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9/20/26
“I’m Your New Banjo Player”
A few days ago, I talked about all the fun I had and the long-term friends I met at open mics. Here’s a little story about the first bluegrass band I had a hand in running.
In early 1983, Jeanne Walters hosted a weekly open mic at La Stresa restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. Mike Marceau, whom I had known for years, had recently started playing upright bass. He and I decided to go check it out. There, we met and began jamming with singer and multi-instrumentalist Jim Barnett. One night as the three of us were on stage, the entertainment manager for O’Brien’s Pit Barbecue dropped by in search of a band to play at their recently opened location in Bethesda. He wanted bluegrass music from eight ’til ten every Monday night. I jumped on that offer right away, even though we didn’t have a fourth member to fill out the band. We had one week to find a fourth musician, come up with a two-hour program, and get a PA system. Friend and mentor Tom Knowles came to the rescue, agreeing to bring his sound system and play the first Monday night, but only the first, with us. That gave us a little breathing room. I asked banjo player Jim Reed, who was still in high school, to join us. He was excited about the prospect, but he didn’t have a car, so I’d have to fetch him until he got wheels. No problem - we had a band! I bought a sound system the following Saturday and we rehearsed on Sunday. We called ourselves the Montgomery County Ramblers and played at O’Brien’s every Monday night for eight months. We usually drew a good crowd because our friends and families came out and supported us, and O’Brien’s was the only venue in the DC area that featured bluegrass on Monday nights.
Now, something that speaks to the value of bluegrass music in the 1980s.
At some point during our run at O’Brien’s, a fellow who was organizing a golf awards show for a country club saw us play and wanted to book us. He said they wanted entertainment as they gave out their trophies. I didn’t know what to charge, as I was new at the game, so I just tripled the amount we were getting at our weekly gig.
On the day of the awards show, we set up our equipment and were itching to pick. The man who had hired us told us to play two songs, then turn the microphone over to him to present the awards. As we wrapped up our second song, he was reaching for the mic. They handed out trophy after trophy as we waited. One award was for the longest drive, which I thought was odd. Who cares how far someone traveled to get there? After about two hours of giving out those darned awards, taking pictures, and patting one another on the back, it seemed like we were finally going to play the music we had rehearsed.
But after the golfers gave themselves a standing ovation, the same man handed me a check and said “Thanks for coming. We enjoyed the music. Have a nice day.” I said, “Wait a minute, aren’t we supposed to play more music?” Boss: “No, but thank you for being a part of this special day.” Me: “But why did you hire us to play just two songs?” Boss: “Because It’s cheaper to hire a bluegrass band than to rent a PA system.” Oh Brother!
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Our last gig at O’Brien’s was the Monday before Labor Day, 1983. Jim Reed was about to leave for college, and we didn’t have a replacement. Just after we finished our last set, an old guy (probably still in his forties, but that was old to us) came up and said, “I’m your new banjo player.” I thought - What's this all about!? He told me he knew we needed a banjo picker, that he had been in the back, listening, the whole night, and that he was our man. So, he had been auditioning us! I said, “Just who are you?” He turned out to be Bill Blackburn, who had played with Buzz Busby in the fifties and was on John Duffey’s first recording. I said, “I reckon you’re our new banjo player.” The first time I ever heard Bill play was at the next performance of the Montgomery County Ramblers. He stayed with us until his job took him out west a year later.
As I write this, I’m preparing to meet up with Bill at a bluegrass festival in Arizona. He’s past ninety and still pickin’ the banjo.
Photos:
1. Montgomery County Ramblers in 1983 – Jim Barnett, Mike Marceau, me, Jim Reed
2. Montgomery County Ramblers in ‘84 with Bill Blackburn on banjo.
3. Mel and Bill - 2024
Tom Mindte
September 2026
Montgomery County Ramblers in 1983 – Jim Barnett, Mike Marceau, me, Jim Reed
Montgomery County Ramblers in ‘84 with Bill Blackburn on banjo
Me & Bill- 2024