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Performed By
The original Discovery
String Band:
Paul
& Win Grace, Cathy
Barton and Dave Para, and Bob
Dyer
Traditional, Period
and Original Music
Interpreting the Epic American Journey
Bob Dyer, Dave Para, Win Grace,
Cathy Barton, Paul Grace
Photo by Leela and Ellie Grace
Five noted musicians steeped in the history and
traditions of the Missouri valley join to tell this American
tale of rugged individuals born of and challenged by the
frontier. Music was part of the daily life of the Corps of
Discovery and part of their introduction to native tribes.
Gibson and Cruzatte played the fiddle. The French boatmen hired
on to work the keel boat sang voyageur songs to bear the heavy
burden upstream. A box of jaw harps was among the trade items
destined for the natives. While no specific musical title is
mentioned in any of the journals of the voyage, tunes and songs
of the period and of the ethnic traditions represented provide
the musical context of the journey. These troubadours also
have composed original music that tell the heroic stories and
stay true to the history and musical traditions of these people.
2/19/05
NEWS:
After
the original Discovery String Band performance on
August 7, 2005, Paul
& Win Grace will resign from the Band
in order to focus more on their musical pursuits as a duet.
They have put together a new program about the infamous journey
of 200 years ago: Lewis
and Clark: A Campsite Frolic. Their
program includes and builds on the Metis fiddle and feet,
the French voyageur songs and traditions, traditional songs, and
the rollicking hoedowns that Paul
& Win performed with the Discovery
String Band and recorded on the CD "Most
Perfect Harmony" Lewis and Clark: A Musical Journey.
Win Grace is the contact for booking Paul
& Win Grace.
The new Discovery String Band (Cathy
Barton, Dave Para, Bob Dyer & Fiddler Kelly Werts)
will
continue to perform a program of original, traditional and
period music interpreting the epic American journey: Lewis
and Clark: A Musical Voyage of Discovery
as described above.
Instruments played by
The original Discovery String Band:
Fiddle, Mandolin, 6 and 12-string Guitars, Harmonica, Piano,
Piano Accordion, Autoharp, Hammered Dulcimer,
Lap Dulcimer, Mouth Bow, Indian Flute,
Banjo, Guitar, Jawbone, Pennywhistle,
Jaw Harp, Bones, Spoons, Triangle (Petit Fer),
And Feet (Le Pied - seated clogging)
Join
the Mailing List
to receive occasional e-Newsletter/Calendars
-- one from Paul
& Win Grace and the second from Leela
and Ellie Grace. Touring schedules and all the news
that's fit to print are included.
The
original
Discovery
String Band:
Cathy Barton and Dave Para
Bob Dyer
Paul
& Win Grace
For 29 years, Paul
& Win Grace have toured throughout North
America performing American roots and contemporary folk music.
These high-energy, versatile vocalists and multi-instrumentalists
delight audiences of all ages with their close harmonies, warm
stage presence, and skill on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, harmonica,
piano, autoharps, and accordion.
Paul and Win have released seven albums and have appeared as
guest artists on numerous other recordings, including albums by
Cathy, Dave and Bob. They have performed at festival and concert
venues including the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Roots of
American Music Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
Paul & Win have presented school assemblies and residencies
for students throughout the U.S. and have arranged, selected, and
performed music for several original plays and films. They are on
the Missouri Arts Council Touring Program roster, the Missouri
Arts Council’s Artists in Education roster (a residency
program), and the Mid-America Arts Alliance roster.
Win holds a B.A. in theater and for four years was Festival
Coordinator/Artistic Director for First Night Columbia, a multiple
venue New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts.
Paul has a B.S. in forest management and has done sound
engineering for the Graces and for numerous other groups and
events. Together, Paul and Win have been hired to emcee and
provide stage management and sound reinforcement services while
performing at events.
Cathy Barton and Dave
Para have created
dynamic performances and have been acclaimed for 25 years for
their variety and expertise in vocal and instrumental music.
They have celebrated the musical traditions and folklife of
Missouri and the Ozarks in festivals, clubs, concert halls,
schools and studios across the U.S. and Europe.
A versatile duo, Dave and
Cathy play several stringed instruments including hammered and
fretted dulcimers, banjo, guitar and autoharp, as well as
"found" instruments like bones, spoons, mouthbow and
leaf. Their concerts present a range of music from the lively
dance tunes they have collected in their home region to old
ballads to new songs.
Cathy and Dave have conducted several instrumental workshops as
well as workshops on songs from the Civil War, from American
rivers, gospel songs, and Christmas music. Putting the song before
the singer, Dave and Cathy are caretakers of a long musical
heritage, and they are known for their expertise and affection for
traditional music.
They have recorded 11 albums, three of which received awards
from the American Library Association. Dave and Cathy have
participated in the artists-in-education program for the Missouri
Arts Council since the early 1980's. They have done folk arts
residencies and assembly programs in schools across the state.
Dave has produced musical events in Missouri since 1974. Dave
and Cathy also created and serve as artistic directors of two
annual folk festivals, the Big Muddy Folk Festival, in their
hometown of Boonville, and the Boone’s Lick Country Folk
Festival, in Arrow Rock, MO.
Bob Dyer was
born and raised on the banks of the Missouri River. He has spent
much of his life delving into the history and folklore of his
native state and the great river that runs through. Combining his
talents as a poet, musician, historian, folklorist and teacher,
Dyer has developed an entertaining way of presenting history and
folklore that he calls "Songtelling." He has recorded
two collections of original folk-style ballads — Songteller and
River Runs Outside My Door. His songs were featured in the film
Tom Benton's Missouri; and he was writer and co-director of a film
about the American epic poet, John Neihardt.
Bob has also published a book of poetry,
a history of his hometown, an anthology of poems and stories about
the great Missouri/Mississippi River flood of 1993, and an
award-winning book in the Missouri Heritage Series for the
University of Missouri Press entitled Jesse James and the
Civil War in Missouri. He is co-author (with Hans von
Sachsen-Altenburg) of Duke Paul of Wuerttemberg on the
Missouri Frontier: 1823, 1830 and 1851.
Along with Cathy and Dave he has recorded
two volumes of Civil War songs: Johnny Whistletrigger
and Rebel in the Woods. He is also one of the
co-organizers of the Big Muddy Folk Festival held annually in
April at Thespian Hall in Boonville.
As part of the Missouri
Artist-in-Education and Young Audiences programs, Dyer has
conducted residencies, assemblies and workshops in many of
Missouri's public schools. He has also performed in a variety of
other settings including colleges, folk and craft festivals,
libraries, banquets, clubs, theatres, and conventions.
He has a Master's degree in English and
taught college English for 15 years prior to embarking on his
career as a "Songteller." In 2002 he received the
Governor's Humanities Award for Excellence in Community Heritage.
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