Just who the heck is H.M. Barnes? Well, imagine if Elvis "The King" Presley went under the stage name of "the Colonel's Elvis Presley." Barnes was a '20s promoter who hit the road setting up tour dates for the old-timey string band he fronted strictly as a figurehead. Barnes himself played no instruments, did not sing, and, to the best of anyone's knowledge, never set foot on-stage during a performance of the group.
The Blue Ridge Ramblers were a valuable collaboration involving members of a few different string bands who were known in their own right, including Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers.
© 2009
