When these kids play, they play BLUEGRASS! Kentucky Sassafras is a playground full of young people ages 12-17. But their music is as mature as the vintage bass the youngest and newest member of the band, Amelia John, plays. Amelia calls her 3/4 bass "Susie". She says she knows it's a girl because the tuners are shaped like hearts. When Amelia started pluckin' the bass, she carried a foot stool with her to reach the neck! Now, Amelia is as comfortable thumping out songs as she is cuddled with her beagle hound.
When Amelia was chosen as the newest member of Sassafras, she had an inside connection. The band's eldest musician and lead singer is her older sister, Chloe Blayne. In 2001, Chloe attended a teachers' workshop with her mother, Kim at the IBMA convention in Louisville. Kim came home and started a bluegrass band at Gallatin County Middle School. Chloe came home with a new banjo and started pickin' 3-finger style. Five years of lessons have added to Chloe's skill. Chloe also learned melodic style banjo playing, which she loves.
A couple of years later, Chloe attended a summer camp at Cowan Creek Mountain Music school where she learned to play clawhammer or frailin' banjo. She loves them all! Each time you look up you may find a different instrument in Chloe's hands. On stage, Chloe switches between a 5-string banjo, a 6-string old time style open back banjo, and guitar. Sometimes she borrows the bass from Amelia to thump out a song or two. Being a flute player in her school band, Chloe will occasionally play a penny whistle on stage if it adds to a particular song.
But, the instrument that draws the audience's attention to Chloe is her voice. The lead singer for Kentucky Sassafras can belt out an old classic like Mule Skinner Blues or pull your heartstrings with Wayfarin' Stranger. July of 2006, the band shared a stage with the greatly respected Jean Ritchie at Kentucky Music Weekend. In reference to Chloe, Ms. Ritchie commented, "She has a lovely clear tone, and such a sweetness in her presentation". You may listen for her voice on a local radio show, see her at a festival, or listen to a sound bite from their CD by logging on to www.kysassafras.com and clicking on "Buy a CD".
When the sisters, Chloe and Amelia, were toddlers, they followed their mother Kim to local churches. Kim played guitar and sang with Curnie Lee Wilson in a group called "Meetin' House Music". Any of you hanging around the festivals during the late 70's or early 80's will remember young Curnie Lee playing gospel bluegrass with his dad, Curnie Wilson and uncle, Russell Wilson of the Wilson Brothers. Curnie Lee Wilson later played with the Cumberland Highlanders and now picks lead guitar with Joe Isaacs.
A third member also trained his ear listening to the Wilson Brothers. Tyler Mullins, age 15, picks Scruggs style banjo with Sassafras and switches off on the guitar with Chloe. His neighbor, Curnie Wilson, played music in the church Tyler grew up in. Bluegrass gospel sung Stanley Brothers style was part of their regular worship service. Tyler jokes of playing a toy rattle, shaped like a guitar, along with the church music. Tyler still loves to visit with , jam with , and pick up pointers from Curnie.
Classic, old, traditional bluegrass is Tyler's favorite and his skill on the 5-string shows his love of hard drivin' 3-finger pickin'. Tyler hones this skill with lessons from Jeff Roberts of the Comet All Stars. The band profits from Tyler's dry wit which adds much to the enjoyment of the crowd and his fellow band members!
Two cousins from Boston, Ky make up the rest of Sassafras. Jory Hutchens, age 16, is an experienced fiddler, having begun bowing at age 8. Jory can work the audience with his sassy, hot drivin' Orange Blossom Special. But he can also play a soulful fiddle solo, as he does when opening the band's arrangement of My Old Kentucky Home. Jory met Chloe and started this band while studying old time music at Cowan Creek Mountain Music School. There and at home, Jory played with and learned from fiddle legend, Art Stamper, who happened to live just a few miles up the road from Jory.
Jory enjoys many different styles of music and brings in a great deal of creativity to the band from his broad range of diverse tunes. He has a knack for arranging instrumental work into the structured "bluegrass sound". He is probably more comfortable than the others experimenting with "out there" licks on his fiddle and fully expresses this enthusiasm on stage. You cannot help but get happy inside when you watch this guy.
Jory and his young cousin, Turner Hutchens, age 12, now learn from Jeff Guernsey. Jeff toured as the fiddle player with Vince Gill, but now prefers a more settled life teaching young fiddle, mandolin, and banjo players. Occasionally, Jeff crowds the whole band into his lesson room and helps them polish their sound. Jeff has the ability to relate to the young pickers, often having a good time cutting up with them. The entire band has a great respect for Jeff. His standards are high, but he makes the playing fun.
Turner loves to pick! Always the hesitant one if asked to speak on stage, Turner is never hesitant to pick great music from his mandolin! Turner has been "adopted" by several older musicians that have helped him mature his music. Although each of them have several decades of age on Turner, Jim Crisp and Wendall Cornett spend countless hours jammin' with Turner and teaching him new songs to play and sing. They have also encouraged him to pick up a second instrument. Turner now plays guitar with them and with Ky Sassafras when no mandolin part is needed for a song.
Turner and the other members of Kentucky Sassafras can play the music. They also love to entertain the audience. Often they will reach over and play another band member's instrument , steal a hat from a fellow band member, or just keep the audience's attention cuttin' up on stage and never missin' a beat. Check their schedule at www.kysassafras.com and come on out for good music, good singing, and a good old time!
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