High Lonesome Strings Christmas Party

Never Too Late

Brent W. Fain (Guitar) – Fifteen years ago, my daughter wanted a guitar and I bought two, one for her and one for me. Her musical goals changed and mine flourished as I learned country and folk songs. I then accidentally found Bluegrass Music through Gary Holmes, a chemical salesman, who took me to a jam session in Mebane, North Carolina. With the mandolin, banjo, bass, guitars, and high tenors filling the air, I fell in love with the sound and had to have more. At a local music store, I found a flier on the High Lonesome Strings and attended a meeting and immediately joined on March 19, 1998. The club was wise enough to have slow jam sessions and the patriarch of the session was J.V. Weadon. I enjoyed learning from him and his wife, Rheba, and soon joined their band, The Brown Summit Hilltoppers. After many session and jigs, I learned a great deal from them and they are among my very best friends. I began working on a small jam session in my neighborhood and after a couple of years it finally started at Kent Huffman’s home in Oak Ridge, North Carolina. From that jam session, Never Too Late was formed in October 2001 with a guitar, Keith Dunn on the mandolin, Bruce Hill on the banjo, and Kent Huffman on the bass. I have learned to be a rhythm guitar player, a lead and harmony singer with a great group of musicians who have decades of musical experience. We have gone through variations of the band and it is still partially original with David Riddle now as the mandolin player. We have played the “Rex” multiple times, Bluegrass Festivals, Political Fund Raisers, for the National Park Service, a one hour TV show for Winston-Salem, The Dixie Classic Fair commercial for two years, pig pickins, barn raising, fiddler’s conventions, and the list goes on. We are scattered many miles apart and only perform fifteen or so times a year now. It is a treat to come and share our music with High Lonesome Strings.

Bruce Hill (Banjo) – I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, attending college at the University of Georgia. Upon graduation I joined the U.S. Army, was discharged at Fort Bragg, NC, and began my career with Burlington Industries. In 1985, I met my wife Patty and joined her in her family trucking business. Patty and I worked there until 2002, when we retired. We currently spend our time between Sarasota, Fl and Blowing Rock, NC. I began playing the “five-string” banjo in the middle 1970′s, first with a group called the Bluegrass Construction Company in the Halifax, Virginia area. After moving to Greensboro in 1980, I joined The Southern Comfort Band as their banjo player, singing lead and harmony vocals. Southern Comfort was an established group formed in 1969. We did some traveling and recorded an album in 1984. I played very little from 1985 to 1996 due to time required in the family business. Late in 1996 I began a renewed desire to play the banjo again and performed with numerous local groups. In 2001, The Never Too Late Bluegrass Band, a local band from the Greensboro, NC area, was formed with me as an original member, We recorded two CD’s and were invited to perform a one hour public television show for a local station in Winston Salem, NC. Our four member band continues to play together, performing at numerous bluegrass festivals and private parties in and around NC. Upon retiring to Florida, I joined The Manatee River Bluegrass Band, playing banjo and singing with them for the past seven years. Our annual performances include the Manatee County Fair, the Cortez Seafood Festival and the Arcadia Rodeo. In 2006, I was a part of forming The Second Chance Bluegrass Band and we recorded a CD in 2009. From an educational standpoint, I have attended many bluegrass camps such as-Nashcamp, Steve Kaufman’s camp, Pete Wernick’s camp, the bluegrass camp at Augusta College in Elkins, WV and the Mars Hill College bluegrass camp in Mars Hill, NC.. I taught the banjo camp for the Central Florida BG Assoc in 2010 and 2011, the banjo camp at John C. Campbell Folk School in 2011. and the bluegrass banjo class at the Blowing Rock music camp in 2010 and 2011. Currently, I play a 1935 Gibson TB3, a 1931 Gibson Granada and a 1978 Stelling Golden Cross.

Kent Huffman (Bass) – I have been playing Bass since 1957. Before joining Never Too Late, I played in these bands: The Ascots, The Tassels, The Rogues, Ellington and Huffman, and The Board of Directors!

David Riddle (Mandolin) – I have acquired 65 years plus of experience in Bluegrass Music playing guitar and mandolin player. At the age of eight years old, I would attend square dances, community gatherings, and other musical functions where my father and two uncles would perform. At the age of eight and through my brother, I became interested in the guitar and used that talent while serving our country in the U.S. Army. I met two soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas with the same interest in bluegrass and we three were sent to Korea where we formed a bluegrass band which was named “The Bearcat Hillbillies” by General Wheeler. The Bearcat was the company mascot and insignia. Every Saturday morning we would perform an hour show at AFKN-TV in Seoul, Korea. We became the camp band and entertained the troops at the Officer’s Club and special military functions. After my military service, I was on the bluegrass festival circuit and performed with many bands such as, The McPherson Brothers, Joyful Noise Gospel Bluegrass Band, The Bluegrass Congregation, Gramma’s Garage Pickers, The Backwoods Bluegrass, and many others. While with The Backwoods Bluegrass band, I played with Greg Corbett who later became Charlie Waller and The Country Gentlemen’s banjo player. I joined Never Too Late Bluegrass Band in 2006.

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High Lonesome Strings Bluegrass Association

A group of Bluegrass musicians and fans who get together to celebrate Bluegrass music