Big Medicine

Big Medicine consistently serves up a powerful potpourri of deep-rooted old-time mountain music, early style bluegrass, original songs, and fresh arrangements. One of the most influential old-time bands in the American traditional music scene since 1999, Big Medicine has released three critically acclaimed albums and have performed for concerts, dances, festivals across the US and overseas. Members of the band, all veteran multi-instrumentalists and singers, are some of the most highly-regarded contemporary performers of American traditional music. Big Medicine's instrumental dexterity, powerful singing, and authenticity combined with a lively creativity in their interpretation of traditional music have won them fans and critical praise nationwide as well as overseas. Kenny Jackson is one of the premier old-time fiddlers of his generation, a player of uncommon subtlety and individuality, and he's a compelling singer, guitarist, and banjo player as well. Distinctive in his interpretation of traditional music while being deeply rooted in old-time sources from the southern mountain region, Kenny has been a part of one outstanding string band after another. He toured during the mid-80s with with Leftwich, Higginbotham, and Jackson, co-founded The Rhythm Rats in 1988, and Big Medicine in 1999. Kenny is also a sought-after fiddle teacher, working with individual students in person and online, and at traditional music camps across the country. Joe Newberry is a Missouri native and North Carolina transplant who has played music most of his life. Best known for his powerful and innovative banjo playing, he is a prizewinning guitarist, fiddler, and singer as well. In addition, Joe’s gift for songwriting shows up in regular contributions to Big Medicine’s repertoire, as well as showing up in the Bluegrass hit parade through covers of his songs by popular performers. Joe also can be found making music with Red Clay Rambler founders Bill Hicks, Mike Craver, and Jim Watson. When not working as a writer and editor, he does solo and studio work, and teaches and performs at festivals at home and abroad. Bobb Head is a Texan transplanted to North Carolina, contributing top-notch guitar and banjo picking, harmony vocals - and he is a bass player whom any string band would covet as a member. When he's not playing with Big Medicine, you can see him with the Stillhouse Bottom Band; with Dueling Shoes, a percussive dance ensemble; and the Deep Phat Friars, a irreverent southern-fried contra band. He has also performed with a number of pickup bands. Before moving to North Carolina, he played with the Privy Tippers in Tucson and, before that, with the Self-Righteous Brothers in Houston. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.