Pickin and Grinin Group

New Bern, Eastern North Carolina 

Important Announcement:

The New Bern Parks & Recreation Department has extended their invitation for the Pickin Group to play at the West New Bern Recreation Center on Pine Tree Drive starting on Friday, April 18 from 7-9 PM and 6 consecutive Fridays through May 23, 2008.

Beth Greenwaldt, Operations Manager at Twin Rivers mall, said that the mall will be renovated and the Pickin Group will not be able to return for at least 8 months. 

The group is continuing to search for a permanent location to play.

Dave Wallace 4/4/08

The amateur Pickin & Grinin group was formed in June, 2000 by Jim Bryant who once played with Bill a_4racoon.gif (19386 bytes)Monroe's bluegrass group. As shown in the photos below, Friday night jams began at the River Bend Baptist Church and were later moved to Twin Rivers mall in New Bern in 2003. 

After playing for several years in Twin Rivers mall at the center court or the circle at the Belk end, mall management moved the group to a vacant location where the Brody's men store existed. The move allowed the group to use microphones for singers without disturbing mall tenants. The group plays  Friday evenings from 7-9 PM. A smaller group plays Saturday evening. 

Everyone is welcome to join in singing or playing a compatible instrument. A large audience gathers and many spend an evening of free entertainment. The group usually has 12-20 players that play country, bluegrass, gospel and oldies. There are several singers, including some that occasionally join in from the audience. We never know who will show up and there is no set performance. 

As of September 2007 the Pickin and Grinin group had a member list of 143 and an ISP-based e-mail list of 75  managed by Dave Wallace. Anyone that plays with the group may be listed as a member and join the e-mail list where a member may send mail to all members by addressing a message to pickin@always-online.com. The list is accessible only to members and cannot be spammed. 

This web page by Dave Wallace - Banjolin & Fiddle  davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX)

Turn up your volume for "Orange Blossom Special", a tune often played by the Picking Group

Playing in the former Brody's men store in Twin Rivers Mall

Click on thumbnail photos to enlarge

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The audience (L to R) Vince Locklear, Roger Johnston, Dave Wallace, Pete Swain, Harold Sanders Wes Robinson (foreground), Eddie Ipock, Jimmy Patterson (white shirt) Josh Lewis, Dave Wallace, Vince Locklear Roger Johnston, Breck Jarman
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Asa and Dixie Gatlin Dan Stevens, Bobby King Dori Oney, Herb Rawls Dalton Ipock William Stewart

 

Photos below are when we played at the Belk Circle or the mall's Center Court until 2007. 

 

Asa Gatlin, Bobby King, Debra Tyndall

click on thumbnails below to enlarge

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Dixie & Asa Gatlin Clem Daugherty & Seth Brinson Dave Wallace & Banjolin Breck Jarman & Debra Tyndall Wes Robinson & Harold Sanders Debra Tyndall & daughter "BJ"
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Lenwood Toler & Clem Daugherty Richard Parker, Howard Rawls & Sid Bateman Josh Lewis, Jack Lewis, Debra Tyndall, Roger Johnston & Seth Brinson Debra Tyndall & Richard Parker Roger Johnston & Seth Brinson Eddie Ipock
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Breck Jarman, Bobby King & Vince Locklear Herb Rawls Jane Hinckley Louise & Harold Sanders Jerry Boswell Wade Bender

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Marvin Walker and his handmade banjos. Click HERE to see more.

Some of our regulars in the audience

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George Spang Elizabeth & Ken Brinson Buster Bell (Elizabeth Brinson's father)- age 93 in '06. Buster passed away on 1/28/07

Click here for photos of the Gazebo Gig at the Multiple Sclerosis MS-150 Bike Tour on 9/9/06

Click here for Music and Lyrics the Pickin and Grinin Group plays 

Click here for an interesting article on an Introduction to Bluegrass Jamming

Photos below are when we met at the River Bend Baptist Church from year 2000 thru 2003

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Left to Right: Louise Sanders (mandolin), Jim Bryant (guitar), Randy Downing (banjo), Tommy Jacobs (guitar), Mitch Harriett (guitar), Brandi Falcon (singer), Levi Harrison (guitar), Dave Wallace (mandolin), Harold Sanders (banjo), Bryan Batten (dobro)

 

 

 

 

 

Left to right: Marvin Walker, Tim Coates (seated), Breck Jarman, Randy Downing, Dan Stevens, Jim Bryant, Richard Parker, Gary Richardson, George Jennings (seated), Dave Wallace, Fred (shorty) Riggs, Eddie Ipock, Bob Thompson, Dan Jenkins, Ron Wind, Barbara Walstron.

On May 9, 2003 we had the largest jam session ever held with close to 30 players showing up before the evening was over. We also had close to 50 folks in the audience. The occasion was due to Ron Wind, our accordion player, inviting 6 of his musician friends from the Annandale Strings Group that were visiting from Virginia. It was a great evening especially with such a variety of new songs being played. One of the visiting musicians was 85-year-old fiddler Roy "Speedy" Tolliver (shown standing) who made a hit playing "Orange Blossom Special" and "Listen to the Mocking Bird,"                      <Photo submitted by Ron Wind>

 

Last update 2/19/2008  dw