Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
A total surprise and delight was the audience's response to Uncle Dave Dougherty & the Trough Sloppers at this year's "Bluegrass Ramble Picnic." Appearing for the first time in New York's oldest bluegrass and oldtime country festival, Dave and his merry bunch totally captivated the crowd with their stringband tunes, ballads and novelty numbers, and Dave himself proved perfectly that showmanship and great comedy are still an important part of authentic country music. The audience showed its appreciation with a line at Dave's CD table, and we're looking forward to broadcasting Uncle Dave Dougherty & the Trough Sloppers' Picnic performance on a future "Bluegrass Ramble" radio show.
Bill Knowlton, Producer, Emcee
Bluegrass Ramble
WCNY-FM (91.3) Syracuse, NY; WUNY (89.5) Utica, NY; WJNY (90.9) Watertown, NY
www.wcny.org - Bill Knowlton
Phil Shapiro here, host since 1967 of WVBR's Bound for Glory, Ithaca, NY, North America's longest running live folk concert broadcast. Uncle Dave Dougherty and the Trough Sloppers? Just super. One of the best Old Timey bands on the circuit today, playing the old tunes and songs with a lot of flair and good, downhome humor. It's obvious that Dave and the band are having a grand old time with their music, and it's completely infectious. They're welcome back any time we can arrange it.
Phil Shapiro
Bound For Glory
WVBR, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
wvbr.com/bfg.html - Phil Shapiro
The playing is first-rate, the material is well-chosen and well-arranged, and I liked the singing, especially the harmonies. For me, tracks to stand out are Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes (very melodic), Dixie Darling (nice restrained vocals), Old Time Sally Anne (exuberant), Brushy Fork of John's Creek, Valley Forge (great melody), and I'm Getting Happy. However, there is not an ordinary track on the album, and it will get plenty of airplay on my programme. Fresh, clean as country air, and played with a relaxed enthusiasm.
Arthur Elliott.
Producer/presenter
"Sidestream"
Radio 99.7FM
Brisbane, Austrtalia. - Arthur Elliott
I'm Getting Happy by Uncle Dave is pure, hand clapping, foot stomping Bluegrass down to the very last strum. Uncle Dave is the Burl Ives of Bluegrass. I play the guitar, but Uncle Dave makes me wish I played the banjo.
Radio Jack
"Radio for the mind that thinks"
Thursday from 7:30 to 10:30 PM Eastern
www.jackandjillradio.com - JackandJillRadio
I'm Getting Happy will help you to "get happy"! This foursome has a bright inviting sound in their arrangements and performances which are straightforward and unpretentious. They play clean and well without a lot of unnecessary fancy stuff or gimmicks. Their vocals are hearty and unaffected. This album has some old timey favorites as well as some tunes that are more obscure, all presented openheartedly and competently. The CD is a joy to listen to!
Ray Baumler
A Variety of Folk
Fridays 4-6 PM
Ray Baumler & Tom Bohan
WRUR 88.5-FM
Rochester, NY
home.rochester.rr.com/bohan - Ray Baumler
I'm pleased to say the CD has arrived and I've enjoyed listening to it. The songs roll along at a good tempo and the harmonies are so sweet and well balanced it's a real joy to hear them. The instrumentals are also well paced, making me think there could be dancers in the band. Fine singing and playing, with an equally high standard of arrangements and production. I will be happy to include tracks on my program andother programmers here at 2MCE-FM will enjoy it as well. Congratulations on a delightful album and thank you for the opportunity to share it.
Bruce Cameron
'Come All Ye'
Radio 2MCE-FM
CSU-Mitchell
Bathurst NSW
Australia
www.ix.net.au/~cameron/radio - Bruce Cameron
I'm Getting Happy is a lively collection of classic and rare heart songs andfiddle tunes. The Trough Sloppers play with great enthusiasm and Uncle Dave Dougherty is a fine old-time banjo player. Good job boys, now let's all getback to playing!
Tom Druckenmiller
In The Tradition
WDIY-FM Allentown, PA - Tom Druckenmiller
"If you love great traditional music in the old-time way, you couldn't find anything more refreshing than Uncle Dave Dougherty and the Trough Sloppers. Uncle Dave has played with many old-time greats including The Stonemans. As more and more young folks are getting into this wonderful unique style of music, Uncle Dave, to me, is a big reason why. He has (and continues) to inspire many people who have been heavy metal fans, but now who are hooked to the great old time music of Uncle Dave and the Trough Sloppers."
Alex Leach
SPBGMA Bluegrass DJ of the year - Alex Leach
Discography
Turniptown - CD
I'm Getting Happy - CD
Dr. Chris S. Douglas
Manager
TIMECONCERTS ENTERTAINMENT INC.
