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photo album
These photos are for your historic curiosity only!
For current high-res PUBLICITY photos of Claire and the Claire Lynch Band,
click here.
Please enjoy a photographic recap of my career below!
(this page is still under construction - check back for updates, often...)
1974 - Claire with Hickory Wind - Huntsville AL, -- L to R: Selwyn Blakeley, Larry Lynch, me, Robert Moore (lost track of Robert!), Mike Shepherd.
1975 - Front Porch String Band - Birmingham: Selwyn Blakeley, Billy Sandlin, Murray Ross, me,
Larry Lynch
1976 Milbrook Alabama - that's Ed Dye in the forebround dancin' and playin' bones!
Band members: Selwyn Blakeley, me, Mike Shepard, Billy Sandlin, Larry Lynch.
1976 Front Porch String Band w Billy Sandlin, Murray Ross, Alan O'Bryant & Larry Lynch
Haha! Oh so cute! This is the famed Front Porch String Band which made the classic self-titled LP and included the original FPSB recording of "Wabash Cannonball" Still in print on Rebel Records, btw! (circa 1980) -- Terry Campbell, Alan Watkins, Larry Lynch
This is the day I met John Starling in 1981 at Brierfield Ironworks Park, Brierfield, Alabama. We sang "Sin City" together... Thus began my lessons in arrangement, style, band business and so much more... I also met Sam Bush and John Cowan that day... it was a big doin's for a little girl from Alabama!
My two "buds" from the Leighton, Alabama area - Allen Watkins (unsung hero of bluegrass banjo), Terry Campbell
(still sing like a bird) joined the FPSB in 1980 or so and together with Larry and myself, we recorded "The Front Porch String Band" landmark album in Hershey Reeves' livingroom at Five Points - Huntsville, Alabama. This was our first Jim McGuire photo shoot.
After Allen Watkins left, we hired Brian Thompson from Florida. Those were the days when we played the Orange Blossom Bluegrass circuit. Haha, looks like my old train case is holding up one of our two monitors. Dang, it was hot!
Second Jim McGuire shoot. Probably around 1981 or 1982.
Got to do some TV shows with Patty Loveless after having sung harmony on her MCA projects. Oh my LORD, those were the glory days of country music, but honestly do you think the makeup folks could have gotten our hair any bigger?
Ten years went by while I decided to have babies... but the road kept callin'. The call came in for some gigs and voile! ... the FPSB was back in business... this time with Herb Trotman (Fretted Instruments)and Andy Meginniss (of Three on a String fame) from Birmingham. Lotta laughs in those days! (lotta suit cases, too!) Together we recorded "Lines and Traces" for Rebel Records.
I remember when we played the National Folk Fest in Lowell Mass. We were called "the Sleeper" of the festival and made a half-page pic in the Boston Globe.
Then came the Brentwood Records days. They were a hot new label... Christian label by nature, but decided to delve into selling bluegrass. The first three acts they signed were New Tradition, Doyle Lawson and me (solo this time). Bil VornDick produced two records for them which were later sold to Rounder Records. This was one of my shoots for Brentwood around 1992.
Around 1993, we released "Friends for a Lifetime", a gospel project I'm still so proud of. We shot this pic on the stairs of Union Station in downtown Nashville. I remember one of the gals I worked with on that shoot told stories of working for Capitol Records and Tammy Wynette. A lot of folks in the "Big Ville" have stories like that....
The band name "morphed" into Claire Lynch and the Front Porch String Band and we sought some new road puppies - we ended up with two great discoveries: Chuck Holcomb (left) and Kenny Smith (Kenny went on to joing the Lonesome River Band, win IBMA Guitar Player of the Year and he eventually formed his current group, Kenny and Amanda Smith. Chuck went into the ministry - we are still in touch!) Circa 1995.
Things went well after "Friends for a Lifetime" was released. We were able to tour with a five-piece, adding Michael McLain and Ronnie Simpkins. Great music in those days!
1994 - The first time I made the cover of "BU"
There are more to come! Please stay tuned!
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Live at Mountain Stage, Charleston WV 2007
Live at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Ancramdale NY - 2007
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