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The
Reel World String Band, which includes Sue Massek on banjo, Bev
Futrell on guitar, Karen Jones on fiddle, Elise Melrood on piano
and Sharon Ruble on bass, was born out of the same
Kentucky tradition that bore the Coon Creek Girls.
This all-girl band plays renditions of songs by mentors
such as Lily May Ledford,
Sarah Ogan Gunning and Jean
Ritchie.
Ledford is a particular favorite because "she tried
to raise children and play music at the same time,"
observes Futrell, who did the same thing.
They not only borrow from their role models, but Futrell
and Massek write some of their songs as well.
The Reel World String Band has used their music for many
purposes. They have
restored the spirits of demonstrators on picket lines and on
strikes. They
played for former president Jimmy Carter's "Hammering in
the Mountains," a public service gig to raise money for
Habitat for Humanity. They
have used their music to raise money for a community center in
Virginia and for women's causes that included crisis centers and
the Women's National Coal Miners Conference.
Listeners are deeply indebted to the Reel World String
Band for their dedicated service to making the world a better
place through their love of music. Whether on fiddle, guitar, or mandolin this band of women
plays songs that tell audiences that human beings are more
important than corporate profits and that we must protect the
environment for the children of the future.
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