MUNDE - AN ENIGMA WRAPPED INSIDE A BANJO STRING
Alan Munde
MUNDE - AN ENIGMA WRAPPED INSIDE A BANJO STRING
ing to his home state of Oklahoma to work and find a new band . In 1972 , Munde and Berline performed in the Flying Burrito Brothers . After the extravagant separation of the Burrito Brothers Munde joined the Country Gazette , playing with them for the next 20 years .
Besides going full circle and recording another album with Sam Bush in 1977 , Munde has served as a director of the International Bluegrass Music Association , taught full-time in the Bluegrass and Country Music program at the South Plains College until 2007 . He was awarded the IBMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 along with Joe Carr and won the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2021 . Very few musical paths are linear and Munde is a testament to the journey .. IBF
Barry " Bones " Patton
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Pronounced mun-dee , Alan is an enigma wrapped inside a banjo string . His 2023 album , Excelsior is a smooth and melodic blend of jazz , bluegrass , Celtic , Americana originals based on the lives and experiences he encountered , which leaves you wondering what the next track will bring . Besides being sonically sound and full of wonderful musicians , Munde ’ s banjo and the mandolin , performed by multiple artists , are the instrumental highlights .
Munde ’ s musical career reads like a novel . Born in Norman , Oklahoma 1946 , he met Byron Berline at the University of Oklahoma . After graduating he moved to Kentucky in1969 to start at band with then 17-year-old Sam Bush , record an album to then being drafted in Vietnam , being rejected and return-
Barry “ Bones ” Patton is not just celebrating 27 incredible years of playing the bones at this year ’ s festival ; he ’ s honoring a lifelong love affair that began in the tender days of his childhood . Growing up in the quaint town of Winfield , KS , Barry was just five years old when fate intervened . It was at a Kansas Bluegrass festival in the 1960s that he first encountered the captivating sound of the bones , emanating from the masterful hands of Cecil Hiatt — the Grandmaster of the Bones herself .
Alongside legends like Lue and Byron Berline , Cecil ignited a fire in Barry ’ s heart that would burn ever brighter through the decades .
During a different festival , grandpa Lue inadvertently slammed young Barry ’ s fingers into a car door . Overcome with remorse , his grandfather handed him his first set of oak bones , along with a heartfelt lesson , hoping to mend the pain of his damaged digits . Little did he realize , this moment would ignite a passion in Barry that would lead him on an incredible journey of playing bones on the international stage for years to come .
As one of the few two-fisted bone rattlers , Barry has passionately shared his extraordinary talents across the globe , dazzling audiences with his bone-playing skills that blend unfathomable speed with razor-sharp precision . His remarkable abilities were showcased on the HBO series Deadwood , where he had the privilege of performing with the Byron Berline Band .
As a festival regular , Barry has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with countless performers over the years . Fans light up with joy whenever Barry takes the spotlight , whether it ’ s for his own electrifying performance or when he joins in on another act . The heartbeat of his talents lingers in the air , resonating with the audience long after he steps off stage .
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OKLAHOMA ’ S INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2024 / 9