Steve
and Sally Buchanan, Executive Directors of WPRZ, felt God
leading them to do something with bluegrass music back in
August of 2003. They had no bluegrass music and very little
knowledge about it. However, Steve remembers listening to
it when he was a child in Clintwood, VA , a little coal
mining town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. He remembers
listening to artists like Bill Monroe, Jim & Jesse,
and the Stanley Brothers. In fact, Steve is actually a distant
relative to Ralph and Carter Stanley as documented in the
official Crabtree-Stanley Family History book. He remembers
them coming to Sunny Brook Cafe, his parent's restaurant
on Route 58 in Clintwood, to see his cousin, Arizona.
As a child, Steve remembers visiting the mines and experiencing
the tough times of that era. His uncle was killed in a mining
accident. His Mom and Dad were divorced when he was seven
and his Mom took the three kids and left Clintwood for Fairfax
where Steve grew up. However, in his younger years he spent
many summers in Clintwood with his Father.
Sally, on the other hand, grew up in Punxsutawney, PA. Although
the little town is located in the foothills of the mountains,
there was little, if any bluegrass music played in Punxsutawney.
(Yes, the music on Groundhog Day is authentic). She considers
herself "new" to bluegrass music and is loving
it! Sally says she finds the music so refreshing. The simple,
and sometimes profound lyrics, and the genuine, from-the-heart
transparency can sometimes bring her to tears.
Though Sally did hear quite a lot of country music from
time to time over the years and actually produced "Country
Light" ,a country gospel program back in the 70's that
aired on WEEL, 1310AM, in Fairfax, a suburb of Washington
D.C., she has just now developed a genuine fondness and
love for bluegrass. She especially likes the newer music
from artists like Ricky Skaggs, Don Rigsby, IIIrd Tyme Out,
Wayne Moore, and Mountain Heart, while at the same time
garnering a new understanding, appreciation, and interest
in the older songs and artists. Sally says, "The
music is a national treasure and we want to do what we can
to help preserve it and hand it down to the next generation....along
with the gospel. We find that many of the young people now
moving into our listening area from Northern Virginia have
never listened to bluegrass music. We want to change that!"
Though the music on Bluegrass Inspirations will be
primarily gospel bluegrass, they will also play many of
the songs about life in general as expressed so well in
songs like "Dream of the Miner's Child", and "Keep
On The Sunny Side", an old song that gained new popularity
from the film "O Brother Where Art Thou?"
This area is rich in bluegrass history and has produced
many well-known groups over the past 50 years such as The
Country Gentlemen, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Osborn
Brothers, and more. It is our hope that the community will
embrace our efforts and support it generously. WPRZ wants
to help preserve this rich history while at the same time
embracing the future by introducing many new people to this
wonderful "down-home" and "from the heart"
music that originated in the mountains of Virginia and Kentucky.
We are pleased to see more new groups forming and being
called to minister through their music.
Fauquier County and surrounding areas are growing at a tremendous
rate. We hope to help preserve what many people are moving
out here for....a more wholesome atmosphere in which to
raise their kids...and a simpler life style that will bring
them closer to God. We know that God is at work changing
lives and drawing people close to Him through all the programs
you hear on WPRZ.
From
time to time local bluegrass musicians and historians
will be invited to the studio and even for some "live"
music sessions during the program. Interested musicians
should contact Steve or Sally at 540-349-1250 or email
them at info@wprz.org.
CDs
for possible airplay can be mailed to:
Sally Buchanan, WPRZ
5562 Baldwin Street, Warrenton, VA 20187
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