with Phyllis Elkind and Jen Larson
Sunday, October 26th, 11 AM - 1 PM

Explore songs and styles from the early days of rural Southern commercial music – the roots of bluegrass and country music. You will learn songs by artists including The Carter Family, Riley Puckett, Jimmie Rodgers, the Delmore Brothers, Coon Creek Girls, and Blue Sky Boys. We love these songs and think you will too!  Most of the songs have harmony parts - no instrument is needed, and all levels of experience are welcome!

 

Jen Larson is a Nashville-based archivist, historian, bluegrass vocalist, and educator. She has performed at regional and national festivals, participated in educational programs through Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and appeared on “Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.” In 2014, she released “Burning House,” an EP produced by Michael Daves. Jen has performed and co-taught with Daves, contributed vocals to his ArtistWorks Bluegrass Vocals course, and taught at Bluegrass Week at Augusta Heritage Center. From 2016 to 2023, she was Archives Manager for the Grand Ole Opry and is now researching bluegrass pioneer Hazel Dickens.

 

Phyllis Elkind is a singer, guitarist, and teacher. She performs in two bluegrass trios – The Sentimentals, with Gene Yellin and Sam Dallas, and Say Darlin Say, with Melody Allegra Berger and Sam Dallas – and is an active participant in NYC’s vibrant jam scene. Phyllis has taught harmony classes at Jalopy since 2014 and has also taught Doo Wop singing at the McBurney YMCA. In the Hudson Valley, she leads harmony workshops for the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association, for the Old-Timey Song Swap, and at The Muse.