FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 8/13/10
Morgan Arts Council • Berkeley Springs, WV
www.maicehouse.org

Press contact only: Jeanne Mozier -- 304-258-4248



DOWN HOME ROOTS CONCLUDES CONCERT SERIES

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV ---- The Morgan Arts Council's (MAC) concert in 
the park series ends on a high note celebrating local roots musicians 
on Saturday, August 21. Tari Hampe is the musical host for the 
concert which starts at 5:30pm in Berkeley Springs State Park. Rain 
location is the Ice House.

More than a dozen musicians join Hampe in the well-rounded mix of 
music ranging from old time and string band to bluegrass and country 
western. "We have a couple generations playing and are dragging some 
of them out of musical retirement," said Hampe. One of the returning 
voices is Virgil Ruppenthal, a longtime country music DJ in Morgan 
County. "Virgil is such a fan," said Hampe. "He's like a library of 
country music. He's always been in the thick of local music and keeps 
a strong connection to Nashville."

Like most roots music players. Tari comes from a long line of pickers 
and learned her harmonies from her mother and aunt Mary. "Every 
Saturday night my mother and aunt played music and I picked it up," 
said Hampe. Once the family moved to Morgan County, Tari became a 
local music fixture in her early teens. "My Morgan County roots are 
that I played with, mentored or was inspired by all the musicians 
performing in the concert," she said. "These people need to be 
heard. I want the kids to hear their aunts and uncles play and be 
inspired to keep the music going like I was." She is a supporter of 
the Music Census project collecting information on county musicians. 
"There are many more local musicians out there," she said, "both old 
timers and others playing around town today."

Hampe performs during the concert with Sam and Joe Herrmann of Critton 
Hollow Stringband. "I think people will be pleased with our three- 
part harmonies," said Hampe. She is also playing with George Park Sr, 
well known as a guitarist and vocalist of classic country music. 
Performing throughout the region for years with Larry Murphy as The 
Drifters, they were known locally as "the men who built the Moose."

One of the favorites bands at the Ice House Roots Concert last 
November included Jim Fleegle whose musical family tree includes "Wild 
Bill" Fleegle of Wheeling Jamboree fame. Like most of the Fleegle 
clan, Jim is a banjo picker. He returns to this concert with "All 
Grassed Up" adding Brian Goller on guitar, Doug Patton on mandolin, 
and Bob Graver on bass. Patton is part of the "roots" pattern of 
family playing. His son, Ryan Patton is also performing on 
Saturday. Chelsea McBee is another young performer playing 
traditional music. A banjo players and songwriter, Chelsea's musical 
tree includes her grandfather, Dwan McBee, a well-remembered vocalist 
and barbershop quartet member.

Morgan County Line represents the far-flung McCumbee musical family 
tree. Lead guitarist, Rusty McCumbee is son of Ramer and cousin to 
legendary fiddler Sonny; Rusty's grandson, Chasten Clatterbuck, keeps 
up the tradition and performs with County Line. Tony Fox plays stand- 
up bass for the group. "I'm excited to hear Raymond Maconaughey," said 
Hampe about the group's lead singer. "He's one of the best country 
singers I ever heard."

Frankie Revell and his father, Fred, perform bluegrass and gospel as 
the Lickety Split Banjo Boys joined by Emory Fleegle Jr. and Dennis 
Crolley. Fred was lured to the Fleegles after hearing them play 
banjo; he later married into the family.

New to the Roots concert line-up are the Liggett Brothers, Woody and 
Stevie. Woody Liggett Sr. was a band leader and performed in the 
region after World War 2 with the McCumbees as the West Virginia 
Revelers. Although Woody Jr. started out life sleeping in a guitar 
case, he learned only the basics from his dad. "He'd stopped playing 
music," he said. "Occasionally he'd get his guitar out and show me a 
few chords." Woody and his younger brother Randy played country 
music in Florida for nearly a decade before returning home to 
Berkeley Springs. Tari Hampe and her brother Byrl played with Woody 
and his Lost Legend Band. "They needed a bass player, so they made me 
one," said Tari. "He was the best band leader I ever played with." 
Although Woody has his father's first guitar, he plays 12-string. 
Stevie plays with "Roadhouse," a local rock and country trio. Brother 
Randy recently retired as a drummer with Jimmie McCumbee's band, 
"Night Drive." Two generations of Liggetts have played music with two 
generations of McCumbees connecting them in a musical family tree.

"The music promises to be terrific," said Hampe, "but the stories are 
even better. That's why we invited Virgil to chat about the local 
musicians of the past four decades."

Forms for the Morgan County Music Census will be available at the 
concert as well as at other locations around town and online By the 
end of September, much of the Music Census documentation will be 
available from the MAC website.

The Down Home Roots concert is sponsored by Temptations. Funding for 
the concert is provided in part by grants from the National Endowment 
for the Arts and West Virginia Commission on the Arts as well as hotel/ 
motel tax from the town and county.