The Ebony Hillbillies Explained

The Ebony Hillbillies is an American old-time string band based in New York City.^[2]

A recording of their music is held in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.^[3]

History

During the 1980s, Henrique Prince began putting together a band due to "an idea of specializing in dance music, because I really liked the idea of the violin as a dance instrument."^[4] He also wanted to make "music African Americans used to perform and dance to before they found the blues and jazz and the other stuff became associated with grizzled mountain white guys".^[5] Based in New York City,^[6] The Ebony Hillbillies began performing on New York subway platforms.^{[7] [8]} As the band continued to perform they were invited to perform in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center,^[9] Washington state's Wintergrass Festival,^[10] and the Kennedy Center.^[11]

Members

• Henrique Prince: violin, vocals^[12]
• Gloria Thomas Gassaway: bones, lead vocals
• Reggie “A.R.” Ferguson: washboard, “cowboy" percussion kit (consisting of organic wood and metal materials)
• William “Salty Bill” Salter: acoustic bass, voice
• Newman Taylor Baker

washboard

• Allanah Salter: vocals

Additional members

• Ricky “Dirty Red” Gordon: washboard, percussion
• Dave Colding: acoustic bass, vocals
• Iris Thomas: vocals
• AW: banjo, bass

Deceased

• Norris Washington Bennett: Five-string banjo, mountain dulcimer, lead vocals

Discography

• 2004 — Sabrina's Holiday (EH MUSIC)
• 2005 — I Thought You Knew (EH MUSIC)
• 2011 — Barefoot and Flying (EH MUSIC)
• 2015 — Slappin' A Rabbit - Live! (EH MUSIC)^[13]
• 2017 — 5 Miles From Town (EH MUSIC)^{[14] [15] [16] [17] [18]}

Further reading

• Book: Fischlin, Daniel. The fierce urgency of now : improvisation, rights, and the ethics of cocreation. 2013. Duke University Press. Ajay Heble, George Lipsitz. 978-0-8223-5464-2. Durham. 817799607.
• Book: Hubbs, Nadine. Rednecks, Queers, and Country Music. 2014-03-18. Univ of California Press. 978-0-520-95834-0. en.
• Book: Pecknold, Diane. Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Music. 2013-07-10. Duke University Press. 978-0-8223-5149-8. en.
• Book: Ritchie. Fiona. Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia. Orr. Doug. 2014-09-29. UNC Press Books. 978-1-4696-1823-4. en.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Ebony Hillbillies - 5 Miles From Town. Airplaydirect.com.
2. Web site: 2015-06-12. Martha Redbone and The Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Routes-mag.com. en-US.
3. Web site: Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Music.si.edu. en.
4. Web site: 2017-09-22. The Ebony Hillbillies: Becoming a Part of the Music. 2021-02-12. Thebluegrasssituation.com. en-US.
5. Web site: 2007-12-25. Spreading good cheer. 2021-02-12. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
6. Web site: 2015-07-01. Press Pass: The Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Fcnp.com. en-US.
7. Web site: 2010-06-08. 'Ebony Hillbillies' bring down home sound to streets and stage. 2021-02-12. Thegrio.com. en-US.
8. Web site: 2015-09-03. The Ebony Hillbillies Bring String Band Music to The Parrish. 2021-02-12. Sagharborexpress.com. en-US.
9. Web site: The Ebony Hillbillies Will Appear at Town Hall's Black History Month Educational Series. 2021-02-12. Broadwayworld.com. en.
10. Web site: Thompson. Richard. 2008-02-27. The Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Bluegrasstoday.com. en-US.
11. Web site: The Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Kennedy-center.org. en.
12. Web site: EH music - EH band. 2021-02-12. Theebonyhillbillies.com.
13. Web site: McCauley. S.. 2015-04-29. Americana folk heroes the Ebony Hillbillies release new live album 'Slappin' a Rabbit – Live!'. 2021-02-12. Musictalkers.com. en-gb.
14. Web site: 2018-12-31. The Ebony Hillbillies. 2021-02-12. Elmoremagazine.com. en-US.
15. Web site: Wetnight. Rainey. 22 April 2019. The Ebony Hillbillies – 5 Miles from Town : Album Review. 2021-02-12. Bluesblastmagazine.com. en-US.
16. Web site: Miller-Gould. Dodie. 2018-12-14. The Ebony Hillbillies bring current events to life with an old-school flair on "5 Miles From Town". 2021-02-12. Lemonwire.com. en-US.
17. Web site: Lindsay. Bruce. 2019-05-09. Ebony Hillbillies: 5 Miles From Town. 2021-02-12. Jazzjournal.co.uk. en-GB.
18. Web site: 2019-04-01. The Ebony Hillbillies - 5 Miles from Town (EH Music). 2021-02-12. Jazziz.com. en-US.