Listen to Wood & Steel on their release Poor Boy Matterhorn Poor Boy Come Back to me in my Dreams Visit Wood & Steel website

Wood & Steel

Shake off the winter doldrums with some hot bluegrass at the next Charlotte Folk Society Gathering 7:30 PM on Friday, March 14! Recently featured at the Tosco Music Party, the band Wood & Steel hails from Piedmont North Carolina, a region rich in bluegrass from the groundbreaking banjo of Earl Scruggs to the sophisticated fiddle of Bobby Hicks. Wood & Steel adds to the legacy of North Carolina bluegrass, with a reverence for the traditional sound, but unafraid to round out its repertoire with songs from a variety of sources all done bluegrass style. Their 2007 CD, Poor Boy, features five original compositions, as well as selections by artists as diverse as Mel Tillis, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Jonathan Edwards. Bluegrass Unlimited says, "Wood & Steel has created a masterpiece of hard-driving bluegrass." Tony Rice describes their music: "Bluegrass, in one of its most pure, unfiltered forms, played by good musicians."

CFS Gatherings are free, family-friendly, and open to the public. Donations are appreciated and are used to compensate musicians and pay for professional sound. Concerts take place in the Bryant Recital Hall of the Sloan-Morgan Building, Central CPCC Campus, 1220 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte. Free parking is available in the CPCC Staff & Theater Deck, accessed from Fourth Street, between Charlottetown Avenue (formerly Independence Boulevard) and Kings Drive. Enjoy refreshments after the concert and then join a song circle, a slow jam, or a fast jam. Beginners and listeners are welcome.

Ed Dodson (Oak Ridge, NC) sings lead and tenor and plays guitar. He began his love of traditional music by listening to his father playing reels and breakdowns on an old taterbug mandolin. Ed has played guitar for over thirty years. He is a seven-year member of the Guitar Staff at the prestigious Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College and has a critically-acclaimed traditional duet recording out with Skip Kelley entitled Feast Here Tonight. It was the featured CD in the September/October 2001 issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. Ed is currently performing with his 1936 shaded-top Martin D-18 and 1934 Martin D-28, along with his recently acquired mahogany dreadnaught built by John Slobod of Circa Guitars.

Joey Lemons (Walnut Cove, NC) sings lead and tenor and plays mandolin. A fresh nineteen years of age, Joey is the newest and youngest member of the band, but comes in with a wealth of talent and musicianship that belies his years. Joey's soaring vocals and intricate cross-picking style of mandolin playing have added a special spark to the Wood & Steel sound. Joey is currently picking his Weber Yellowstone F5 on stage and in the studio.

Snuffy Smith (King, NC) sings baritone and plays banjo. Snuffy is one of the most sought-after set-up men in the business today. His clientele includes such luminaries as Rice, Crowe, Scruggs, Skaggs, Mills, Shelor - and the list just keeps going. Snuffy manufactures the world famous banjo bridge bearing his name, used by more than 90% of professional banjo players. Hailing from Arkansas, Snuffy spent twelve years on the road with Frankie Kelly & High Country Bluegrass. He performs locally with Zeke Saunders & Blades of Grass. Snuffy currently performs with "Ol' Yeller," his beloved 1934 Gibson Granada, and "Ben," his 1934 original Gibson RB-3.

Jacque Smith (King, NC) is described by her band mates as the prettiest member of the band. On top of that, they applaud her patience in putting up with Snuffy every day and her ability to still keep her 1,000 kilowatt smile intact. Jacque has toured extensively with Snuffy in Frankie Kelly & High Country Bluegrass. She has extraordinary timing and plays her vintage Kay bass with authority and grace.

Charlotte Folk Society Gatherings are made possible, in part, through a Cultural Project Grant from the Arts & Science Council and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council.