THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602140128
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Betty Stevens was reminiscing about the good, ol' musical days.
``Our family only had a battery radio. We listened to the Grand Ole Opry,'' she said. ``We had a crank-up Victrola. Dad listened to Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe.
``We grew up listening to bluegrass and gospel. We never had any other kind of music in the house.''
The house was in Hampton, Tenn., where she and her family still live - except on weekends and most summer days, when home is their Eagle bus, traveling across the country and in Canada.
The Stevens Family is ``Tennessee Bound,'' according to the title of the newest of their seven albums. They are bound for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy on Saturday for a Bluegrass Music Show and BBQ supper.
Betty will be there with her husband, Douglas, and their daughters Beth, 27, and April, 21, performing gospel, acoustic country, doing some clogging, but concentrating on traditional bluegrass.
The ``Traditional Bluegrass Gospel Band of the Year'' title was bestowed on them a few years ago by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.
The story began when Douglas began performing, the girls following suit when they were still pre-teens.
``I wanted the girls to learn to play an instrument,'' Betty said. ``Douglas plays acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass. We put Beth on banjo, April on mandolin.''
The picking picked up from there. Now, April also plays fiddle, bass, guitar and banjo. In addition to banjo, Beth plays bass, guitar and dobro.
``It didn't take 'em but a year to learn to play their first instruments. Dad worked with 'em and they went from there,'' said Betty, who plays bass and is business manager. ``We decided that when they got good enough, and didn't get nervous, to take it on the road.''
Doug, Beth and April trade off lead, alto and tenor vocal responsibilities, and write most of their own material. MEMO: AT A GLANCE
What: Super Bluegrass Music Show & BBQ Dinner, featuring Stevens
Family and Full Circle
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 3373 Pruden Blvd., Suffolk
Tickets: $15, adults; $7, children from 7 to 12; other children,
free. At N-SA; Knox Automotive, U.S. 258, Carrollton; Harvey's Service
Center, 807 N. Main St., Suffolk; Isle of Wight Instrument Repair,
913-C, South Church St., Smithfield.
Call: 853-1608, 466-9344 or 393-7320. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
The Stevens Family will perform Saturday at the Super Bluegrass
Show.
by CNB