Dixie Flyers
| Dixie Flyers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | bluegrass |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Boot, Flat top |
| Website |
dixieflyers |
The Dixie Flyers is a bluegrass band based in London, Ontario, Canada. The band first came together in 1974,[1] and has become one of Canada's best known bluegrass bands.[2]
Original members of the band were guitarist Bert Baumbach, mandolinist Ken Palmer, harmonicist Willy P. Bennett, bassist Brian Abbey and Dennis LePage on the banjo.[3] Although lead vocalists Baumbach and Palmer have been continuous members, over the years the band has seen a number of changes in the lineup.[4] Dixie Flyer band members have included:[2][5]
- Guitar: Bert Baumbach
- Fiddle: Gordon Stobbe, Peter Robinson, and John P. Allen.
- Mandolin: Ken Palmer (died October 30, 2013)[6]
- Bass: Brian Abbey, David Zdriluk, Chris Ingram
- Banjo: Dennis LePage, David Jack, David Talbot, Paul Hurdle ,Walter Maynard,and Darin Parise
- Harmonica: Willy P. Bennett and Mike Ethelston
- Dobro: Al Widmeyer, Blair Heddle, Darin Parise
The Dixie Flyers played at the Carlisle Bluegrass Festival in 1975,[3] where they met Bill Monroe, and were subsequently invited to play at Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival in Indiana, USA. [7][8] The band also played at the Cambridge Millrace Festival[9] and the Blueberry Bluegrass Festival in Stony Plain, Alberta.[10] They also played several times at the Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll, Ontario.[11] The band performed regularly at the Flint Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Michigan.[6]
The Flyers recorded a series of albums on the Boot Records label during the 1980s.[2] They were the hosts of a television show called Bluegrass Express on CFPL in London in 1985 and also took part in a weekly radio show for seven years.[12][3] The band appeared on the Tommy Hunter Show, and for a time managed the Back 40 Bluegrass Festival at Woodstock, Ont. [2]
In 2013 the Dixie Flyers were inducted into the London (Ontario) Music Hall of Fame.[8][13]
Discography
Albums:
| Name of Album | Label | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Light, medium, heavy | Boot Records | 1977 |
| For our friends | Boot Records | 1980 |
| Just pickin' | Boot Records | 1978 |
| Cheaper to lease | Boot Records | 1978 |
| Five by five | Boot Records | 1981 |
| New horizons | Stony Plain | 1984 |
| Business as Usual | Boot Records | 1987 |
| Live at the Wellington Tavern | Flat Top | 1980 |
| Right on track | Flat Top | 2005 |
References
- ↑ "Ken Palmer put the ‘man’ in mandolin –R.I.P.". Toronto Moon.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Dixie Flyers", The Canadian Encyclopedia, retrieved 4 March 2013
- 1 2 3 Reaney, James, "Flyers mark 30 years of gigs", London Free Press, 5 June 2004
- ↑ Meyer, Sean, "Celebrating 35 years of making music ", The Londoner, 5 May 2010
- ↑ Schneider, Jason, "Dixie Flyers Right on Track", album review at exclaim.ca
- 1 2 3 Ken Palmer passes". Bluegrass today, 3 November 2013.
- ↑ Adler, Thomas, Bean Blossom: The Brown County Jamboree and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Festivals University of Illinois Press, 2011,
- 1 2 Reaney, James, "Jack Richardson music awards", The London Free Press, 26 February 2013
- ↑ Reid, Robert, "Dixie Flyers land in Cambridge for bluegrass concert", The Guelph Mercury, 29April 2010
- ↑ Festival History - Blueberry Bluegrass Festival
- ↑ Canterbury Festival - Archives
- ↑ "Dixie Flyers" , Allmusic
- ↑ "The Dixie Flyers Receive JRMA Hall Of Fame Honours". Country Music Association of Ontario Newsletter, 2 May 2013.