Welcome to the Southdown Ramblers' website!
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.
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 Ramblers have played at many venues across Sussex and beyond, including festival and club appearances supporting acts such as The Drifters, Boney M and Julie Felix. The band have played and headlined at a wide variety of festivals, functions, pubs and clubs, and have also enjoyed residencies at several venues. The band now play regularly at the Way Out West Country Music Club, as well as many other venues throughout the south.
- Kentucky Borderline
- Foggy Mountain Breakdown
- Ridin' On That Midnight Train
- Angeline the Baker
- Sail Away Ladies
- Sitting On Top of the World
Sound clips all taken from the Southdown Ramblers' album "Movin' On" - see the CDs page for more info!
