Kirk Randleman - Beginning with playing “Little Brown Jug” on the ukulele at age 9, Kirk has played music ever since.  He discovered bluegrass music upon returning to Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, N.C. after a stint in the Army.   A muliti-instrumentalist, Kirk plays  the mandolin, autoharp, banjo and guitar.  During the past thirty seven years, Kirk has played in many groups in many places. He has been associated with renowned fiddler, Dr. Mack Snoderly, in the Reel Band, with Flave Hart and in Doc Snoderly’s Painless Band, a group that included  Laura Boosinger, fiddler Tom Brantly, banjoist Bill Rasnick and Craig on bass.and the Reel Band.  He played at the 1982 Worlds’ Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee with the Colly Swamp Review.   In April 2007, Kirk performed at the World Folkdance Festival in Palma, Spain as a member of the Buncombe Turnpike providing accompaniment for the Bailey Mountain Cloggers from Mars Hill College.   Other groups Kirk has played with include:  The Hornpipers, with fiddlers Doc Snoderly and the great Tommy Hunter; The Bear Wallow Gap; The Legal Grass; Bluegrass Anonymous; Steel Rail; The Bluegrass Five; and several others.  In his “day job”, Kirk served as a Child Welfare Attorney with the North Carolina Department of Justice in Black Mountain, North Carolina and retired in 2012.

 Angelina Giampocaro Spencer - When she got chills performing with Appalachia for the first time at the renowned Folk Festival 2007, she realized it didn’t matter what type of music as long as she was singing! This is Angelina’s first experience with mountain music. Musical theater is Angelina’s forte. Among her favorite roles have been Mother Abbess in “Sound of Music”, Nettie Fowler in “Carousel”, and Reverend Mother in “Nunsense.” Whether it is being honored as Actress of the Year for her role in Asheville Community Theater as Mama Rose in “Gypsy” or singing on an Atlanta Billy Graham Crusade and in Atlanta’s Robert Shaw Chorale or singing for the past 12 years in Asheville’s Midday Musicals and for hundreds of weddings, singing has been one of the great joys of Angelina’s life. The greatest joys in her life are her husband of 24 years and her sons, Corporal Emmanuel of the USMC and Clarke, a student at UNCA. Angelina’s days are spent as a Program Consultant with NC DHHS/DSS in Foster Care Licensing.

Craig Bannerman – Craig was first bitten by the music bug when he attended 1960’s jam sessions of mountain pickers in Asheville NC. He began playing guitar then switched to electric bass while playing with Blackhawk Bluegrass during college. Over the years he continued to play with many award winning bluegrass and old time bands including Blackhawk Bluegrass, Crooked Pine, 107 String Band, Don Pedi Band, The Painless Band, Mungo Kelly and Graybeard Ramblers . Craig found that his music could best be expressed through playing the stand-up bass. His skills include tasteful arrangements, creating graphic artwork and adding production skills to the mix as well as solid rhythm and bass to the bands sound. The Appalachia experience has allowed Craig to re-unite in a band with Kirk after some 20 years and explore different types and styles of music that keep diversity and the joy of creating sound at the forefront.  Craig retired in 2014 after 28 years of serving as Deputy Chief for the Black Mountain Fire Department..

  - is the union of musical minds, from different backgrounds and genres,  joined together to proudly  present  wonderful and engaging performances of all types of music.  From Irving Berlin to the Carter Family, Appalachia Song takes you on a musical journey through generations of great American music in an enjoyable and informative way.

 

Kirk, Angelina, and Craig

photo by Megan Bannerman 2009

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