Bard Edrington V & the Blackbirds
House concert style show featuring Bard Edrington and the Blackbirds with opener Kent Gurley. For this show the Blackbirds will include vocalist and bassist, Sarah Ferrell and percussionist Jim Palmer.
Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee. His extended family comes from the prairies of Kansas and the banks of the Mississippi in Arkansas. Hard work and family were the core values of his upbringing, and accomplishment came from a day's work with your hands.
His father, Bard Edrington IV, instilled in him the confidence and ability to accomplish any task at hand. His mother, Rhonda Edrington, was the hard working mother that not only kept the books on their business, but also cooked the dumplings to perfection.
These values have carried over into Bard's family life. With his wife, Zoe, they have successfully run their landscaping business for over 15 years. He spends nearly everyday outside working. During most of this time, old and new songs run through his head, melodies that sound as if they are coaxed out of the stone he cuts.
HIs musical roots began when he and Zoe lived in Blowing Rock, NC. The first time he saw Doc Watson play, he was hooked on old time music. Weekly open jams taught him the clawhammer style on the banjo. When exploring Doc Watson's music, he learned of Mississippi John Hurt and his fingerpicking style of blues. The syncopated rhythms that he held with his thumb, and melodies he played with his fingers, permeated Bard's mind. From John Hurt, he was introduced to the delta blues players, hill country players, piedmont blues, and on and on.
It wasn't long before he started writing songs. Bard's songs have a deep influence of Appalachian music and country blues. Staying true to his name, he writes songs that tell stories of his family, pioneers, relic trains, mezcaleros in search of wild agave, road trips, and southern belles.
