Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 21, 1993 TAG: 9305210015
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Still, the burly blues singer with a chest the size of a Mack truck says he would rather sing than eat.
It's a good thing, too. There aren't that many great blues singers running around these days.
Skeeter Brandon and Highway 61 have been running around together since September 1990.
Highway 61, named after the stretch of road that runs from Memphis through the Mississippi Delta and on to New Orleans, is the former "Lightning Bug" Rhodes Blues Band.
It was formed by singer-guitarist Armand Lenchek when he met blues singer Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes in 1989. Rhodes, who once played with Wilson Pickett, died of a heart attack a year later.
Lenchek, along with bass player Chris Grant and drummer Danny Dixon, wanted to keep Rhodes' musical style alive. So the trio looked for a fourth musician to complete their sound.
They found Calvin Brandon, better known as "Skeeter." He was performing in and around his hometown of Goldsboro, N.C.
"We hadn't counted on getting another world-class talent," Lenchek told a newspaper reporter. "We were truly lucky and blessed to have run into him. . . . He's just got those monster vocals."
Brandon - who is blind - started singing in church when he was 6 years old.
After high school, he worked with such popular R&B groups as the Clarence Carter Band and the Chi-Lites. In the '80s, his focus was on gospel music.
Recently, Brandon and Highway 61 have appeared at jazz and blues festivals in Europe, including the Blues to Bop Festival at Lugano, Switzerland.
In addition to performing classics by Otis Redding, Ray Charles, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and others, the band does original material.
Their first release, "Rockin' with the Blues," features some serious blues by Lenchek, as well as some not-so-serious material by Brandon:
"I wanna be your soap opera baby . . . ."
I wanna love you in the morning
'Til the edge of night.
When you get young 'n restless,
I wanna be your guiding light."
Skeeter Brandon and Highway 61 will play tonight, starting at 10, at the South Main Cafe, 117 S. Main St., Blacksburg.
The cover charge is $4 if you're over 21 or $5 if you're under 21.
On Saturday, the band will play at Corned Beef & Co. in Roanoke.
\ FROM BLUES TO BLUEGRASS: It's big-time bluegrass in Shawsville tonight.
The Reno Brothers, sons of the legendary Don Reno, and The Larry Stephenson Band will give a concert at 7:30 in the Shawsville High School Auditorium.
Ronnie Reno leads the brothers three. Best known for his abilities as a bluegrass song writer, the eldest Reno's song list includes "Boogie Grass Band" and "Hero for a Day" recorded by Conway Twitty, "A Thousand Times" recorded by Mickey Gilley and "Stay Until the Rain Stops" recorded by Kathy Carlile.
Merle Haggard has recorded four Ronnie Reno originals.
The Reno Brothers also have recorded with lots of country music superstars: Johnny Cash, Skeeter Davis, Johnny Paycheck, the Osborne Brothers and Willie Nelson, to name a few.
Larry Stephenson is one of a handful of first-rate lead tenor singers in bluegrass music today.
The Virginia native has been featured on more than a dozen albums by artists such as Bill Harrell & The Virginians and the Bluegrass Cardinals.
Stephenson also has two albums of his own. His specialty is old-time mountain music, gospel and ballads.
Formed in 1989, The Larry Stephenson Band has made its mark with some notable trio and quartet harmony vocals.
Advance tickets, $8, for tonight's concert are available at Matz Oil Co. in Elliston and at Mainstream Morrell Music in Blacksburg.
Tickets at the door are $10. Kids under 12 get in free.
\ MEANWHILE, AT MAXWELLS . . . You're in for a unique listening experience!
As a vocalist, Walter Hyatt is a cross between Roy Rogers and Frank Sinatra.
Hyatt, who hails from Spartanburg, S.C., plays a combination of classic jazz and country music.
His debut album, "King Tears," was co-produced by Lyle Lovett and recorded in Nashville but it didn't fit into any country music category.
In fact, a review in People Weekly noted that the album "defies categorization."
His latest release, "Music Town," is a collection of all original songs, and it's a dancer's dream. While you're listening to it, you can do everything from the Texas two-step to the fox trot!
One cut, "When You're Down to Your Last Quarter," features honky-tonk piano playing and lots of crooning:
"When you're down to your last quarter,
You have to make a choice.
Throw it in a jukebox,
Drown out that barroom noise.
Take the hand of a stranger
Or cry in a corner alone.
Or pick up your last quarter,
Call me and come back home."
Hyatt will perform at Maxwell's Wednesday in two sets at 9 and 11 p.m.
The cover charge is $2.
The restaurant is at 1204 N. Main St. in Blacksburg.
\ DO YOU KNOW YOUR GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER? The Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Newbern, along with the Radford Historical Society, will help you learn more about your ancestors at a genealogy workshop Saturday.
The workshop runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the museum and features guest speakers, slide shows and oodles of reference materials.
Registration is required but participants may pay the $12.50 fee at the door on Saturday.
The fee includes lunch and refreshments.
To register or for more information, call Daisy Williams, 674-5888; Ann Bailey, 382-2298; Geraldine Mathews, 980-7499; or the museum, 674-4835.
\ HEEL-KICKIN' HOEDOWN: The Floyd County Rescue Squad Auxiliary will put on an old-fashioned square dance Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the rescue squad building.
What can you expect? Good food, good music and good flat-footin'!
Bill Cannaday and the Original Orchard Grass will provide the inspiration.
Admission is $4 for adults and free for children under 10. Bring some spending money for refreshments provided by the auxiliary.
For more information, call Lottie Radford at 745-3038.
\ FELLOWSHIP: Several popular local gospel groups will get together Saturday night for a benefit performance to aid the Heart Fund.
The Mannon Family and The Farley Brothers will join soloist Wanda Gail, The Gospel Strings and The Otis Linkous Family Singers for the gospel sing at Auburn High School in Riner. It starts at 7 p.m.
Representatives from the Heart Fund will be available to answer questions and tell you more about the organization's work.
Admission is free, but an offering will be accepted.
Homemade baked goods will be available, too.
by CNB