The winners are:
Andy Bing
Steve Margulis
Gary Veeder
APRIL 23 TRIVIA QUESTION
Courtesy of Fred Robbins and his mandolin playing friend Akira Otsuka.
Who was both a Blue Grass Boy and a member of Newgrass Revival??? (for significant periods of time, too)
A. Butch Robins
B. Mike Bub
C. Courtney Johnson
D. Scotty Stoneman
E. Pete Rowan
Butch Robins played banjo with Monroe and electric bass with Newgrass Revival.
Additional Bowden Comments
Yes indeedy, it was Butch Robins. I’m not going to try to tell any of Butches’ story, you probably wouldn’t believe me. Typical young banjo player who was “eat up” with banjo playing. A Virginia boy, his dad Calvin Robins, like lots of bluegrass dads, took Butch to any bluegrass event possible. He was in bands young, and moved through some wonderful adventures. Read his book “That’s What I Know About What I Know” for some startling and very frank revelations! Or check his Facebook feed where he picks banjo and talks about Bill Monroe and music. (He admits he has had serious psychological issues over Monroe.) He has done some wonderful videos on bluegrass history and philosophy too. I’m glad Jake took a guess at Pete Rowan. I threw him in as “obvious” bait. But no, he was never in NGR.
Mike Bub played in the Weary Hearts and then the Del McCoury Band. He was a Blue Grass Boy VERY briefly, notable mostly for spilling a cup of coffee on Bill’s snow-white cowboy hat. Multiple time Bass Player of Year award winner from IBMA
Courtney Johnson was the original banjo player with NGR and quite a genius in his own right, along with Sam Bush and the others. Never a BGB.
Scotty Stoneman was the fiddling wildman genius oldest brother of the ancient Stoneman Family, who put bluegrass on national TV in the 1950s, winning Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Show. Scotty taught most of his brothers and sisters how to play good SOLID bluegrass (including sister Ronnie who played banjo on Hee Haw). He turned up in many other bluegrass bands, as he had the wanderlust, and a deadly taste for alcohol. He recorded with the Kentucky Colonels and other bands as a “guest”. He turned up at the Hillbilly Ranch in Boston once and a friend introduced him to Everett Lilly, hinting that Scotty wanted a job fiddling (drunker than a hoot owl). The Colonel looked at Scotty in disbelief and said for all to hear, “THAT is a FIDDLER?!?!? THAT looks like the runnin’ gears of destruction!!!!” Scotty was never in NGR or the BGB.
A Butch Robins. And that’s what I know ‘bout what I know.
A: Butch Robins
A Butch Robbins
E
Mike Bub played in the Weary Hearts and then the Del McCoury Band. He was a Blue Grass Boy VERY briefly, notable mostly for spilling a cup of coffee on Bill’s snow-white cowboy hat. Multiple time Bass Player of Year award winner from IBMA
Courtney Johnson was the original banjo player with NGR and quite a genius in his own right, along with Sam Bush and the others. Never a BGB.
Scotty Stoneman was the fiddling wildman genius oldest brother of the ancient Stoneman Family, who put bluegrass on national TV in the 1950s, winning Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Show. Scotty taught most of his brothers and sisters how to play good SOLID bluegrass (including sister Ronnie who played banjo on Hee Haw). He turned up in many other bluegrass bands, as he had the wanderlust, and a deadly taste for alcohol. He recorded with the Kentucky Colonels and other bands as a “guest”. He turned up at the Hillbilly Ranch in Boston once and a friend introduced him to Everett Lilly, hinting that Scotty wanted a job fiddling (drunker than a hoot owl). The Colonel looked at Scotty in disbelief and said for all to hear, “THAT is a FIDDLER?!?!? THAT looks like the runnin’ gears of destruction!!!!” Scotty was never in NGR or the BGB.