KASU's Bluegrass Monday to feature Ernie Evans and Florida State Bluegrass Band June 25 at Paragould's Collins Theatre
JONESBORO — Ernie Evans and the Florida State Bluegrass Band will perform a concert on Monday, June 25, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould. The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM. KASU will literally “pass the hat” to collect money to pay the group. The suggested donation is $5 per person.
Evans is a former guitarist in Valerie Smith’s band, Liberty Pike, and Evans appeared with this group at KASU’s Bluegrass Monday in 2010. Evans is a long-time musician who has performed a wide variety of musical styles professionally, but in 2011, he chose to form a band that plays traditional bluegrass music, his personal favorite style of music.
Evans and the Florida State Bluegrass Band tour the country from their home base of Jacksonville, Fla. The band has released two CDs, one of bluegrass standards and a second of gospel songs. The band is currently recording a third CD of new, original songs.
In addition to leading the Florida State Bluegrass Band, Evans produces bluegrass festivals in Florida. He also hosts radio programs of bluegrass music on WFCF-FM in St. Augustine, Fla., and on the Worldwide Bluegrass website. Evans has toured as a backing musician for the Motown group The Platters and for the legendary fiddler Vassar Clements.
The other members of the Florida State Bluegrass Band are Evans’ wife Debi who sings and plays bass, Nate Lee who plays mandolin and fiddle and Isaac Taylor who plays banjo.
In addition to the concert, Terry’s Café, 201 South Pruett Street in Paragould, one block to the east of the Collins Theatre, opens on Bluegrass Monday nights, offering a gathering place for bluegrass music fans prior to the concerts. The café serves a 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. These non-profit concerts are presented with support from Backbeat Music, Main Street Paragould, Hollis Bee Company, the Posey Peddler, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association and KASU.
KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. 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”).
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