Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Generation next continues family's musical tradition

A brother and sister from the Henry clan pick up instruments to follow their popular parents onto the bluegrass music festival circuit. Now they're working hard at making their own marks.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published August 31, 2006

SPRING LAKE - It's a common notion that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree when it comes to playing bluegrass music.

Look into the backgrounds of pickers such as Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, and you'll find a handed-down musical heritage they passed along to their own offspring.

That Casey and Chris Henry would follow the tuneful footsteps of their parents was almost preordained. The ever-present sound of banjos, mandolins, guitars and fiddles was courtesy of their father, Red, and their mother, Murphy, whose Florida family band, Red and Murphy & Co., was among the most renowned in the South during the 1980s.

In time, brother and sister would be recruited as well, with 8-year-old Casey taking the helm on upright bass soon after Red and Murphy relocated to Winchester, Va. Chris, who is three years behind his sister, eventually took over as guitar player for the group. These days, Mom and Dad are semiretired from the performing stage. However, the essence of their brand of hard-driving traditional bluegrass lives on in Casey and Chris' group, Two Stringers, which will perform Saturday at the Sertoma Youth Ranch Labor Day Bluegrass Festival.

Although Casey admits that while she and her brother certainly have borrowed much from their parents' approach to playing bluegrass, they have endeavored to put their own stamp on it.

"It's hard to beat what they did," said the affable 28-year-old banjo player. "But you don't make a career by doing someone else's music."

Indeed, much of the Two Stringers sound plays off the songwriting talents of Chris, who has contributed more than two dozen original tunes to the band's repertoire. Songs such as Counting on the Stars, Pitiful Life and One Foot in the Graveyard are engaging and soulful, reflecting his admiration for the masters his parents worshiped at his age.

"I never really listened to anything but bluegrass growing up," said Casey, who spent her weekends playing banjo in a number of Virginia bluegrass bands while she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia. "The truth is, nothing else ever really appealed to me, which was probably a little strange to the kids I went to school with."

For the most part, the same went for Chris, 25, who began playing mandolin and guitar at 9. During high school, however, he veered slightly from the family plan when, for a brief stint, he took up drums in a heavy metal band.

Though the Henry children call Nashville home, Casey admits they hardly ever play there, preferring to concentrate their efforts on building a strong fan base on the bluegrass festival circuit. It hasn't been easy, she says.

"Establishing yourself takes time," she said. "This year has been much better than last year, but we're a long way from ever making a solid living strictly from our band."

Although their parents played many festivals over the years at the Sertoma Youth Ranch, this weekend will mark the first Florida appearance for Two Stringers. Casey sees it as a perfect opportunity for the next generation of the Henry clan to win over Florida bluegrass fans.

"I'm sure we'll be meeting a lot of people who came to see our parents play, and it'll be fun," said Casey. "We'll have something to show them, that's for certain."

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 352 848-1435.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Sertoma Youth Ranch Labor Day Bluegrass Festival

WHEN: Friday through Sunday. Performance times are 1:30 to 11 p.m. today, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Sertoma Youth Ranch, off Myers Road near Spring Lake in southeast Hernando County. Take Spring Lake Highway south from State Road 50 east of Brooksville. Turn east onto Church Road, then south onto Myers Road.

ADMISSION: Tickets are $20 for Friday and Saturday, and $12 for Sunday. Weekend tickets at the gate are $45. Admission for children is $3 per day and $7 for the weekend. Children under 12 are free with adult ticket. For ticket and camping information, call 754-3082.

[Last modified August 30, 2006, 20:08:03]