Kevin Wright

1. When and how did you first become interested in Oldtime Music?

We had an old Fender Flat Top Guitar laying around the house, that I used to play with as a small child. It stirred up my curiousity, but I couldn’t play it. My first recollection of oldtime music was my step grandfather, Oscar Stewart, had some Flatt & Scruggs Albums that I heard. We’d always watch Hee Haw on television at home, since it came on one of the channels we picked up with our antenna. I had a friend who went to church with me from Trenton, TN and he played banjo, but was killed in a auto accident while in college. After hearing him, I wanted to learn the banjo.

I really got interested, however, in my first year at Tennessee Tech, I believe it was about 1984 and the guy who lived across the hall in my dormitory played a banjo. His name is Jeff Cales. Jeff had an old guitar and taught me the 3 chords to back up Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Mother Maybelle Carter style, with a thumb pick and strumming with the back of the fingernails. They had music jams at a music store in Cookeville and that’s where it all came together. It was kind of like the Plectral Society, but not formally organized. Jeff Cales also showed me some 3 finger banjo stuff while at Tech.

2. How long have you been playing Oldtime Music?

I guess it is almost 27 years now since I started in 1984.. I worked with Betsy Autry at Tharp Brothers’ Grocery Store in Humboldt, and she invited me to come to her father-in-law’s house and pick with her banjo pickin’ husband, Billy Joe Autry. His father, Mr. Lewis Autry, would have supper and pickin’s on Sunday nights. Billy Joe or Carlton Harrison invited me in 1987 to the beginnings of what is now the Jackson Area Plectral Society. The club wasn’t even incorporated at that time. I remember we played at Medon Community Center, Upstairs in Darol Aylor’s business in Casey Jones Village, Highland Park School, and Arlington Street back then and you used to get everyone to perform on a microphone on Saturday nights occasionally. You were always good at including everyone Jeff and that really meant a lot to everyone back then. My how time flies when you are having fun.

3. What were your musical influences?

I’d have to say Accapella Church singing while attending church with my grandparents was the biggest thing. We’d always sing 4 part harmony at my grandparents Church of Christ congregation. Also I remember my grandfather Barrett, who was from Pinetop in Hardeman Co., TN, singing standards such as “Shanty in old Shanty Town”, he had Bing Crosby records also and my grandmother Barrett, who came from the Pickett County, TN hills, singing ”Froggy Went a Courtin”, “It’s A Long Way To Tipparary” and other folk songs. I remember watching the Lawrence Welk show at my grandparents and I still love to watch the reruns.

My grandmother Wright, being Baptist, loved Southern Gospel music, and we’d listen to those Southern Gospel Quartets on some television show on Sunday Mornings before church, when I spent the night at her house. As a child I listened to my mother’s lp’s which included Peter, Paul & Mary, The Kingston Trio, and we had lots of country 8 tracks (if you remember them). My mother would also sing to me and play her piano. I would try to sing with her and sit on her piano bench. As far as when I started playing guitar, I loved Tony Rice from the minute I first heard him. My 2nd roommate at Tennessee Tech was a guy named Tim Eldridge.

Tim was introduced to me by my grandmother’s first cousin, and boy could he flat pick a guitar. He and I would jam in our dorm rooms when we should have been studying. He really gave me an introduction to bluegrass and we’d go to Nashville on the weekends and visit the Station Inn and Ernest Tubb Record Shop. I also listened to Flatt & Scruggs, The Seldom Scene, The Country Gentlemen, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Newgrass Revival and The Bluegrass Album Band, back then. Much later on, did I learn to appreciate the music of Bill Monroe, Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley and the Louvin Brothers.

I got a cheap banjo and tried to learn how to play banjo. A good banjo picker from

Cookeville named Mike Garrison showed me some stuff on the banjo also. I learned a bunch of fiddle tunes while playing back up for a legendary Old-Time Fiddle player named Frazier Moss, from the Cookeville, TN area. Also, I learned so much from my dear friend, Ben Stockard, who is now deceased, and was a former President of the Plectral Society. Ben could play so fast, it was unbelievable and he kept learning stuff until the day he died. I couldn’t even keep up some of the time. He and Aubrey Taylor and I must have played a thousand tunes a million times over the years. I’ll have to say that Brad and Brandon Apple have had such a profound influence on my music that I just can’t put it into words. They are both incredible musicians and are inspirational. Curtis Mann has influenced me on my timing more than anyone. Kurt Stevenson, James Kee and David Killingsworth have all influenced me musically as well.

4. Does anyone in your family play music?

My mother was a voice major at Indiana University, but later became a school teacher and principal. She played piano and a folk style of guitar. She could sing the highest soprano notes until she got a respiratory infection, which lowered her entire range. Oddly, enough she didn’t show me anything on the guitar that I can remember, but she did help me understand some elementary music theory early on. My sister and I took piano lessons for a little while, but neither of us wanted to practice. That was the beauty of oldtime music, I could learn it by ear, when I wanted to, and practice whenever I wanted to.

5. What kinds of times and places have you played music in your life?

While at Tennessee Tech, we used to play every Saturday night in Pickett County at an old school building at the Independence Community. That is where I first met a very young Jamie Dailey (of Dailey & Vincent) and Sierra Hull. It is a hotbed of music. I was in a country/rockabilly band for about a year or so nearly 20 years ago and we’d play for some dances in Crockett County. Also for 10-15 years I’ve traveled to several of the local fiddle contest festivals, jamming till the wee hours. We’d jam sometimes with guys who are pros now, such as Cody Kilby and Josh Williams.

I’ve had the privilege of playing for ballets, symphonies, contests, square dances, benefits, weddings, auctions, cake walks and traveled to several places with our bluegrass band, Stone County Connection. It’s always special to play on the stage of The Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR. Stone County Connection opened so many opportunities for me musically, playing festivals in Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee of course. The musicians that have played with me in this group, are some of the best anywhere. I’m fortunate to have gotten to play guitar with these guys.

6. What else do you do besides play music?

Well I have to work for a living still. I’m a commercial lending officer for BancorpSouth. I’ve been in banking going on 26 years now and I really do have banker’s hours. I like to cook and watch my kids play sports. I like to do things with my girlfriend and she’s so supportive of my music. I like to travel and fish. I love good movies. Listening to music is just as fun for me as playing and often times is more fun.

7. What makes this kind of music "good" to you?

Instrumentally, good timing makes me feel good. What I mean by this, if everyone is playing on the beat or off beat (whichever the case may be), hitting a bad note is still ok. It’s not the end of the world to hit a bad note, as long as it’s in time. Getting out of time, is not so ok, because it effects the whole group. Bad notes only effect you, bad timing effects everyone. Also, simplicity makes music good also. Just play what you should and don’t try to overdo it. Being courteous of others with your volume, fills, etc., especially over the vocals, this really can make the music good. What makes this music good vocally?, I’d have to say singing 3 or 4 part harmony on pitch, makes me feel good also. This acoustic oldtime music can be so beautiful if we let it be. It calms my nerves if the music is good, and is a good medicine (as David Killingsworth once put it).

8. Why did you choose to play this kind of music?

I think this music chose me instead of me choosing it. Seriously, I don’t always want to play, but when I do, I have to feel it. If you don’t have anything to feel, it is so hard to play the music. I think I do play because it allows me to express emotions that couldn’t be expressed any other way. I mean, sometimes it makes you happy, sometimes sad and you just want to cry or something. This music stirs the emotions. Music is an outlet. I know that sounds weird, but that’s what it does for me.