KASU’s Monday Bluegrass to Feature Cedar Hill Nov. 25
JONESBORO, Ark. — Cedar Hill will perform a concert of bluegrass music on Monday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould, Ark. The event is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM, the 100,000-watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University.
Britt McGarity, Frank Ray, Patti LeFleur, Jim Bunch, Pete Brown
Frank Ray who still leads the band formed Cedar Hill in 1967. This Missouri-based group plays traditional bluegrass music 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 band performs regularly across the United States, and the group recently toured the United Kingdom and Canada.
Mandolin-player Frank Ray sings tenor and lead vocals. He has won SPBGMA’s songwriter of the year award multiple times, and he 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.
Britt McGarity is a long-time Arkansas musician. He began playing guitar and resonator guitar as a teenager, and later became a lead vocalist. He toured the region with his family group, the Blue Mountain Band.
The other two members of Cedar Hill, Patti LaFleur and Pete Brown, are also members of the Acousticatz, a group that has appeared at numerous regional events including past Bluegrass Monday concerts.
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.
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.
Additional information is available at www.cedarhillbluegrass.com.
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 country-style catfish buffet meal beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the evenings of Bluegrass Monday concerts. Concessions will also be available at the Collins Theatre.
Doors at the Collins Theatre will open at 6 p.m., one hour before the concert begins. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. KASU will literally “pass the hat” during the show to collect money to pay the musicians. The suggested donation is $5 per person.
Bluegrass Monday concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month. These non-profit concerts are presented with support from the Posey Peddler, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association, Bibb Chiropractic and KASU.
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”).
