New Bern, Eastern North Carolina

2009 Schedule

The amateur Pickin & Grinin group was formed in June, 2000 by Jim Bryant who once played with Bill 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 where the group played for several years until mall management evicted the group because the mall was to be sold or renovated. 

The Pickin group next moved to the West New Bern Recreational Center until events at the Center preempted playing there. The group then moved to the Howell Care Center's Gymnasium stage in River Bend where they currently play on Fridays from 7-9 PM mostly to handicapped residents. The group is trying to get permission to return to Twin Rivers Mall and occasionally plays at the Union Point Park Gazebo, the New Bern Mum Fest and the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Tour

Everyone is welcome to join in singing or playing a compatible instrument. An 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. The Group never knows who will show up and there is no set performance. Several splinter groups developed over the years from members of the Pickin Group, including Breck Jarman's "Opry Theater" and Bobby King's "King Court" but many of these players continue to play with the amateur Pickin Group.  

As of July 2008 the Pickin and Grinin group had a member list of 148 and an ISP-based e-mail list of 78 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 "Blue Kentucky Girl"(Skeeter Davis), one of my favorites that Debra Tyndall of our group sings.

Playing in the Howell Care Center stage in River Bend in 2008

Click on Thumbnail Photos below to enlarge

Bobbi Waters, Vince Locklear, Harold Sanders	Pete Swain, Herb Rawls, Roger Johnston, Bobbi Waters, Sean McMahon, Sid Bateman	Roger Johnston, Tina Brown, Herb Rawls, Bobby Hunnings	Tina Brown & Debra Tyndall dancing with Howell residents	The Howell Center audience
Debra Tyndall	Vince Locklear, Roger Johnston, Harold Sanders	Vince Locklear, Roger Johnston, Bobby Hunnings, Bobbie Waters	George Spang, Clem Daugherty. Howard Rawls, Wes Robinson	Herb Rawls, Roger Johnston, Dave Wallace, Bobbi Waters
Bobby Hunnings, Dustan Brown	Jim Cason	Wes Robinson	Pete Swain	Photo sent by Pete Swain

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

Click on thumbnail photos to enlarge

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
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

Dixie & Asa Gatlin	Clem Daugherty & Seth Brinson	Dave Wallace & Banjolin	Breck Jarman & Debra Tyndall	Wes Robinson & Harold Sanders	Debra Tyndall & daughter "BJ"
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
Breck Jarman, Bobby King & Vince Locklear	Herb Rawls	Jane Hinckley	Louise & Harold Sanders	Jerry Boswell	Wade Bender

Marvin Walker and his handmade banjos. Click HERE to see more on the web page I created for him.

On July 13, 2008 Marvin informed me he had put up a web page. Click HERE to see it

Some of our regulars in the audience

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

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)

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 6/4/09 dw