Sean Belt - Banjo Ukulele, Ukulele, Mandolin, Fiddle, Guitar
Raised in Webster Groves MO, Sean first heard old-time music as an infant, played by his grandfather, Buck Belt, on the guitar and fiddle. . 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 fifteen years ago, Sean heard and played his first banjo ukulele and the experience was much like that first hearing of Roscoe Holcomb; the boy had found his muse in the little drum with strings.
When not playing the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and ukulele, 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 fifteen years ago, Sean heard and played his first banjo ukulele and the experience was much like that first hearing of Roscoe Holcomb; the boy had found his muse in the little drum with strings.
When not playing the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and ukulele, 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
Lindell started piano lessons at 5 years and trumpet in 5th grade. He jumped from bluegrass to old time music through the New Lost City Ramblers, from whom he learned old time music is better than it sounds. Doc Watson and Norman Blake led him to old time and Missouri fiddling through Charlie Walden and R.P. Christeson which made him learn to play fiddle. He played banjo, mandolin and fiddle with the Cash Rebates for many fun-filled years and met and played with some of the real old time fiddlers from Missouri. Lindell joined the Boney Goat Band and The Mound City Slickers, a great bunch of musicians, including Rich Egan, who continues to teach us the value of piano in old time music. We lucked out on that one.
Richard Hibbs - Banjo
Born and raised in the Mound City area (Alton, Illinois), Rich Hibbs now resides in Webster Groves, Missouri.When he was in high school in the 60’s he became interested in folk music. His dad was a great ukulele player, and he taught Rich how to play a lot of stuff on it. Rich then became interested in learning guitar and 5-string banjo.
At that time not many people where he lived played the banjo, so he is primarily self-taught. Thanks to Pete Seeger’s book and watching other banjo players, he managed to learn a little bit about it. His first focus was bluegrass banjo, but he later became more interested in the clawhammer style used in old-time country music.
He has played with several old-time string bands over the years – 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.
At that time not many people where he lived played the banjo, so he is primarily self-taught. Thanks to Pete Seeger’s book and watching other banjo players, he managed to learn a little bit about it. His first focus was bluegrass banjo, but he later became more interested in the clawhammer style used in old-time country music.
He has played with several old-time string bands over the years – 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.
Rich Egan - Piano
Raised just outside the Mound City in Bridgeton, MO, Rich has played ragtime piano for nearly 50 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 https://www.richardeganmusic.com/
Keith Dudding - Guitar, Mandolin
Originally from Fairmont, Minn., Keith Dudding (guitar, mandolin) was first introduced to bluegrass music by a banjo-playing high school classmate. Years later, the St. Louis old-time community took him under its wing and completed his education. For thirty years, Keith has hosted Down Yonder, the bluegrass and old-time music show on KDHX 88.1 FM. He joined the Slickers in 2018.
He plays in a few other string bands with even sillier names.
He plays in a few other string bands with even sillier names.
