Georgia’s bluegrass foundation is built by early pickers, family bands, and community musicians whose playing preserves Appalachian roots while shaping a uniquely Georgia flavor. Small gatherings, barn dances, and early radio shows begin introducing bluegrass to audiences across the state. The groundwork is laid for the first organized festivals and influential musicians who will define the state’s identity.
The Bluegrass Scene in Georgia
Bluegrass music in Georgia, during the 1960s, was deeply shaped by Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass”, along with Flatt & Scruggs and The Stanley Brothers. This exposure was typically through radio and limited television broadcasts.
While professional bands occasionally appeared in concert across Georgia, especially at theaters and school auditoriums, local musicians yearned for more. They would frequently travel to other states, including North Carolina and Tennessee, to seek out other like-minded musicians and absorb new sounds and styles. Some of these important destinations were the DJ Conventions in Nashville and the Old Time Fiddlers Conventions in Union Grove, North Carolina and the Asheville Folk Festival in Asheville, North Carolina. Returning back to Georgia with new musical ideas and influences, the Georgia Bluegrass Scene began to develop and expand.
Summaries of Influential Bands in this Era include:
The Lewis Family – Lincolnton Ga
The family band got its start in 1947 as the Lewis Brothers, playing mostly country and fiddle tunes at square dances, etc. In approximately 1951, when other family members joined, they became “The Lewis Family” and switched to all gospel music. With the exposure provided by a local television station WJBF in Augusta, the group grew in popularity and visibility throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s. In the early 1960’s, most of the band members left their day jobs and devoted themselves to music full-time. The band members at this time were: Pop Lewis on bass, Wallace on guitar, Talmadge on mandolin and fiddle, Little Roy on banjo and Miggie, Polly and Janis on vocals. The Lewis Family played their first bluegrass festival in 1969 in Hugo, Oklahoma and the world of bluegrass gospel was off and running thanks to The Lewis Family and this new festival format.
Walter Butler And The Sun Valley Boys
Leonard Pickins – fiddle, Walter Butler – guitar, Ron Norman – guitar, Nippy Green – bass, Don Norman – banjo. Listen To Audio-file. (credit North Georgia Bluegrass Chronicles)
Walter Butler was widely known as a catalyst to the growth of bluegrass music in the North Georgia area in the 1960’s due to his efforts to bring musicians from different areas together. But Walter was a musician himself first. Walter was playing bluegrass in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and formed his only bluegrass band during that period. This early membership configuration anchored around Walter on guitar, Leonard Pickens on fiddle, Don Norman on banjo, Ron Norman on guitar and Nippy Green on bass. The group played a weekly radio show and also many other venues and were known for their love for the traditional sounds of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs.
The Bluegrass Five – Carrollton Ga
J.N. Baxter and Onie Baxter, both from West Georgia, married in 1954. While J.N. was serving in the US Army in the mid 1950’s, Onie, who was already an accomplished musician, started teaching JN to play guitar. Their initial foray into music was “hillbilly” but later morphed into what we know now as bluegrass. In the 1960’s, JN and Onie formed their own band called The Bluegrass Five along with Hughie Wylie, Howard McGuire and Joe McGuire. The band configuration of the mid to late 1960’s was what anchored the band’s prominence on the bluegrass circuit during that time. The members during this period were JN on guitar, Onie on guitar, Hughie Wylie on mandolin, Ron Norman on banjo and Howard McGuire on upright bass. With Onie’s vocal coaching, the Bluegrass Five developed a reputation for outstanding harmony vocals, anchored by J.N.’s strong lead voice. The band gained notoriety during this time with their performances and also began to meet a lot of the professional musicians on the scene. JN and Onie were always known for nurturing young musicians, and with many different accompanying members, would continue to front the group for approximately 50 years.
