Ron Sowell - Producer, Songwriter, Harmonica, Friend, Mentor, Goofball

I first saw Ron perform when I was 12 (sorry pal), and have been a fan ever since. He's a great songwriter, musician, producer and an irresistible entertainer. He has been a driving creative force through several bold and eclectic musical incarnations: the legendary Putnam County Pickers, the genre-bending Stark Raven, and now as Musical Director of the Mountain Stage Band on Public Radio International. Ron is also a children's artist, a bona fide star among the Toddlers to Twelves demographic. Nobody has encouraged me or challenged me more over the years than Ron. Learn more about Ron's many hats at: www.ronsowell.com.

Bob Webb - Engineer Extraordinaire

Though Bob ("Bobby Buttons") didn't play any music on this cd he is a consummate musician, and over the course of this project, often proved he had the most accurate ears in the room. He's a classically trained cellist, a great acoustic guitarist, an astonishing dulcimer player and extremely able engineer. As an engineer, he brings soul, deep knowledge, huge patience and a ruthless commitment to getting it right.

Kim Parent - Duet Partner, Background Vocals

Kim Parent is my favorite singer. I had always wanted to work with her in the studio (we were co-writing pals in Nashville), and if I had to make my own record to accomplish that, what of it? (When we wrote songs together, the rule was that we would only accept a line or a verse if it sounded good when I sang it. Everything sounds great when she sings it).

Kim is an impeccable artist, songwriter and player and has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. She certainly doesn't need to be hanging around with the likes of me - but it's an honor that she did. Quick! Buy Kim's debut cd at www.kimparent.com. You can thank me later.

Bob Thompson - Piano, Keyboards

Bob is an internationally known piano jazz virtuoso who came to college in West Virginia a few decades ago, and to the state's great good fortune, decided to stay. Growing up in Charleston, I had the benefit of hearing Bob often - always being elevated and inspired by his artistry. Bob has quietly and faithfully encouraged me in my own work over the years, and having him choose to play on my first record is a thrill and honor. You can find out more about Bob at www.colortones.com.

Jim Kimball - Classical and Electric Guitars, Additional Engineer

Jim is a true artist, whose skills are almost too deep and diverse to catalog. (If he weren't such a terrific person on top of it all, it would be pretty annoying). In addition to being one of the great guitar players, Jim is an unstoppable producer, engineer, songwriter and singer. During my Nashville years, Jim produced and engineered well over half of all my demos, so I spent hundreds of hours at Jim's elbow learning everything I could about recording. (Jim also consulted on the mix for this record).

When Jim is not busy in his studio, he can be found on the road playing guitar and singing with Reba McEntire.

John Kessler - Fretless and Precision Bass

Ron and I couldn't think of any bass player we wanted on this cd more than John Kessler, and fortunately, John was willing to trek all the way from Seattle to Charleston, WV to make that happen. (John is the former Musical Director of Mountain Stage. Ron succeeded him when John moved west).

John played his fretless on all but one track, and you can hear for yourself that he plays with flawless taste, feel and intonation. John is also an accomplished engineer and producer (he also helped us out with the mix) and is an award-winning jazz and blues radio show host on KPLU in Seattle.

Ken Tackett - Drums and Percussion

Ron made the serendipitous discovery of Ken right there in Charleston shortly before we cut basic tracks. He was the perfect drummer for this, combining a wealth of technical skill with enough stylistic range to easily handle the eclectic demands of this project. Ken is also a classical marimba player, and has toured extensively.

Ammed Solomon - Drums and Percussion

Ammed is the long time drummer for the Mountain Stage Band. He has his own distinctive sound, and has proven though his years on Mountain Stage that he can play on any kind of song, anytime, with anybody.

Britt Savage - Background Vocals

I was fortunate to become friends and co-writers with Britt when she moved to Nashville from New York. She's a real artist and a singer's singer, with a huge list of Big Shot credits to her name; but more importantly, she's a true friend with a wonderfully sly and quirky wit. Read about Britt's amazing journey at www.brittsavage.com.

Randy Gilkey - Organ, Keyboards

Ron had run across southern West Virginia native Randy Gilkey through his producing activities, and was determined that even though we already had Bob Thompson playing, we had to have Randy on this cd somewhere. Listen to his work on "If I Could Say No To You" and you'll see why.

Mark is a tasty percussionist who added lots of vibe to the recording. He is also a music educator and a great singer.

Chip Davis - Background Vocals

When we were lining up our vocal sessions in Nashville, Kim Parent told me that Chip Davis was a must-get. (She was right as usual). Chip added so much soul and so many great ideas to the sound of this cd. (Chip, Kim and Britt did all of those complicated background parts standing around one mic at Jim Kimball's studio. For those of you who may not know much about the studio, that's the vocal equivalent of the Flying Wallenda's High Wire Human Pyramid. Do NOT try this at home!) Oh, and it turns out Chip is also a West Virginia native and still has family there. There's (almost) always a WV connection.

David Porter - Trumpet

David is the first chair trumpet player in the West Virginia Symphony. He's a brilliant player whose work I have enjoyed for years, though I only got to meet him over the course of this project. I loved the great, eclectic music David and his Still Portrait band mates made in Charleston when I was still living there in the 80's.

Doug Payne - Saxophone

Doug is a monster player and a great guy. He's another one who could play music anywhere he wanted, but fortunately for the Mountain State, he has chosen to remain at home in WV over the years. Doug is a long time band mate of Bob Thompson's, and you can hear his work on Bob's many cds.

Jim Grosscup - Trombone

Jim is also a member of the West Virginia Symphony. He is the third member of the "Mountain Stage Horns" (along with Doug Payne and David Porter), as fine a horn section as you'll find anywhere.

Don Hart - String Arranger

Nashville-based Don Hart was first referred to Ron in 2003. He created show stopping arrangements of "Sixteen Tons" and Ron's "I Know I'm Home", for Mountain Stage's first evening at pops with the WV Symphony. Ron had been looking for a chance to work with Don again, and this project was the perfect vehicle. His beautiful treatments of "I Can't Love Anyone But You" and "Wings of Goodbye" were brought to life by the:

Nashville String Players

Violin:	David Davidson (leader), David Angell, Pamela Six Fin, Mary Katherine Vanosdale
Viola:	Kristin Wilkinson
Cello:	Anthony Lamarchina, Sari Reist
Bass:	Craig Nelson

Oh, yes, and ...

Jon Wikstrom - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Songwriter