Ribfest

Goose Creek Symphony found its roots in the Phoenix, AZ, area originally as a countrified side project for Richie Hart and the Heart Beats. Vocalist and guitarist Charles Gearheart (aka Richie Hart) spent his childhood "up Goose Creek Hollow" in Floyd County, KY, and when he put together his good-time country-rock group, he drew upon his home's rich musical heritage as well as its name. In 1970, Gearheart and a group of local studio musicians assembled a handful of songs and presented them to Capitol Records. Capitol signed his project, forcing Gearheart to assemble a touring group. Banjo player and fiddler Fred Wise was brought in to compliment existing guitarists Paul Spradlin (listed as "Paul Howard" on the album), Bob Henke ("Williard"), Mike McFadden (following the breakup of his psychedelic group Superfine Dandelion), as well as a rotating cast of bassists and drummers.

With a sound very similar to what the Band was doing at the same time, Goose Creek Symphony were rock & rollers who played a very faithful brand of country music, all the while layering rhythms and harmonies along the same lines as Buffalo Springfield and the Grateful Dead. They released albums through the mid-'70s, with that streak ending in a long hiatus from 1976 to 1990, when the group decided to re-form and record again.

Their marriage of earthy instrumentation and easygoing vibes have been able to give the group a longevity. Into their third decade, Goose Creek Symphony is drawing strong groups of fans to their summer festival appearances, similar to what the Dead and Jimmy Buffett have known.

They are currently on tour supporting the release of, "The Same Thing Again", an album recorded in the 1970's but never released until this summer.

Repeated airplay and live appearances for a local band on WIVK radio (107.7 fm in Knoxville, TN) is as rare in East Tennessee as a possum making it across the road. One of the top five country radio stations in America, WIVK regularly wins "Radio Station of the Year" industry awards and tightly guards their format from unsigned artists. Wild Blue Yonder, however, was WIVK's most requested artist for two weeks in a row with their novelty hit, "The Possum Crawls Tonight," even beating out Kenny Chesney. That achievement gained them notoriety across the Southeast and a tote bag full of possum stories from admiring fans.

One of Wild Blue Yonder's more serious original songs, "It's Only Love," is featured in the romance/suspense novel "September on Echo Creek" by D.L. Havlin. The "New York City meets Appalachia" story line uses the song to orchestrate its turning point, and a disc of Wild Blue Yonder tunes is included in the book jacket.

In the performance department, Wild Blue Yonder is a regular at Asheville's prestigious Grove Park Inn and has entertained for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Merrill Lynch Corporation, Dollywood Theme Park, the Tennessee Theater, the Elk River Club and WBIR television in Knoxville, among many other venues.

The year 2007 saw the band turn to a new focus on songwriting. WBY founders and writers Melissa Wade & Philip Coward now incorporate an increasing number of original songs in each show, finding audiences open and eager to hear fresh, well-crafted tunes that speak to them personally. The songwriting pair won ASCAP awards in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for performance of their original material. Musical influences include Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Nanci Griffith.


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