Dennis and Curtis Buckhannon became hooked on old time
music so long ago that neither of them can remember exactly how it
happened. Old-time music is not just what they play: it's a part of who
they are.
Vocationally, Dennis is a union painter and Curtis is employed at a
pharmaceutical company. But after their work days are done, the brothers break
out their instruments, and together they create music founded on their
sincere commitment to preserving traditional old-time mandolin and
fiddle music that is indigenous to Missouri and the Midwest region at
large.
As youngsters, the brothers listened to their Dad's bluegrass and
country music recordings and taught themselves to pick the tunes on
guitars. When they were in their late teens, Curtis acquired his first
mandolin and began playing old-time music. During that time there were
quite a few old-time fiddlers in rural Missouri and Illinois; the
brothers learned many of their tunes from these musicians as well as
from field recordings. They loved old-time music and spent a lot of time
playing it with friends—both young and old—sharing good tunes and good
times. Curtis still makes a habit of meeting mandolin players and
fiddlers wherever he goes, adding their tunes to the brothers'
repertoire.
From left to right:
Lindell Blackford, Dennis, Emily Buckhannon,
Rich Hibbs, Curtis
In 1973, Curtis and Dennis formed an old-time string
band called Cousin Curtis and the Cash Rebates. They had five
pickers (fiddle, bass, mandolin, guitar and banjo) and frequently played
for square dances and local establishments. The Cash Rebates are
still playing today and although the membership has gone through several
permutations, Curtis and Dennis remain at the center of the band. Since
the late 1980's, Curtis also plays with the Ill-Mo Boys.
Today, the Buckhannon Brothers perform in St.
Louis as well as around east central Missouri and southern Illinois for
square and line dances. They teach and call old-time square dances as
well. The brothers perform at numerous old-time national music
festivals, and have been instrumental (pun intended) in several projects
dedicated to the preservation of old-time string band music, such as
field recordings produced by the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts
(University of Missouri at Columbia archives). Their talents as old-time
musicians have been preserved for posterity on recordings archived in
the Library of Congress and their recordings have been used as authentic
auditory complements to two historical documentaries!
Little River Stomp, a marvelous CD recording of instrumental
mandolin and guitar renditions of fairly obscure old-time tunes was
recorded to help preserve an important element of American folk music: a
fitting project for two brothers dedicated to performing traditional
music together.
