Trivia by Dick Bowden
The winners are:
Chris Scheu
Bobbi Bowden
Andy Bing
Bluegrass artist Alison Brown is appearing Aug 9 at the Towne Crier in Beacon NY! I’m going, for sure!
Who the heck is Alison Brown though? Meet me at the Towne Crier and find out for yourself!
JULY 19, 2024 TRIVIA QUESTION
A. She was an early member of Allison Krauss + Union Station, playing banjo
B. She went to Harvard for an education in business, and after graduation worked in high finance on Wall Street
C. She and her husband created an independent record label called Compass, that has been very successful supporting bluegrass and other music
D. For many years she had her own band that specialized in modern jazz, featuring banjo
E. She has absorbed John Hartford’s love for the longer-necked, lower-tuned banjo. She designed the Deering “Julia Belle Swain” model banjo, named after a famous steamboat that Hartford sang about.
F. She bought a RARE banjo from the Earl Scruggs estate and played it in a fine video that made the rounds a few years ago
G. She is a member of the panel of judges that awards the Steve Martin Prize for Banjo each year.
H. She played pizza joints in a duet with fiddler Stuart Duncan (of the Nashville Bluegrass Band) when they were both teenagers in their native California.
I. All of the above
J. All of the above except B, C and H
Additional Bowden Comments
All correct replies! Well done. Alison is a well rounded musician and business person.
Here’s a video where Alison plays the EXTREMELY rare Vega Earl Scruggs Soloist banjo that was made for about 1 year in 1970; only a few were sold. She and Missy Raines play Little Darling Pal of Mine, with help.
I met Alison about 1982-83 when she was attending Harward Business School. I was playing banjo with The Berkshire Mtn Boys at a little amusement park in Carver Mass, known as the Edaville Railroad. Alisoin came up to say hi between sets and said she enjoyed my playing and introduced herself. I remembered her from Bluegrass Unlimited articles. I asked her what in the world she was doing in coastal Massachusetts and she mentioned her business education, but said she really wanted to have a band!
Can’t wait to see what kind of music she performs at the Towne Crier (I hope it’s not modern jazz!)
Answer is : I
I – all of the above
I. All of the above. She’s very accomplished in several different callings. She and Stuart Duncan recorded an album of banjo and fiddle instrumentals when they were teenagers. One of the tunes was called “Possum Gravy On Grandma’s Beard.” Best fiddle tune title ever!
HERE’S the video. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=390390134872675