VALLEY ROAD

Who is Valley Road?

Well, who is Navin Johnson?  (If you got that, then you're my new best friend.)  Valley Road started out with one goal in mind - to have a great time picking good bluegrass.  From big-time festivals to small, country churches, we've tried to maintain that idea in everything we do.  In doing so, we hope to provide the best entertainment we can muster at roll-back everyday low prices! 

Valley Road began a couple of years ago with a banjo and guitar...literally.  Johnny and Luke met up, struck up a friendship, and began jamming almost immediately.  Ken (Luke's father) soon got into the mix on the upright bass.  After a few line-up changes, Lloyd Andrews fills in the missing pieces of the puzzle with the fluidity and depth of his dobro playing, and Mike Smitherman supplies the glue wailing mercilessly, but beautifully, on his Gibson F-Style mandolin. Yep....this puzzle is complete and ready for framing!

Johnny Goss - Guitar/Vocals

Fearless fingerpicking and all cures for what ails you.  Snake oil salesman and associate member of the Nationwide Peppermint Endurance Company in Anniston, Alabama.  Atonal vocals and cacophonous chord progressions make Johnny a valuable asset to the group...so to speak.  As an added bonus, he insures the band's trailer that includes an "everything-but-what's-inside, yeah-that-means-the-instruments, but-we-can-insure-those-separately, here-I'll-get-the-papers-drawn-up" clause.

Luke Ford - Banjo

Yeah, it's a bluegrass band, so we had to have one.  Born with three extra fingers on his right hand, Luke has greatly improved the three-finger Scruggs Style.  The six-finger Ford Style of picking has each finger dedicated to a string while the last keeps time on the banjo head.  At 17, Luke's lightning-fast picking and rapid-fire runs has earned him a place in the famed Who's Who of Bluegrass Banjo Pickers in Alexandria, Alabama (Vol. 4, p. 348).  Recently, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Luke drooled.

Ken "Legg" Ford - Bass/Vocals

Playing the largest violin ever made, Ken keeps the the toes tapping with a steady rhythm and the hearts swooning with his long flowing mane.  Not only does he have that going for him, he also tries his hand at singing occasionally.  He's even a master of ventriloquism, and he often makes his hand sing!  The kids love it.  While he's not our first choice for obvious reasons, we felt that since he does crochet custom-made hats and upper lip warmers for the group he's a keeper.  And besides, without him, we're baseless.  Bad pun.

Lloyd Andrews - Dobro/Resonator/Guitar with a hubcap

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This professional snake milker and aerobics instructor brings a whole other dimension to our group.  He is a time traveller from the 17th Century.  In seeing that there was not much room for resonator guitar in classical music (except for in the German style of blaues Gras), Lloyd built a time machine completely out of wooden cogs and mussel shells.  He came to our group with wide-eyed fascination of all things 21st Century.  "What are computers?" he says.  "It's called a car?" he asks.  "Oh, Lloyd have mercy," we say.  He'll eventually learn.  That's okay, though. He spends most of his time completely confused by the "blue note" found in all modern bluegrass.  Now, if we can just get him out of his breeches and waistcoat and into blue jeans and a shirt we'd be in business!  (Hey, why is it he gets better lighting than the rest of us?)

Mike Smitherman  Mandolin banjo thingy, vocals

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Straight from down on the farm in Chilton County, Mike brings a whole new dimension to the band. Not only does he play  hard-driving Mando riffs and has a great voice for lead and harmonies, he can spit a peach seed further than anybody in North Central Alabama. Mike comes from a musical family  and has been around traditional country, bluegrass and gospel since he was knee-high to an aphid. While Mike calls Clanton home, we've decided to give him immunity and make him an honorary member of "Tha Valley"  (boy, is he excited).  VR is really glad to have him as our newest member. 
valleyroadbluegrass@gmail.com     256.820.2200