THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607110199
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: 159 lines
RICH BUNGARD. Phil Chestnutt. Chris Francis. Nancy Hammond. Jamie Jamison. Kevin Roughton. Mike Sadler.
The names are so familiar.
These six men and one woman are among the dozen or so acoustic players who live and perform on the Outer Banks.
Armed only with a guitar, these brave souls sing our favorite songs in smoky bars and on windswept decks.
Singing solo is a tough way to make a buck.
Imagine trying to work before a beer-imbibing crowd that begs for Buffett before you've even plugged in your guitar.
These people entertain us anyway - and are among the area's best acoustic players who serenade crowds across the sands on sultry summer nights.
Rich Bungard
Bungard is the beach's Buffett boy.
``I'm one of the few that realize why he put Key West on the map,'' says the 38-year-old Bungard. ``I probably know 100 Buffett songs. Even some of the hardcore Parrotheads don't know some of the songs I do.''
Bungard, a self-taught musician, moved from Richmond to the Outer Banks in 1991. His shows are renowned for the original song parodies.
`` `Man from Iraq' gets a good response,'' Bungard says. ``It's a parody of `Stairway to Heaven.' ''
Among Bungard's favorite songwriters are John Denver, John Prine and alternative bad boy Todd Snider.
In addition to his solo work, Bungard plays with Dan Martier and Greg Shelton in the rock group, The Penetrators.
Phil Chestnutt
The Outer Banks' little big man moved from Goldsboro to the Outer Banks 12 years ago.
``I visited here in the '70s,'' says Chestnutt, 44, of Manteo. ``I just liked the place. So I decided to come back and play music.
``I learned to play guitar in 1965. I played off and on. Mostly off - until I moved here.''
Chestnutt is a full-time musician, playing six nights a week in the summers.
He plays faithful versions of songs by The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, The Eagles, Neil Young and Kenny Loggins.
Chris Francis
Francis' first instrument was a ukelele, which his father taught him to play as a child.
``My father worked his way through medical school,'' says Francis, 34, of Kill Devil Hills. ``He played trombone and guitar in bands. I started getting into music when I was about 7.''
Francis later taught himself to play guitar, performing in rock bands in his hometown of Huntington, W.Va. He studied music at Berklee Conservatory in Boston before moving to the Outer Banks in 1992.
In his live show, Francis manages to mix and match musical styles. It's not unusual to hear James Taylor segue into the Grateful Dead then blend into Miles Davis.
``Jazz and blues is what I really love,'' Francis says. ``Miles' version of `Fly Me to the Moon' is my favorite song to play.''
In addition to the solo gigs, Francis plays guitar in the Outer Banks progressive funk band, Missionary Stew.
Nancy Hammond
Hammond has been playing guitar since 1966, the year she turned 14.
``Peter, Paul and Mary were popular then,'' says the 43-year-old Manteo resident. ``Everybody seemed to be playing guitar. So I picked one up and learned to play. I was blessed with a good ear.''
Hammond, who holds a degree in music education from Murray State in Kentucky, arrived on the Outer Banks in 1982.
``I was living in Norfolk and playing music,'' she remembers. ``I saw an ad in the newspaper for a musician to play at Darolina Cove (a now-defunct Nags Head restaurant and bar). I ended up playing from March through October.''
Since then, Hammond has played the Outer Banks circuit from Ocracoke to Corolla.
``I've even played at weddings and funerals,'' she says.
Hammond backs her singing with some strong 12-string guitar work. Her repertoire includes songs by Joan Armatrading, Phoebe Snow, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge and The Beatles.
Ask her to play ``Summertime.'' It's hot.
Jamie Jamison
His deep voice sounds as soulful as Willie Nelson. In dark bars, with his long hair over each shoulder, he even looks a little like Willie Nelson. And - surprise - Jamie Jamison says Willie Nelson is his favorite songwriter whose tunes he covers.
As a young teenager, Jamison taught himself to play the guitar. His mother inspired him, he said, after viewing a performance of ``Joey Dee and the Peppermints'' - of ``The Peppermint Twist'' fame. ``Why don't you learn to play the guitar, son?'' she's said to have said. So he did. The 47-year-old Kill Devil Hills resident has been strumming and serenading audiences ever since.
From high school talent show performances to one-man gigs in his hometown of Charleston, S.C., to playing to a crowd of more than 20,000 at a Honea Path, S.C., music festival, Jamison has participated in almost every level of live performance an acoustic player could enjoy.
``I like playing the smaller venues best,'' he said. ``It's more intimate that way. There's more interaction with the crowd. It's almost like playing for friends in your living room.''
Jamison moved to the Outer Banks in 1989 to work as a photographer and graphic artist for the now-defunct Surfside News. He quickly took his acoustic act to area stages, playing in places from Corolla to Ocracoke. Besides his solo act, he worked with his own band, ``The Country Cadillacs,'' for several years.
He's been playing music professionally, full-time, for two decades.
In summers, Jamison performs alone six nights a week. He's in his sixth straight year at Jolly Roger's Restaurant. And he does songs from Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Don Williams, Irving Berlin and Duke Ellington.
Kevin Roughton
Roughton may be the hardest working man in Outer Banks showbiz. Not only is he a solo performer, but he also plays with Jeff Walker and Tom Scheel in the folk-rock trio, The Wilder Brothers. Occasionally, The Wilder Brothers add a bass guitarist and drummer to become The Amazing Love Tractors.
Roughton has played professionally since 1970 - the year a traveling guitar teacher taught him how to strum a six-string.
``These guys came to town,'' Roughton, 39, recalls. ``It was sort of like a traveling medicine show. My hometown of Columbia wasn't very big. So in three days most everybody learned to play.''
He later studied classical guitar for two years. Roughton moved to the Outer Banks in 1982.
Among the artists he covers in his solo act are John Hiatt, James Taylor, Grateful Dead, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.
``All the baby boom music you'd ever want to hear,'' he says.
But Roughton is known to throw in tunes by Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis, too.
``One of my favorite songs to do is a reggae version of `Free Bird,' '' he says. ``Nobody knows what to make of it.''
Mike Sadler
Sadler is the new kid in town, arriving on the Outer Banks just two years ago.
His guitar teacher in Baltimore was the same man who taught Dave Grohl how to play. Yes, the Dave Grohl who played alongside Kurt Cobain in Nirvana.
``Grohl was a friend of mine,'' Sadler, 27, says. ``I said, `If Dave can learn to play, so can I.'''
Sadler came to the Outer Banks to manage a restaurant. But that gig didn't work out.
``I had sort of put my guitar down for a while,'' he says. ``But when I saw the chance to play, I picked it up again.''
Most of Sadler's songs are originals. But his songlist is wide and deep, taking in artists such as Bob Seger, Van Morrison, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
``I try to play familiar songs as differently as possible with guitar and voice,'' he says. ``They're still recognizable. But they're mine.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Chris Francis mixes musical styles ranging from James Taylor to the
Grateful Dead to Miles Davis in his show.
OTHER PERFORMERS
Other area acoustic players who perform on the Outer Banks
include:
Michael Des Roches
Rob Fick
Scott Franson
Brad Payne by CNB