On Nov. 18, the Spinney Brothers, Nova Scotia’s international award-winning bluegrass band, bring their blend of tradition and distinctive homegrown sound to the Port Williams Fire Hall.
They will perform in support of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame.
Maritimers are all about home – and family – and Allan and Rick Spinney, who hail from Wolfville, have been celebrating home since they first performed together in 1992.
Growing up in the rich farmland of Annapolis Valley, it wasn’t long before they gravitated musically to the sounds of Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs and Smiley Bates.
Allan first picked up a guitar at age six, while brother Rick took up his first banjo a few years later. Their study of traditional bluegrass progressed as the two siblings worked hard to develop a distinctive sound.
And, in the long-lived bluegrass tradition of the blending of sibling brothers’ vocals, the Spinneys have joined other great bluegrass brothers - the McReynolds, the Monroes, the Stanleys and, more recently, the Gibsons - as they’ve embellished their homegrown sounds with the addition of strong players in Gary Dalrymple (mandolin) and Darryl Hebb (upright bass).
Theirs is an authentic bluegrass sound, paying heed to the past as it celebrates the genre with a fresh approach, leaning on harmonies, prolific picking and strong originals that honour their roots.
The Spinney Brothers are proud members of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, where they are among the ranks of Hank Snow and Wilf Carter. The Spinneys were inducted in 2010, but were not able to attend their induction ceremony as they were on tour in California.
“We are so proud and honored to be members of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame,” Rick said. “We continuously talk about Nova Scotia to audiences in our travels, our rich musical heritage and the vibrant music scene here in the Maritimes. We are flattered to be included in the membership of the Hall of Fame and our Port Williams show is our small way of giving back to an organization that has given so much to us.”
As an added bonus on Nov. 18, the Spinney Brothers will be performing numbers from their latest CD. It is entitled Memories, and was their first recording on the Mountain Fever Records label from Willis, VA.
Last October, at the International Bluegrass Association’s World of Bluegrass Convention in Nashville, the Spinney Brothers became the first Canadian act to perform on the prestigious Fan Fest main stage. Their standing ovation and encore performance made them the talk of industry professionals.
Mountain Fever Records executive Mark Hodges was so impressed that he presented the Spinney Brothers with a recording contract.
Tickets for the Nov. 18 show are available at Long and McQuade. Show time is 2 p.m., with doors
opening at 1 p.m.
