THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602140132
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 48 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 in Suffolk 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 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 12 and 8.
``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 the 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.
It is G-rated material.
``When people come out to see us,'' Betty said, ``they'll have a good time - good, clean fun - and, they'll be well entertained.'' by CNB