The Southdown Ramblers are a band from West Sussex, specialising in bluegrass music. If you're not sure what bluegrass music is, if you've ever heard the soundtrack to the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, or heard "Duelling Banjos", or the theme from the movie Bonnie & Clyde, then you've got an idea of what bluegrass is. To the uninitiated, bluegrass is arguably the most dynamic and exciting acoustic music there is to hear - up-tempo rhythms played on flat-picked guitar, driving banjo, percussive mandolin and pulse-pounding bass, with powerful vocal harmonies.
The Southdown Ramblers have lead the way for bluegrass music in Sussex and the south since their formation in 2003, and have built up a healthy following of friends and fans. The band's goal, whether playing at a large festival or a small club, is always to entertain, and wherever they go they always seem to succeed at getting people smiling and feet tapping.
|
Welcome to the Southdown Ramblers' website!   History The story of the Southdown Ramblers really begins back in London in the 1960s, when Reg & Graham first became friends and both became hooked on obscure bluegrass and "old-time" country music records from America. The pair both began playing guitar and banjo respectively, and became known around folk clubs and other venues in south London as The Greenhill Boys, where the twosome would regularly share billings with other leading bluegrass bands around at the time, including The Malcolm Price Trio and The Hickory Nuts. Through the ensuing years jobs and family commitments got in the way of the duo's playing time, but their love of music never diminished, and when the pair both ended up living in Sussex in the late 1990s, the decision was made to start playing music again, leading to the formation of The Greenhill String Band (later renamed The Greenhill Boys in tribute to Reg & Graham's musical beginnings). The Greenhill Boys stopped playing in 2003, but a new band, The Southdown Ramblers, followed straight after, continuing where the Greenhill Boys had left off with their great music and emphasis on fun and entertainment. Since that time, the Southdown Ramblers have played at many venues across Sussex and beyond, including festival and club appearances supporting a wide variety of acts, such as The Drifters, Boney M and folk icon Julie Felix. The band have played and headlined at a wide variety of festivals, functions, pubs and clubs, and have also enjoyed residencies at the Woodman's Arms in Hammerpot, The Shaky Doo in Ford, The George in Felpham and The Waterfront in Worthing. The band currently enjoy a regular monthly 20-minute slot at the Washington Music Club, supporting a variety of artists from a variety of different genres. The Band The Southdown Ramblers consist of four fine musicians, with backgrounds not just in bluegrass, but also folk, country, skiffle, blues, rock and pop. The line-up of the band is:
The Music The Southdown Ramblers have recently released their debut CD, "Movin' On", more details of which can be found on the CDs page of this website! Here are some 30-second excerpts from a few of the tracks on the album, to provide a flavour of the band's sound and style:
|
