NRCC News

The Country Boys and Slate Mountain Ramblers to perform at NRCC jamboree this month

Apr 18 2018

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Apr 18 2018 and was archived on Apr 19 2019. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

The music of The Country Boys and Slate Mountain Ramblers will be featured during New River Community College’s Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club Jamboree on Saturday, April 28. Music will begin at 6 p.m. in 117 Edwards Hall at NRCC in Dublin.

The Country Boys have been playing traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music throughout North Carolina and Virginia for over 40 years. The band originally formed in the late 1960s, with several lineup changes throughout the years. The present band is made up of Donald Clifton, Johnny Joyce, Tim Bowman, Billy Hawks, Marsha Todd and Doug Joyce. The band cites the Country Gentleman and the Osborne Brothers as some of their musical influences. 

The Slate Mountain Ramblers is a family old-time group from Mt. Airy, N.C. The members are Richard Bowman, Barbara Bowman, Marsha Bowman Todd and Randy Hiatt. The Slate Mountain Ramblers play for dances, shows, family and community gatherings, and benefits. The band has a winning tradition, placing at various fiddlers' conventions and the group has traveled as far as Gainsborough, England, to perform.

Corporate sponsors of the jamborees include Anderson Audiology, Dublin; August Jewelers & Boutique, Inc.; Duncan Ford – Lincoln – Mazda, Blacksburg; Estes Auto & Truck Parts Inc., Pilot; First Community Bank, Pulaski; Gregory Seeding and Landscaping Company, Pulaski; King’s Tire Service, Pulaski; Pepsi Cola Bottling Co., Dublin; Pulaski Patriot, Pulaski; Shoney’s Restaurant, Dublin; Southern Furniture Warehouse, Radford; Sunshine Tours, Dublin; and Wade’s Supermarket.

The doors open at 5 p.m. for the show. There is no charge for admission; however, donations will be accepted to help pay travel expenses for the musicians. The jamborees are held the second Saturday of each month, October through April at NRCC, a Crooked Road affiliated venue.

More information about the NRCC Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club is available from Tim Jones at 540-674-3683, and online at www.nr.edu/fiddle.