions led to weekly ones, and eventually to the formation of Out on a Ledge. After 6 frosty years in Connecticut, a change in jobs and the search for warmer weather lead me to Texas (I got here as quick as I could!). Finding Bluegrass in Texas wasn't as difficult as I thought, and I soon found several jams to keep busy, as well as sitting in with Cottonwood Creek for a few shows. It was at one of these jams that I began looking for a permanent band to play with, but nobody needed a Dobro player at the time. One band, Blue River, however, did need a bass player. Offering that "I can play a little bass", I was soon turned to the dark side. Quickly finding my rhythm, so to speak, the Blue River sound was solidified and soon we were in the studio producing our first CD. In the summer of 2008, along with Cecil Patterson and Johnny Tarver, I left Blue River to form Nickelville Road. |
Jeff Smith Bass & Dobro |
Photo courtesy of Brite Photography |