Popular Country band to play at Stonelaw
An acclaimed bluegrass and country band are getting ready to play in Rutherglen this Friday night.
Stonelaw Parish Church’s The Meeting Place are looking forward to welcoming High Speed Grass on April 24.
The band was originally formed around 1971, and played concerts, festivals, clubs and toured with Billy Connolly and Ralph McTell, and, after a split, reformed and released an album Live ‘n’ Pickin’.
High Speed Grass hail from Fife and is led by the multi-talented Jim Hyndman who plays banjo, mandolin dobro and fiddle. He sings lead and beautiful tenor harmonies.
Influenced mainly by the famous Flatt and Scruggs, Jim started out playing banjo in 1973, and has played with Country Kin, Chinook, Scots Country Comfort and a string of other bands since then, including the successful bluegrass band, Longway.
He cites his banjo influences as Earl Scruggs, Don Reno, JD Crowe, Tony Trischka and Jim Mills, and other interests include building instruments and fly-fishing for Trout in Scotland’s rivers and lochs.
He is an engineer in the Semiconductor industry, and also plays in a folk band, The Scalded Cats.
The two other members of the band play wonderful backup, double bass and guitar.
Davie Craig on fiddle and guitar has been on the Fife and Scottish folk and Americana scene for many decades and also played with The Cupar Ceilidh Band, and Robin McKidd later played with the Balham Alligators as Robin Banks.
Davie has played fiddle and guitar as part of High Speed Grass since they formed in the late 60s.
He has lived all over Europe, and played with The Great Fife Roadshow, on Rab Noakes’ first album, and toured with Billy Connolly. Well-known for his exuberant fiddle styles and his impeccable choice of quality songs, Davie formed the Honky Tonk Ceilidh Band with Jim in the 1980s, releasing a well-received album containing some self-penned songs.
Ronnie Reid plays bass and sings in this band, but is a veteran of T in the Park as guitarist with Dunragan, as well as performing as a duo with his wife, Kirsty, who is the daughter of Josh McRae of “Messing about on the River “fame.
Jim joined High Speed Grass on banjo and slide guitar at the age of 17, before going on to form his own Bluegrass band, Chinook, and stints with country band Scots Country Comfort. He has also played on over 60 albums on various instruments as a session man, from Sydney Devine to Long John Baldry !
Support acts as usual will be The Mairs Family Band plus a surprise duo.
Starting at 7.30pm, tea, coffee and home made cakes are included in the ticket price of £5 (donation) Entry for children is free.