Elkville String Band "Over The Mountain" (Mountain Roads Recordings)

1. There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere
2. Otto Wood
3. The Elkville Shuffle (instrumental)
4. Cindy
5. Over The Mountain
6. Suicide Blues
7. Indian Princess (instrumental)
8. Where The Roses Never Fade (gospel)
9. The Freight Wreck At Altoona
10. Drake’s Waltz (instrumental)
11. Jesse James
12. Bring Me A Leaf From The Sea
13. Tennessee Grey Eagle (instrumental
14. Cat Call Waltz (instrumental)
15. Shall We Gather At The River (gospel)

The Elkville String Band, from Wilkes County, North Carolina has released their first project “Over The Mountain” on the Mountain Roads Recordings label.

The Elkville String Band consists of Drake Walsh (fiddle and mandolin), Herb Key (guitar and singing), Bill Williams (harmony singing and bass), and Jeff Michael (banjo, fiddle, guitar, and singing). “Over The Mountain” features special guest Wayne Henderson on Lead Guitar.

“From Wilkes County, North Carolina, the Elkville String Band plays genuine American rural roots music. They go back to a day when musicians didn’t care whether what they were playing was called old-time, bluegrass, gospel or country; it was just music. The members of Elkville String Band powerfully convey the pure joy of playing music together.”

“Rooted and original, joyous, creative and down to earth, the Elkville String Band’s album is not just enjoyable but quite important. They represent one of a very few living, authentic representatives of a significant slice of southern American musical heritage best known for Roy Acuff, Hall and Snuffy Jenkins. Put this in your compact disk player and experience the pure truth of real folks playing real American Music.” — Art Menius, Director, Appalshop, Whitesburg, KY

More information about Elkville String Band can be found on the group’s website or their MySpace Page.

About Elkville String Band

In 2006, Elkville String Band recorded a version of the ballad “Otto Wood” on the 75th anniversary of the year Otto Wood was shot. The song was released as a single and was included on the album, “Carolina Scrap Book – Volume Two,” which was produced by the Kruger Brothers and features Wilkes County and regional musicians.

Band member, Drake Walsh, son of 1920s and 30’s RCA and Columbia recording artist, Dock Walsh, started playing banjo when he was about six or seven years old, and he has been playing traditional mountain music ever since. Drake remembers listening to Clarence Ashley and many other musicians who visited the Walsh home to play with Dock. Drake performed with Dock in his father’s later years, and he has played with a number of local and regional bluegrass and old-time bands over the years. Fiddle and mandolin have become Drake’s primary instruments, but he is also a great harmonica, guitar, and banjo player.

Herb Key grew up in a musical family in Wilkes County. He has played music for most of his life and has spent more than thirty years making, repairing, and restoring instruments. Herb was surrounded by music played both on the radio and by his mother and uncle. When he was sixteen, his parents bought him his own Silvertone guitar, which Herb still owns today. Herb has also made a number of instruments. In addition to having his own shop, Herb works at Wayne Henderson’s shop doing the repair work so Henderson has time to build new instruments. Over the years, Herb has played in a number of groups including the High County Ramblers, with Larry Pennington, which won in the bluegrass band category at the Galax Fiddlers Convention the year they formed.

Jeff Michael has been pickin’ and singing in this area all his life. He is a multi-talented musician who can play any instrument. His singing talents are known throughout this area and beyond. Jeff’s primary band is Big Country Bluegrass but he finds time to pick with Elkville String Band on most of its appearances. Jeff has performed on The Grand Ole Opry with Bill Monroe, Charlie Louvin, and Big Country Bluegrass. He plays banjo, fiddle, and guitar and sings lead and harmony. He has also recorded a CD with Elkville String Band.

Bass player Bill Williams moved to Wilkes County from Florida in 1976, and he has immersed himself in the mountain music of the region. He was a founding member of Steve Kilby’s Sunday Night Band, which later became Kingsberry Run. Bill plays with a number of groups in the area which call him from time to time when they need a bass player. Bill plays primarily with Elkville String Band, and he serves as the contact person for the group.