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About Us
Kentucky Standard Band
Kentucky Standard Band offers a unique sound, blending mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, finger-style guitar, and violin in an eclectic mix of timeless music.
Known for both their intricate vocal harmonies and instrumental arrangements, KSB enjoys playing and it shows. Almost all the songs and tunes are original compositions of band members and span over 25 years.
Nancy Barker on mountain dulcimer, Alice Burton on hammered dulcimer, Debbie Grizzell on fingerstyle guitar, and David Wilson on violin, cello, mandolin, and anything else with strings, make up the band.
Kentucky Standard Band’s tunes have been played on various National Public Radio shows, including Morning Edition, Echoes, and Kentucky Homefront Performances – to name a few. Their CDs have been used as background music for recorded Wendell Berry’s prose as well as Home and Garden TV episodes, and so much more!
xNancy Barker Johnson
Founder and primary song/tune writer for Kentucky Standard,
Nancy has been playing mountain dulcimer and guitar and writing music since she was 18, developing her
craft in a Volkswagen camper named Amelia as she traveled throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1976, Nancy created Kentucky Music Weekend, voted into law by the state legislature as Kentucky’s
“Premier Folk Festival”. In 1986 she started a week-long dulcimer and hammered dulcimer event based
on classes with some of the nation’s finest artists and called Kentucky Music Week. During this time,
Nancy worked throughout the state as part of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Artist Roster, and in 1983
she became the first Artist In Residence hired by a public school district, full time, in Kentucky.
The festivals continue to this day, as does Nancy’s love for the music she has played most of her life.
Alice Burton
Alice Burton first fell in love with the sound of the Hammer Dulcimer in the early 70's when
she first heard one in Branson, Missouri, while at Silver Dollar City. In the mid 80's after moving back to Kentucky,
Alice was finally able to find and purchase her first hammer dulcimer, through Nancy Barker.
From there Nancy connected Alice to many hammer dulcimer players and instructors and builders through Kentucky
Music Week and from there, Kentucky Standard Band was born.
Alice soon upgraded her dulcimer to a Michael Allen Cloud 9, 17/16/8 that she still continues to play.
Debbie Grizzell
Debbie Grizzell plays dulcimer, hammered dulcimer,
guitar and a number of other instruments. She is also well-known for her lead and harmony vocals and fingerstyle guitar
work as a member of Kentucky Standard Band. Debbie is a master harmony to those that have no
experience but want to learn that fun and exciting skill.
David Wilson
David Wilson, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, cello and more, is a founder of the
Undergrass Boys, a long running acoustic, fusion jam band and is also a founding member of Radio Flyer, who won the KFC/City
of Louisville competition for the best new bluegrass band in 1985 (runner up was 14 year old Alison Krauss with her group
Union Station). David has been seen for decades at folk and bluegrass festivals all over the U.S. and Canada. He also appears
in the Billy Bob Thornton movie Crystal and is part of the soundtrack.
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CD Song List
Kentucky Standard Band
Angels of Mercy Kites Over the Ocean Alto Q I The Promise Sarvis Tree The Moon Morning in Maralia The Road Not Taken Journey's End Narraganset Spring Derby Waltz Angels of Mercy Alto Q II
Kentucky Skies Rain on Damby Falls Real Lies Lost Hearts Kentucky Skies Baptism of Love Sunsets Parallel Lines Vanessa's Waltz Bittersweet Birthday Surprise Proposal Waltz Rollie's Waltz Studio II Ron's Lament Forevermore
Bridges Lost Hearts Bridges Wherever You Go (Cowboy) Forevermore Derby Waltz Angels of Mercy Maybelline The Dancer Pooty Pouty Winter To Spring Andy Puritt's Honda Kentucky Skies March to Titsoflead
Do You Remember Me... Alice's Rag Do You Remember Me? Bless This House Angel's Gift Bicycles in the Sky Corbin's Lullabye Gather Round Missing (Loren's Tune) Let It Be Me Johnny Put Your Pants On Andy's Kitchen One, I Love
xMellow Lady Fiddlin' Man Mellow Lady Ballad of Spooner Tokens The Favor Concerning Me and You Progress Ashes You've Always Got a Home in Colorado When He's Walkin' -
Contact
Email Us
We look forward to hearing from you!
Snail Mail Contact
You can also write to us at:
Kentucky Standard Band
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PO Box 86
Bardstown, KY 4004
Play all
Angels of Mercy
"Angels of Mercy" “Better than Prozac” according to John Benjamin of Kentucky Arts Council fame. This CD is full of soothing instrumentals with the exception of one vocal tune, the title track, Angels of Mercy.
