Roy Farwell - Guitar and Banjo
Roy was brought up in New England in a musical family, where everyone sang and played at least one instrument. He survived the Folk Scare of the late 50s and 60s, but was seriously infected at various coffee shops in Cambridge and Greenwich Village. At age 12, dreaming of joining the Kingston Trio, he took up the banjo, learning as much as Pete Seeger's "Red Book" could provide. He played in various folk groups through high school (New Hampshire) and college (California), picking up the guitar along the way. Unable to fund his high style of living from music alone, he joined the legal staff of Union Pacific Railroad (where he picked up a few railroad songs). He moved to the St Louis area in the 1990s and taught guitar at the Folk School of St Louis for 5 years. A founding member of the Mound City Slickers, he played with the band until 2015, when he relocated to Idaho after retiring from the legal profession. He returned to St Louis in 2017 and is very happy to have recently rejoined the band.
Sean Belt - Banjo Ukulele, Ukulele, Mandolin, Fiddle, Guitar
Raised just outside the Mound City of St. Louis in Webster Groves, MO, this international man-of-mystery first heard old-time music as an infant, being played by his grandfather, Buck Belt, on the guitar and fiddle. His immediate reaction was to roll over in his basinet and go back to sleep. A few years later, he picked up an lp recording by Roscoe Holcomb at his local library, gave it a spin, and the poor lad was never the same again.
About ten years ago, Sean heard and played his first banjo ukulele and the experience was much like that first hearing Roscoe Holcomb; the boy had found his muse in the little drum with strings.
Sean’s short attention span has led him to learn to adequately play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and ukulele. When not actually playing one of these instruments, he contents himself with listening to Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, The Incredible Stringband, Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, John Salyer, Marcus Martin, Don Pedi, French Carpenter, Melvin Wine, Jimmy Triplett, The Ill-Mo Boys, The Indian Creek Delta Boys, The Horse Flies, and the dozens of others who’ve influenced him and his playing and taught him over the years.
About ten years ago, Sean heard and played his first banjo ukulele and the experience was much like that first hearing Roscoe Holcomb; the boy had found his muse in the little drum with strings.
Sean’s short attention span has led him to learn to adequately play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and ukulele. When not actually playing one of these instruments, he contents himself with listening to Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, The Incredible Stringband, Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, John Salyer, Marcus Martin, Don Pedi, French Carpenter, Melvin Wine, Jimmy Triplett, The Ill-Mo Boys, The Indian Creek Delta Boys, The Horse Flies, and the dozens of others who’ve influenced him and his playing and taught him over the years.
Lindell Blackford - Mandolin, Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo
Despite having a father who at 12 earned shoe money playing mandolin and guitar with his uncles for house dances in rural Kentucky (13 cents a set—you only paid if you danced), there wasn’t much country music around my house as Dad had stopped playing.
I came to bluegrass and subsequently old time music in college thru Rich Hibbs, an Alton native like myself and a great banjo/guitar player, who was living in St. Louis and running with a fast crowd, including Nicki and Ugly. I had piano and trumpet lessons for 10 years, but no strings, so I drug my brother’s $20 Christmas present guitar out from under the bed, had dad show me chords, then set off to irritate music lovers everywhere. Giants in old time music walked the earth then, and I (and Bill Stewart and Bob Clark) tried to play with and learn from them all. Along the way I picked up the mandolin (thanks, Curt) and fiddle (thanks, Emily and Geoff), and began playing no small amount with Nancy Lippincott, another Alton cliff dweller, who doesn’t use big enough hammers on that dulcimer. I became a 2nd generation Rebate starting in 1974 and the good times never stopped. Thankfully, Rich wasn’t hurt in his fall thru the hay bales. I play with and still learn from Rich in the Boney Goats with Mike Saputo and the ghost of Steve Mote, and, when I can afford to pay them, in the Slickers with my old days pals Bob Clark and Bill Stewart, who knows a million tunes, and new pals David, Roy, Sean, and Rich Egan. They want me because I can play the tuba. Thanks to Bob Clark’s weekly doin’s for allowing me the opportunity to audition and have no end of fun.
I came to bluegrass and subsequently old time music in college thru Rich Hibbs, an Alton native like myself and a great banjo/guitar player, who was living in St. Louis and running with a fast crowd, including Nicki and Ugly. I had piano and trumpet lessons for 10 years, but no strings, so I drug my brother’s $20 Christmas present guitar out from under the bed, had dad show me chords, then set off to irritate music lovers everywhere. Giants in old time music walked the earth then, and I (and Bill Stewart and Bob Clark) tried to play with and learn from them all. Along the way I picked up the mandolin (thanks, Curt) and fiddle (thanks, Emily and Geoff), and began playing no small amount with Nancy Lippincott, another Alton cliff dweller, who doesn’t use big enough hammers on that dulcimer. I became a 2nd generation Rebate starting in 1974 and the good times never stopped. Thankfully, Rich wasn’t hurt in his fall thru the hay bales. I play with and still learn from Rich in the Boney Goats with Mike Saputo and the ghost of Steve Mote, and, when I can afford to pay them, in the Slickers with my old days pals Bob Clark and Bill Stewart, who knows a million tunes, and new pals David, Roy, Sean, and Rich Egan. They want me because I can play the tuba. Thanks to Bob Clark’s weekly doin’s for allowing me the opportunity to audition and have no end of fun.