P.O. Box 697
Sharpsburg GA 30277 USA
Tel: 770-794-6633
Cell: 678-315-8753
www.timeconcerts.com
www.enterthelegends.us
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
When one thinks of old time banjo playing, one has to think of Uncle Dave Dougherty. Uncle Dave got his first guitar in 1956 at the ripe ole age of five, and hasn't looked back since. By the time he was twelve his Grandmother Noralee Garner, an old time banjo picker, was teaching him how to play "Cripple Creek" and "Little Brown Jug" on the banjo. After learning old style banjo, or clawhammer, Uncle Dave soon learned to play the three-finger style, and the next thing you know he was working with one of the greatest old time music bands in music history The Stonemans While with The Stonemans Uncle Dave was allowed to shine, he had his own part of the show where he would put on his trademark hat, sit in a chair and play the old time tunes that Pop Stoneman made famous. The Stonemans recorded an album at that time that featured Uncle Dave's old time banjo playing and singing called "Watermelon On The Vine" a song that Uncle Dave still performs today. Uncle Dave is featured in a book, written by Ivan M. Tribe, about the Stoneman Family, called: The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their Lives (Music in American Life)
Uncle Dave really began his study of old time music while living in Nashville and playing with The Stonemans. He would spend hours on end learning the old tunes from Patsy Stoneman. Not only did Patsy know most of the old songs, she had an extensive collection of Pop's old recordings beginning with the Edison Cylinders. The director of The Country Music Hall of Fame gave Uncle Dave free reign of the Hall's library to study greats like Pop Stoneman, Uncle Dave Macon, Riley Puckett, and Gid Tanner to just name a few. Uncle Dave's style of banjo playing was developed from studying these greats as well as his own lifelong collection of fiddle tunes, that he strives to play note for note.
What kind of name do you give the kind of music that Uncle Dave plays? It's not country, they murdered that on music row. It's not bluegrass Bill Monroe has conquered that. I guess the best name you can give this music is "HILLBILLY MUSIC". The word HILLBILLY is not a negative word by any means, Uncle Dave is proud of the small town of Acworth, Georgia and the Southern Culture that produced him. When you see Uncle Dave in person you will not get a historian trying to teach you about southern culture, or music history. You will however get a fun family show with side-splitting humor and just good old time music.
Uncle Dave has played almost every state in the Union, Canada, England, Scotland, and Wales. He has played banjo from the Lincoln Center in Manhattan to The Royal Albert Hall in London England, to national television on The Cumberland Highlanders Show. Not only is Uncle Dave a fine musician but also he is a devout family man, he has been married to Charleen since 1974. He says the reason they have been married so long is because he never lets her see him under a 100 watt lightbulb.
If you're looking for a special evening of music let the extraordinary woody deep tone of Uncle Dave's banjo, blended with the warm mellow tones of the other instruments fill your hearts, let the humorous songs and stories fill your soul, and let the genuine friendship enrich your life. Let Uncle Dave take you back in time to when life was simple, clean, and entertaining.
Uncle Dave & The Trough Sloppers have appeared at:
* Berea College Folk Festival - Berea, KY
* Numerous bluegrass festivals - Berea,KY
* Governor's Kentucky Derby Breakfast - Frankfort, KY
* Daughters of the American Revolution Annual Meeting - Lexington, KY
* Kentucky Folk Life Festival (2 years in a row) - Frankfort, KY
* Hindman Settlement School - Hindman, KY
* Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival - Appalshop, Whitesburg KY
* Americana Crossroads - Morehead, KY
* Cumberland Community College - Cumberland, KY
* Hillbilly Days - Pikeville, KY
* Mountain Arts Center - Prestonsburg, KY
* Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration - Bill Monroe Homestead, Rosine, KY
* Williamson Folk Festival - Williamson, NY
* Bound for Glory Radio Show - Cornell University (WVBR FM) Ithaca, NY
* Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble Picnic - NY
* CNYBA's Apple Valley Blugrass Festival - LaFayette, NY
Uncle Dave Dougherty appeared with The Stonemans as a featured "show within a show" at:
* Royal Albert Hall - London, England
* Lincoln Center - Manhattan, NY
* The Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Canada
* The Mountaineer Opry - Milton, W.Va
* The Lousiana Hayride - Shreveport, LA
* The Johnny Cash TV Show (with Bill Monroe)
* The Beanblossom Festival
* The Grand Ole Opry
* Numerous bluegrass festivals
Uncle Dave Dougherty performed as a member of the "Bluegrass Express" package bluegrass show which consisted of Bill Monroe, James Monroe, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Ralph Stanley, and Lester Flatt and the Nashville G
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