Spoon Slide
Hannes Coetzee was born on a farm in the Western Cape region of
South Africa and taught himself to play guitar on a three-stringed
homemade guitar built from an oil can with cat-gut strings. As a child
he quietly watched his uncle playing guitar, after which he would work
out the chords he had just heard, on his own. Coetzee has spent most of
his adult life working on farms as an aloe-tapper. The isolation of
working in the mountains, led him to develop a unique slide guitar
style, using a teaspoon held in his mouth to slide out the melody,
while playing the chords and plucking the strings with his left and
right hand. Since well-known South African songwriter David Kramer was
introduced to him a number of years ago, Hannes has performed to
sold-out crowds in all major South African cities. This will be his first trip outside of South Africa. more
Bottleneck Guitar
Dan Wheetman came to Marley’s Ghost after a long career touring with
the John Denver Band, Liberty, and the Honky Tonk Swamis. His
showmanship and unique sense of humor, combined with an uncommonly
powerful and resonant baritone, provide the focal point for the group’s
upbeat performances. Danny has recorded on the RCA label and has
appeared as Hank Williams Jr.’s fiddler. He has the distinction of having
one of his songs recorded by Kermit the Frog. more
Guitar virtuoso Terry Robb– 18 time winner of the Cascade Blues Association’s Muddy Award – is
one of the most heralded players of the flourishing Pacific Northwest
blues scene. Resting Place, his debut album with Yellow Dog
Records, features well-chosen covers that compeiment Robb’s originals,
echoing a broad swath of roots legends such as Merle Travis, Joe
Callicott, Reverend Gary Davis, Lightning Hopkins, and John Fahey. more
Dobro
Billy Cardine has a unique and exciting approach to the
resophonic guitar, with a sound and style that is identifiable to even
the undiscerning ear. His tone, timing, and technique have helped him
emerge as one of the most cutting-edge players today. Cardine released
a solo album, Organically Grown in 2001 on Indidog Records. In 2003,
Cardine joined The Biscuit Burners, which released their first,
self-titled album in 2004. Their second album, A Mountain Apart, was
released in 2005. more
Mike Phelan has lived all over the United States playing,
recording, and performing in many styles, including bluegrass, rock,
folk, and blues in countless bands. A fine singer and soulful lead
instrumentalist, Phelan cites guitarists Steve Cropper, Eldon Shamblin,
Doc Watson and B. B. King and vocalists Tommy Duncan, Ralph Stanley and
William Bell as major influences. Mike’s solo CD Donora Street contains
eleven original songs. more
Stacy Phillips
is an internationally acclaimed resonator guitarist and a recognized
authority on the subject of the resophonic guitar's history, players,
and literature. Stacy is the author of more than twenty five teaching
and repertoire books and DVDs for lap style slide and fiddle, and he
has worked effectively to educate novice players of this instrument,
playing a central role in its resurgence in popularity. He has
performed with the top acoustic musicians around the world, including
David Bromberg, Judy Collins, Bela Fleck, Leon Redbone, Peter Rowan,
Johnny Gimble and Mark O'Connor. Besides his own albums, he was one of
the featured performers on the CD The Great Dobro Sessions, winner of both Grammy and IBMA awards in 1995. more
Lap Slide/Pedal Steel
Bobby Black is a master of the steel guitar. He has played and
performed for over fifty years with such groups as New Riders of the
Purple Sage, The Moonlighters, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, The Sir
Douglas Quintet, Elton John, The Eagles, John Lennon, The Blues
Brothers, Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, and The Grateful Dead. more
Richard Comeaux is
flat out the best pedal-steel player in Louisiana, currently signed to
Capital Records with his band River Road. Richard plays pedal steel for
Lil’ Band O’ Gold. As the Austin American Statesman notes, “Comeaux’s
pedal-steel playing, rarely heard in Louisiana acts these days outside
of country bands, straddles…melodies like a graceful tightrope
walker.”
Ed Littlefield Jr. (Marley’s
Ghost), a product of the Northern California folk scene, relocated to
Washington State in the early 1970s. He toured extensively with the
well-known Seattle Western swing band Lance Romance before founding
Sage Arts, one of the Northwest's premier recording studios, where he
functions as a producer and engineer. Ed is one of the most innovative
of the new breed of pedal steel guitarists; among his musical
influences he counts Ian & Sylvia, Bob Dylan, Flatt & Scruggs,
Hank Williams, Doc Watson, Ernest Tubb, The Grateful Dead, The Band,
and The Rolling Stones. Ed's solo CD on the Sage Arts label is "Going
To The West." more
Joe Wright bio coming soon. Hear him play.
Jude Taylor is a hidden gem in the zydeco music scene today. A latecomer to the industry, 50 year old Jude Taylor from Grand Coteau, Louisiana has a unique style of zydeco that combines some of the best elements of jazz, blues, Cajun, and rock ‘n' roll into a musical mix that has catapulted him and his Burning Flames band to headliner status along the club circuit in the Northeast and as part of many international and national zydeco tours. 