Bill Stewart - Fiddle
I started playing old time music in the mid to late 70's. When I was starting to fiddle, I was exposed to Cousin Curtis and the Cash Rebates and the Geyer Street Sheiks. At the same time, I started going to the Childgrove Country dances. Through jam sessions, I met Lindell, Bob Clark, Charlie Walden and Rich Hibbs and others. I am most grateful to Emily Buckhannon, Chris German and Geoff Seitz from whom I learned a great deal about fiddle playing. I am also indebted to Cousin Curtis who pushed me to fiddle in public. Now that I've identified the cause of that, I hope the public doesn't tar and feather him.
I played with several groups, the Mississippi Mudcats, Roadkill Ramblers and the Old Time Rhythm Method for dances, but stopped playing in public while my kids were growing up. Several years ago, I talking with my wife about how I missed playing music with my friends. Next thing I knew, at her instigation, I was playing at Bob Clark's weekly session, having a great time and meeting a new set of musical friends, Sean, Roy, Rich and David. To my surprise, they invited me along to play on the local radio station one afternoon and I've been playing with Slickers ever since. Since joining the Slickers, I also got to start playing with my old friend, Lindell when he filled in while David was on sabbatical and ultimately stayed on.
As a band, our motto seems to be; so many tunes, so little time. Our other motto is; it ain't old time, it's Missouri.
I played with several groups, the Mississippi Mudcats, Roadkill Ramblers and the Old Time Rhythm Method for dances, but stopped playing in public while my kids were growing up. Several years ago, I talking with my wife about how I missed playing music with my friends. Next thing I knew, at her instigation, I was playing at Bob Clark's weekly session, having a great time and meeting a new set of musical friends, Sean, Roy, Rich and David. To my surprise, they invited me along to play on the local radio station one afternoon and I've been playing with Slickers ever since. Since joining the Slickers, I also got to start playing with my old friend, Lindell when he filled in while David was on sabbatical and ultimately stayed on.
As a band, our motto seems to be; so many tunes, so little time. Our other motto is; it ain't old time, it's Missouri.
Richard Hibbs - Guitar, Banjo
Now that they’ve let me out of jail, I can fill in the details on this bio.
I grew up in Alton, Illinois, but now reside in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Having been raised under the tutelage of the great Piasa Bird of Alton, Illinois, I decided to go on a vision quest. After spending several nights alone in a cave high overlooking the Mississippi River, I discovered the true purpose of my life: to play the 5-string banjo.
It was in the 60’s when I was in high school that I became interested in folk music. My dad was a great ukulele player, and he showed me how to play a lot of stuff on it. Mostly what he played were popular songs from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. As my interest in folk music grew, I became interested in playing guitar and especially the 5-string banjo.
At that time not many people where I lived played the banjo. So I had no one to take lessons from. Thanks to Pete Seeger’s book and watching other banjo players every chance I got, I managed to learn a little bit about it. When I heard bluegrass music for the first time, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. My musical heroes were Earl Scruggs, Mike Seeger, Doc Watson, and Doug Dillard. Mike and Doc influenced me especially to go more in the direction of old-time music and the clawhammer banjo style, which is mostly what I play now.
Over the years, I’ve played with several old-time string bands – Cousin Curtis and the Cash Rebates, Count Geoff and the Vultures, The Old Time Rhythm Method, the Roadkill Ramblers, the Boney Goat Band, and most recently, the Mound City Slickers. I am most humbled and grateful that the Slickers have invited me to play guitar with them.
I grew up in Alton, Illinois, but now reside in Webster Groves, Missouri.
Having been raised under the tutelage of the great Piasa Bird of Alton, Illinois, I decided to go on a vision quest. After spending several nights alone in a cave high overlooking the Mississippi River, I discovered the true purpose of my life: to play the 5-string banjo.
It was in the 60’s when I was in high school that I became interested in folk music. My dad was a great ukulele player, and he showed me how to play a lot of stuff on it. Mostly what he played were popular songs from the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. As my interest in folk music grew, I became interested in playing guitar and especially the 5-string banjo.
At that time not many people where I lived played the banjo. So I had no one to take lessons from. Thanks to Pete Seeger’s book and watching other banjo players every chance I got, I managed to learn a little bit about it. When I heard bluegrass music for the first time, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. My musical heroes were Earl Scruggs, Mike Seeger, Doc Watson, and Doug Dillard. Mike and Doc influenced me especially to go more in the direction of old-time music and the clawhammer banjo style, which is mostly what I play now.
Over the years, I’ve played with several old-time string bands – Cousin Curtis and the Cash Rebates, Count Geoff and the Vultures, The Old Time Rhythm Method, the Roadkill Ramblers, the Boney Goat Band, and most recently, the Mound City Slickers. I am most humbled and grateful that the Slickers have invited me to play guitar with them.
Rich Egan - Piano
Raised just outside the Mound City in Bridgeton, MO, Rich has played ragtime piano for more than 40 years. Always attracted to the string band sound, his favorite rag recordings were those of the Skirtlifters and the Et Cetera String Band. Around 2003 he began to incorporate traditional tunes such as "Old Dan Tucker" into his rag repertoire. In 2009, he became aware of old time music jams at the Folk School of St. Louis, and soon began to sit in, learning the traditional American repertoire, which led to his becoming a member of the Slickers in 2010. To hear some of his solo recordings, visit http://www.richardeganmusic.com/