BOOGERTOWN GAP
Boogertown Gap - The Band
Keith began playing electric guitar in a high school band way back in the late 60's, eventually moving over to acoustic guitar in college. Decades later in 2004 he took up Scruggs style picking on b
Keith's family has been in Sevier County since the early 1800's. There are numerous accounts of these relatives playing their folk music and singing the ballads all over Boogertown and areas that are now in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Surprising to Keith was once when "old-timing" it around a campfire with Ruth and Scott, at Keith and Ruth's home, his parents began to sing some of the words to the tunes being played! This music reaches everyone.
One day, Keith asked his lovely wife, Ruth, to take up the guitar because he wanted to play this music spontaneously, not having to track down a fiddler or another musician. Now Ruth is a classically trained musician on flute so playing the guitar was as foreign to her as speaking Martian. In 2005 she began to experiment with chords a bit and then, Scott (again) introduced her to playing Old-Time guitar. Then friends McLean and Derek(also friends of Scott) helped and encouraged her even more. And then they started adding words to the tunes that have lyrics. Does pat your head while rubbing your stomach and hopping on one foot ring a bell? Now she plays guitar, spoons, and penny whistle and sings old mountain songs and ballads. Looking back, Ruth learned a lot of the Old-Time songs when she was a child, but she wasn't made aware of their roots or significance. The first song her Daddy taught her to sing when she was a wee lass was about an out house. This old traditional music lives deep in her soul, and she is grateful to now be able to express it freely and share it with whomever wants to play along or sit and listen.
Ruth has not set aside her flute, nor does Keith ignore the guitar since becoming involved in Old-Time music. They perform Celtic Music as "Mountain Minstrels" at churches, weddings and receptions with Keith on the guitar and Ruth on Flute and Recorder.
Austin Stovall, originally from Scottsville, Ky, comes from a musical family. His great grandfather played the "tater bug" mandolin, harmonica, and jaw harp. He received his first banjo at Christmas on his 14th birthday and has been playing clawhammer banjo since. Austin also plays fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Austin has learned Old-Time music through personal research, playing with old and new recordings, and playing with other musicians in East Tennessee. Austin now lives in Powell, TN and is the primary third member and fiddler with BTG.
Sandee Rose lives in Knoxville, TN and plays stand-up bass and lap dulcimer. Born and raised in California, she has also lived in the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, and New England. When her travels took her to Georgia, she found Old-Time Music and lap dulcimer. That led to her on-going love affair with the stand-up bass. On bass, she played with "Barnstorm" for contra dances all over Florida and "Full Circle Band" for English dances in Jacksonville. She has had many dulcimer students and has written a book for new students. Her CD, "The Next Ridge" was recorded in 2007. Sandee is learning to call dances and with BTG, she keeps a great steady beat on that bass.
McLean Bissell is from Asheville, NC and has been playing music most of her life. Her grandmother first taught her piano, and she continued taking lessons through high school. She started playing guitar and became interested in traditional music while attending Appalachian State University. After moving to Asheville in 1996, she began learning bass and playing guitar with friends and musicians in the community. The Freight Hoppers were looking for a bass player in 1999, and she toured with the band for their last two seasons, playing bass and singing Old-Time songs. McLean has also played with various Asheville area bands including Devilish Mary, Blue Eyed Girl, The Reems Creek Rattlers, Copper Coil and the Sweet Potatoes. She currently plays for contra and square dances in Asheville with the Spring Chickens, and is honored to play with BTG whenever she can.
Scott T. Walter, currently resides in Breaux Bridge, LA where he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Avian Conservation Biology. Scott primarily fiddles, but is also very capable on guitar and clawhammer style banjo (remember he is the man who initiated Keith and Ruth into OT Music and instructed Keith on banjo and fiddle). Scott also sings and hollers. Scott and one of his best friends, Brian Scott have recorded an Appalachian banjo/fiddle duet CD, Chilly Winds, under the name of "The Buckeyes". It's a great CD!! Scott began his Old-Time adventure while living in Oregon while pursuing his Master's degree. He then moved to Asheville, NC where he learned and played with the great Old-Time community there. He and McLean above played together in the Copper Coil String Band.
Alex Morris is a Sevier County native who ancestry traces back to Scotch-Irish origins. His great-grandparents on both sides of his family worked as loggers in what today is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Tremont and Elkmont sections. Alex is a volunteer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Alex enjoys buck dancing, the original style of mountain dancing that his ancestors and mountain folks enjoyed while playing and singing their Old-Time music. Alex sometimes joins BTG where he displays this original mountain buck dance. He can join Boogertown Gap at performance upon request.
