String Dusters page 2 of 2.
The String Dusters Photo Gallery:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At the Moon & River Cafe with Cajun fiddler Harry LaFleur |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Playing with Nick Barr and the Lockhart Mountain Boys at the 2009 ABL Roundup |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007 Upper Hudson Bluegrass Festival - Ed Spires |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Playing at the Night Sky Cafe in Schenectady |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On stage at the HAMS Jamboree, Williamsburg, MA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back at the Parting Glass for an ABL Show |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A jam session after playing at the Chandler Arts Center, Randolph, VT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wandering the grounds at the Schaghticoke Fair |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moon & River Cafe, Schenectady |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's always news when the String Dusters come to Amsterdam |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barry in a duet with Cajun fiddler Harry LaFleur |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neil with one of his heroes, Ramblin' Jack Elliott |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At the View at Indian Kettles, with Tom Eaton of Cletus and the Burners sitting in on mandolin. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Playing at Arthur's Market in Schenectady - a great but short-lived venue |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The really big band - Jake Rekedal, Neil Yetwin, Bill Healy, Barry Weinstein, Dave McMeekin, Nick Barr - at Union College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Waterford Tugboat Roundup 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neil singing his heart out at the Glad Rag Saloon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At the 2003 NECMA Awards Show at Proctor's Theatre, with Justin Cary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barry & Nick Barr on twin fiddles, Price Chopper Grand Opening, Mohawk Commons, Niskayuna |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks to Ed Spires, Maeve Healy, Vandra Healy, Sue Kapaulis,
Rosie Horowitz, Maureen Gebert, Bill Healy, Maeve Healy, Mickey Bagley, Bob Flynn,
Heather Richards, Peter Betz , Val Woodward, Bob Flynn, Strong Oak, and others for
the photos.
Where Did That Name Come From?
When the band was formed in
the fall of 1993, we
didn't really have an idea of a name. As the four original members - Bill Healy
(guitar, mandolin, dobro), Rich Raczkowski (autoharp), Bob Weaver
(guitar), and Bob Kempter (bass) - started to receive offers to play, we
realized we needed one. The name had to end with something, and we didn't
want to be the --- Ramblers or --- Boys, so we ended up as the Mohawk Valley
String Dusters. A long name, which after a couple years was shortened to only
the last two words.
The immediate source of the name came from
the name of a bar on Route 9 north of Albany; I passed it once thirty years ago
and thought it might work for a band name (during my college years in the early
1970s I was part of the Bunn Hill String Dusters). The name goes
back farther, though, to the late 1940s, when Homer Haynes and Jethro Burns
(Homer and Jethro) were part of a hillbilly jazz band called the String Dusters
on a radio station in Knoxville, TN. They also used the name for a few
recordings in a band that included Chet Atkins on guitar, Jerry Byrd on steel
guitar, Dale Potter on fiddle, and sometimes George Barnes on guitar. The was
another group called Alberta Slim and the String Dusters active in the 1950s. There are
no connections between these earlier bands and ours, nor are there any with Hal
Peters and his String Dusters, a rockabilly band in Finland, or another band with the same name in West Virginia. We all enjoy playing
music, though.
Early History
The String Dusters were formed in 1993. Early in the year, Bill met Rich Raczkowski, his wife's autoharp teacher,
and the two found they enjoyed playing music together. Looking for additional
musicians, Rich recruited Bob Weaver on guitar and Bob Kempter on bass from his
former band, the Gifford Hollow Boys. We played our first gig at a gift shop
called Rabbit's Run in Fort Hunter on Thanksgiving weekend, 1993. A couple other
shows followed, one at the Rensselearville Institute and another at the
Waterford Museum. The band was called the Mohawk Valley String Dusters.
They made their first appearance at the ABL Roundup in 1994, but
by that spring Bob Weaver had retired from his job and moved to Tennessee, and
Bob Kempter began to cut back on his playing a bit. Unfortunately, we have only
one poor quality recording and no photos from this period. Bill and Rich
remained in the band, looking for more players.
Neil Yetwin had
stopped by to practice with the band a couple times in 1994, after seeing one of
our performances at the Waterford Museum. He finally joined the band in 1995,
shortly after the other original members moved on. The band began playing
several small clubs, including Albany's Mother Earth Cafe, The Back Door Cafe in
Glens Falls, and Borders and Barnes & Noble Books in Colonie. Usually a
trio, there were times when Bill and Neil ended up playing as a duo. It takes at
least three to be a band, and that came with the addition of Kent DeBie on
resonator guitar in 1996. A fine singer of western songs, the band added a new
dimension when he joined. Rich left for the last time at the end of the year.
|
|
|
Neil Yetwin, Rich Raczkowski, and Bill Healy, early 1995
|
|
|
|
ABL Roundup, 1996 - Neil Yetwin, Rich Raczkowski, Bill Healy, Kent DeBie
|
|
|
|
Richard, Bill, Kent, & Neil at Borders, Wolf Road, Albany
|
|
|
|
Neil Yetwin, Kent DeBie, Bill Healy - 1996
|
|
|
|
A serious country look - Kent DeBie, Bill Healy, Barry Weinstein - ABL Roundup, 1997
|
|
|
|
|
At the Albany Tulip Festival, 1997 - Neil Yetwin, Barry Weinstein, Kent DeBie, Bill Healy
|
|
|
|
Kent DeBie, Andre Begnaud, Nick Barr, Bill Healy, 2000
|
|
|
|
Barry, Bill, Andre & Neil in Central Park, Schenectady
|
|
|
|
The String Dusters from 2002 to 2004 - Neil Yetwin, Jack Toritto, Barry Weinstein, Bill Healy
|
|
|
|
The String Dusters in 2005: Fred Woodward, Neil Yetwin, Barry Weinstein, and Bill Healy
|
|
|
Fiddlers are hard to find, but the
band got lucky in 1997. Barry Weinstein stopped by Bill's book store, and after
a bit of conversation was invited to one of our practices. Many people have been
invited, but Barry came, and the band has never been the same since that day.
Over the last few years, he has evolved from a fine violinist to an excellent
fiddler, and it is a pleasure to feature his work in the band. He also plays
with a contemporary country band, but seems play his best in our acoustic
setting.
The end of the 90s brought a
few changes to the band. Neil and Barry took short periods of time off, and a
few others came and went. Andre Begnaud became our first full-time bass player
(Neil had doubled on acoustic bass guitar) since Bob Kempter, and
multi-instrumentalist and bluegrass personality Nick Barr began sitting in with
the band now and then. Nick had his own band, Blue Moon, and is a member
of Bates & Barr (with Bob Bates), but when he is not playing with his other
groups he is our fill-in musician of choice, frequently appearing with the group
on bass, mandolin, fiddle, and even guitar. Nelson Rock played fiddle with band
for a few shows.
By 2001, Neil and Barry were back in
the String Dusters, and the following spring Jack Toritto joined the band as our
first experienced bass player, giving the group a solid foundation. Jack stayed
with the group until late 2004, and shortly thereafter moved south to enjoy his
retirement..
We had the good fortune
to add Fred Woodward on bass in the fall of 2004. We had known Fred from the ABL
and Blue Moon before he joined the group, and were quite excited to have him as
a member of the String Dusters. The group has remained with the same members
since that time, and continues to play whenever and wherever we can. The band
faced a challenge around 2006, when a new group of young musicians in Nashville
started to use our name. We would have been happy to share the name, but the
other group wanted rights to the name that we did not want to relinquish. They
are a good band, and have gained some well-deserved attention performing as the
Infamous Stringdusters. We continue to play under our original name.


|