Curtis Blackwell and The Dixie Bluegrass Boys – Toccoa Ga
In the early 1960’s, in the Toccoa area, a teenage Curtis, his brother Haskell Blackwell and Junior Crowe (father of The Crowe Brothers), were playing bluegrass music in the Northeast Georgia area as The Sunshine Melody Boys. When they won a local radio talent contest, they were ecstatic when the first prize was a chance to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. In approximately 1965, Junior Crowe left the band. Around this time, Curtis united with Sam Cobb on bass, Al Osteen on banjo and Larry Jefferson on mandolin to form the original Dixie Bluegrass Boys. Then in 1966, a partnership with fiddler Randall Collins was formed. The band would continue to be busy traveling and performing at various festivals throughout the Southeast and Curtis’ lead vocals contributed greatly to their success. Around 1968, Curtis took the opportunity to play a short stint with Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys as the lead singer. But home and family beckoned and Curtis once again became a Dixie Bluegrass Boy. This band configuration would remain extremely popular for many years and they were leading the bluegrass sound into the future. Here is an audio file of Curtis singing Sitting On Top Of The World with Bill Monroe at the Lavonia Bluegrass Festival. Audio File ( credit: North Georgia Bluegrass Chronicles )
The RidgeRunners – Mableton Ga
In the mid-1960’s, Murray Freeman was living in Austell and started attending weekly jam sessions at a store owned by Dillard Rogers. Murray had previously played country music, mostly at home, but had always loved bluegrass since his days of seeing Flatt & Scruggs perform in and around Camp LeJeune NC when Murray was stationed there in the Marine Corps. At Dillard’s store, Murray met Ralph Abernathy, Charlie Abernathy, Paul Rogers (Dillard’s son) and many other pickers from the South Cobb area. In approximately 1966, Murray and some of the musicians from the store were asked to play at a shopping center grand opening in Mableton. When the emcee asked for the band’s name, they were at a loss as they had not even given consideration to a name. The emcee then introduced the group as “The Mableton RidgeRunners“. A band was soon formed of Murray on guitar, Ralph on mandolin, Charlie on guitar, Paul on banjo and Dillard on bass. The “Mableton” was eventually dropped from the name and the band became permanently known as The RidgeRunners. Dillard soon turned over the bass fiddle duties to his 10 year old son, Jerry “Jug” Rogers, but by the late 1960’s, Paul, Charlie and Jug had left to play with other bands. The line-up of The RidgeRunners by 1969 had become Murray and Ralph joined by Lee Melton on bass and Billy McKinley on banjo. The band was known for their hard-driving traditional bluegrass anchored by Murray’s lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Murray Freeman would remain the front-man and lead singer for the band throughout its 30+ years of existence.
The Everett Brothers – Suwanee Ga
Formed in 1968, band members included Randall Everett -guitar, Roger Everett – banjo, Leroy Everett – bass, Dallas Burrell – Fiddle, Jimmy Ross – Dobro
Leroy, Randall and Roger Everett were budding musicians in the mid 1960’s when a tragedy struck their family. (See Everett’s Music Barn history). The brothers initially played as The Country Ramblers with Roy Westray, Weldon Westray and Bill Holsomback and were sometimes joined by Ruth Westray, Pauline Deaton and Ray Deaton. Some of the group’s first performances were playing regularly on WDXY, a local radio station in Buford and where many new friendships were formed with fellow musicians from North Georgia. When Roy and Weldon left the band, the brothers changed their name to The Everett Brothers and brought in Dallas Burrell on fiddle and Jimmy Ross on dobro. It was also during this time that the Everett Family started hosting Saturday night jams and shows at their home with The Everett Brothers acting as host band. This was the beginning of a long tenure as one of Georgia’s best bluegrass bands, renowned for Randall’s smooth lead vocals and the band’s instrumental capabilities.
The Brakemen – Marietta Ga
The Brakemen have a unique origination story. In the early 1960’s, Paul Gilreath and Ken Hutson met at Emory University while attending dental school. Both loved traditional music and when they both ended up in Marietta after graduation, they continued to play and enjoy acoustic music. After meeting Fred Williams, another doctor, a new band was formed as The Brakemen. This period saw a few different musicians in and out of the band but by the late 1960’s the line-up consisted of Paul on banjo, Ken on guitar, Jen Bristol on mandolin, Bill Paden on bass, Fred Williams on guitar and Gary Palmer. The Brakemen were very popular throughout the area and popularized bluegrass music for a new generation. The future would bring many exciting performances and encounters.
Calico Valley Boys – Fairmount Ga
Hubert Wilcox – mandolin, Kenneth Hood – guitar, Darrell Wilson – banjo, Gene Wilson – bass (The above picture was made at the 1969 Fiddlers’ Convention in Union Grove North Carolina)
With their great harmony, flashy stage attire, this band made an impact on the 1960’s bluegrass scene.
(We are seeking further information about the Calico Valley Boys!)
