Cedar Hill to Perform at KASU's Bluegrass Monday Jan. 22
JONESBORO – The band Cedar Hill will perform a concert of bluegrass music on Monday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in Paragould. The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM.
Cedar Hill (left to right) — Dan Stokely, Patti Lafleur, Pete Brown, Frank Ray (seated) and Jim Bunch.
Frank Ray, who still leads the band today, formed Cedar Hill in 1967. This Missouri-based group plays traditional bluegrass heavily influenced by the music and culture of the Ozark hills.
The band has received numerous awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) including CD of the year and vocal group of the year. The group performs regularly across the United States, and has toured in Canada and Europe. The band has also appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.
Mandolin-player Ray sings tenor and lead vocals. He has won SPBGMA’s songwriter of the year award multiple times, and is a member of the Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame.
Jim Bunch sings and plays banjo for the band. He appeared on the group’s first recording decades ago. He has been a featured performer at Silver Dollar City and at the Shepherd of the Hills Farm in Branson.
Dan Stokely sings lead vocals and plays guitar in the band. His vocals are featured on the group’s most recent CD, “By Request.”
Patti LaFleur started picking banjo at a very young age and bought a bass at the age of 12 to join a group that needed a bass player. Her driving bass style forms the backbone of Cedar Hill. La Fleur also sings tenor and lead vocals.
Pete Brown is an award-winning fiddle player. He has been performing bluegrass and country music for more than 30 years, and he frequently judges state and national fiddle championships.
More information about Cedar Hill is available at www.cedarhillbluegrass.com.
In addition to the concert, Terry’s Café, 201 South Pruett Street in Paragould, opens on Bluegrass Monday nights to welcome bluegrass music fans. The café serves a country-style buffet meal beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the evenings of Bluegrass Monday concerts. Concessions will also be available at the Collins Theatre.
Bluegrass Monday concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month. KASU will literally “pass the hat” to collect money to pay the group. The suggested donation is $5 per person.
These concerts are presented with support from Bibb Chiropractic Center, the Posey Peddler, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association and KASU.
KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University. For more information, contact KASU program director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@astate.edu or 870-972-2367. Bluegrass Monday is also on Facebook (search “Bluegrass Monday”).
