Even if you are not a bluegrass fan, you should check these guys out.
Mike Stevens, harmonica “wizard”, and Raymond McLain, who just happens to be the assistant director of the Bluegrass and Country Music Program at ETSU, will be jamming at the Down Home today at 8 p.m.
Stevens and McLain produce an interesting style that combines their old flames – bluegrass, blues and old-time country music – without forgetting the tradition that these genres are steeped in.
Hailing from Samia, Ontario, Canada, Stevens was inspired at an early age by the likes of The Mississippi Sheiks and the blues-oriented Son House.
Being a mere 60 miles from Detroit, the music scene was “alive and well” in the surrrounding area.
Stevens is quite the decorated veteran. He is a five-time “Entertainer of the Year” of Canada, a bluegrass harmonica innovator, and has had a book on the subject published, titled, naturally, Bluegrass Harmonica.
Stevens has frequented the venerated stage of the Grand Ole Opry, many performances having been televised on TNN, in addition to other national television appearances.
He puts so much energy into his performance, even Country Music Hall of Famer Roy Acuff praised him, saying, “I’ve never seen anyone play harmonica like you play the harmonica.”
Stevens has even performed at the North Pole and for Canadian and NATO peacekeepers. How’s that for a conversation starter? His accomplishments have, and rightfully so, earned him a following.
McLain’s roots dig deep into the hills of Eastern Kentucky. This year marks his 32nd in the music business, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Professionally, he began in 1969, when his family began their weekly televised series in Hazard, Ky.
In the 20 years that followed, The McLain Family Band played in 62 foreign countries as musical ambassadors of the U.S. State Department and in all 50 states of the union.
A few of their performance appearances include: Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center, the Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the Grand Ole Opry, as well as some televised shows. To add to the lengthy list, McLain has performed on “Music City Tonight,” “Hee-Haw,” TNN’s “Nashville Now,” “On Stage” and “Grand Ole Opry Live,” as a member of Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys. Stevens and McLain played many of these shows together from 1989-2001.
Last year, McLain and Stevens again put their souls into a combined work of art with the Maryville Symphony Orchestra, where they performed original and traditional music. Their original styles mix in a way that is truly candy for the ears.
The two have seperately released several award-winning, critically acclaimed recordings.
So trot on over to the Down Home, drink a little and be prepared to dance a lot – because these guys will set your rear in gear with the force of their soul.

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