Carnegie Hall presents a special performance of bluegrass group on Friday, March 15, at 7 p.m. Guests are invited to come early to Club Carnegie from 6 – 6:45 p.m. in the Board Room located adjacent to the Hamilton Auditorium. A cash bar and snacks will be available.

The Legends of WV Bluegrass is a collection of the best Bluegrass musicians from West Virginia. Each of these musicians have performed with the elite in the Bluegrass industry. The group includes Buddy Griffin, David O’Dell, Jackie Kincaid, and Roger Hoard, and each member has over 50 years of experience.

The Carnegie Hall performance will feature a bass built by local resident and luthier John Preston being played for the first time in public by David O’Dell.

Buddy Griffin was born into a musical family in Richwood, WV, and was influenced by the songs of the original Carter Family.  His talented family part-time band were regulars on several radio and TV shows in West Virginia and Virginia.  They played on the Red Smiley Show in Oak Hill, the Buddy Starcher Show in Charleston, and the Top O’ The Morning Show in Roanoke VA.

Buddy was a multi-instrumentalist, first taking up the 5-string banjo, but eventually became best known for his talent on the fiddle.  His fiddle got him a full-time job with the Wheeling Jamboree and performing with the regulars on WWVA such as the Heckels.

During his professional career Buddy has played, recorded, and traveled with the biggest stars in bluegrass music such as Johnny Russell, the Goins Brothers, Josh Graves, Mac Wiseman, Dave Evans, Jim and Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Bobby Osborne, Christy Lane and Albert Brumley, Jr, Doug Dillard Band as well as many others.

Buddy has played at the Grand Ole Opry numerous times, Wheeling Jamboree, Ozark Mountain Hoedown, Mountain Stage, Gold Coast Casino, in Las Vegas plus many other venues and bluegrass festivals nationwide.

In addition to his music, Buddy was an educator who graduated from Glenville State College and taught school in Braxton and Nicholas Counties.  His most notable achievement in music and education was creating and leading the Bluegrass Four Year Degree program at Glenville State College.  The first person to complete the program was Lizzy Long of Little Roy and Lizzy.

During his professional career Buddy has received many awards.  Most notable was his induction into the WV Music Hall of Fame in 2023, the Vandalia Award, an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Glenville State College and the winner of the WV State banjo and fiddle contest.  

Joining Buddy on stage is bassist David O’Dell. He was born and raised in Spencer, WV, and began playing banjo at age 14, learning clawhammer style banjo for traditional music under the influence of Frank George.  He soon became a familiar face at West Virginia’s music festivals such as the Vandalia Gathering and the West Virginia State Folk Festival, where he won the old-time banjo contests numerous times.  After high school he continued to focus on traditional music, but also began branching out into other instruments such as fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, and bass, as well as other musical styles such as bluegrass.

After several years in Kentucky and Tennessee, David moved back to West Virginia in 1996 and became involved in the music scene more than ever.  He was invited to be on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia State Folk Festival, and he also became more involved in recording and producing recordings of West Virginia musicians.

David’s versatility as a musician landed him several gigs as a substitute band member when regular members weren’t available for certain gigs.  He often sat in with The Samples Brothers playing fiddle, banjo, or bass depending upon what was needed at the time.  He also filled in as a bass player for Retro and Smiling, a Reno and Smiley tribute band featuring Buddy Griffin and Ashley Messenger.  He now regularly plays banjo in the Mack Samples Band, as well as in the duo The MacAbreBrothers with Pete Kosky.

In addition to playing music, David has also taught several workshops on banjo, fiddle, and mountain dulcimer at places such as the Augusta Heritage Center, Allegheny Echoes, and the Cedar Lakes Craft Center.  He has hosted a weekly radio show on WOTR in Weston, West Virginia, and played venues as far away as Ireland and Australia.

He now plays music mostly whenever it’s convenient, leaving time for his day job as Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Science and Mathematics Department at Glenville State University as well as for spending time with his family.

On the mandolin will be Jackie Kincaid who was born into a musical family in Meadow Bridge, WV.  His father had a bluegrass band and Jackie learned to play the Mandolin at an early age.  His talent soon became recognized, and he was offered jobs playing for other bluegrass bands.  His skill on the mandolin and clear tenor voice has led him to perform professionally at the Wheeling Jamboree, The Grand Ole Opry, Bill Gaither’s Videos, RFD-TV, the World’s Fair and many other venues across the United States.

Jackie has been a sought-after vocalist and musician and has performed with the Larry Sparks band for many years.  He has also performed with Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Curley Seckler, Alison Krauss, Judy Marshall, Dave Evans, Uncle Josh Graves, and many of the top bluegrass artists.  He continues to write songs and perform in and around the Nashville area.

Jackie states “I have accomplished more than I could ever thought possible in Bluegrass music, and it all began in the mountains of WV.  While I live in Nashville now, WV will always be my home.

Rounding out the group on guitar is Roger Hoard from Sutton, WV.  At a young age he moved to the Wheeling area.   Currently, he resides in St. Claresville, OH where he manages a music store along with performing regularly. He was instrumental in helping many talented musicians in WV get their start professionally.

Roger is one of the most recognizable and respected talents on guitar anywhere, was one of Dan Jones’ early mentors in music. In addition, he has helped train some of the Ohio-Valley’s greatest musicians including the one and only Brad Paisley. Hoard has been associated with Jamboree USA, Jamboree in the Hills, and directed some of the Ohio Valley’s greatest bands such as Country Roads, The Other Brothers, 11/70, and The Fabulous Bender Boys.

Tickets are $25/adults and $10/students. Discounts are available for Carnegie Hall members, senior citizens, and military. To purchase tickets, call Carnegie Hall Box Office at 304.645.7917, visit www.carnegiehallwv.org, or stop by at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg, West Virginia.  Carnegie Hall Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Carnegie Hall WV is a member-driven nonprofit organization supported by individual contributions, grants, and fundraising efforts such as TOOT and The Carnegie Hall Gala. The Hall is located at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg, WV.  For more information, please call 304.645.7917 or visit www.carnegiehallwv.org.