Bluegrass Rebels – Brunswick Ga
David Lipthratt – bass, Dub Cross – mandolin, Liz Cross – guitar, Curtis Burch Sr – guitar,
Curtis Burch Jr – guitar, Ricky Burch – banjo
Bluegrass music was alive and well in South Georgia in the 1960’s, although in the hands of only a few active bands. The Bluegrass Rebels were one of the most well known and all these members would go on to be influential in future years.
The Blue Ridge Gentlemen – Lawrenceville Ga
Roy Fowler – mandolin, Tim Talton – Bass, George English -guitar, Joel Aderhold – banjo
The original Blue Ridge Gentlemen 1968
In the mid-1960’s, Joel Aderhold, Tim Talton, George English, Leonard Pickens and Louis Ellis formed a band to concentrate more on a combination of vocals and instrumentation, rather than just being a square dance style band. They called their band The Green Valley Boys. At one of Walter Butler’s weekend pickin’ parties, they met a mandolin player named Roy Fowler. In 1968, Joel, George, Tim and Roy formed The Blue Ridge Gentlemen. With George’s “Bobby Osborne” style vocal range, the band was able to structure harmonies with a high lead which made their sound very unique for this period. The band played many festivals in the last two years of the decade, including the first bluegrass festival in Lavonia GA in 1969, and continued to deliver top notch performances in the following years.
The Roanokes – Powder Springs Ga
Wally McWhorter – mandolin, J.D. Fortenberry – fiddle, Charles Abernathy – guitar, Herb Vann, -banjo, Jean Durham – bass
The Shenandoah Boys – Austell Ga
Lewis Ayres – Mandolin, Paul Rogers – Banjo, Ed Morris – percussion, Kenneth Hood – guitar, Jerry “Jug” Rogers – bass
In the late 1960’s, Dillard Rogers encouraged his sons, Paul and Jug, to form a band with their good friend, Kenneth Hood. With Paul on banjo, Kenneth on guitar, Jug on bass, they were joined by Ed Morris on vocals and snare drum and Lewis Ayers on mandolin. This band formation began a long stretch of performances and distinctions as a result of their vocals, featuring Ed’s mellow and country style lead, and the band’s instrumental support of their bluegrass and country repertoire. They would plow into the 1970’s wide open.
Important Events
Walter Butler Pickin’ Parties
In the 1960’s, Walter Butler and his wife Faye, hosted numerous bluegrass pickin’ parties at their home in Pine Lake, Georgia. Many of these were weekend events and included not only Georgia musicians, but also prominent musicians from other states. Walter’s inviting personality and Faye’s hospitality, brought cohesiveness and a sense of “family” to the Georgia bluegrass community.
Saturday Night Pickin’ at the Everett Homeplace
In 1964, Jerry, one of the sons of Lee and Carrie Everett, who was also a Gwinnett County Police Officer, was murdered while on duty. Lee and Carrie (fondly known as Ma & Pa) encouraged their other remaining children to continue playing music to help cope with the tragic loss. As the music grew, a band was formed called The Country Ramblers with Leroy, Randall, Roger, and friends Roy, Ruth and Weldon Westray, and Bill Holsomback. As the Westrays and Bill moved on to other interests, and with new members, the band officially became The Everett Brothers. Each Saturday night, the home place was filled with music as family and friends began to gather. In 1968, a room and stage was added to the home and other bands were invited to perform along with the Everett Brothers Band acting as hosts.
Georgia State Bluegrass Festival at Shoal Creek Music Park, Lavonia, Ga
July, 1969 Shoal Creek Music Park in Lavonia, Ga – The 1st Professional Bluegrass Festival in the state Georgia. Roy Martin and Alton Waters bring a treasure trove of professional bluegrass bands to Georgia.
Kenneth Hood Garage Pickin’
In December 1968, Kenneth Hood hosted a bluegrass pickin’ party in his transmission shop in Austell. At this event, the concept of a local and public bluegrass festival was born. Acting on this idea, Dillard Rogers and others proceeded to organize and promote what would be the first Cobb Bluegrass Festival.
Cobb Bluegrass Festival 1969
The 1st Cobb Bluegrass Festival was held at the Cobb County Fairgrounds in October, 1969. This was the first “open” stage bluegrass festival in Georgia allowing any and all bluegrass bands to perform. An estimated 2000 people attended the weekend event!
