Music Style Bluegrass-Oldtime-Pop Folk

Musical Influences Merle Travis

Similar Artists Merle Travis

Artist History Jack Koontz and Ted Stone live in Bath County, Virginia. Although both have been playing music for over fifty years, they had never played together until one memorable night in May, 1999. It was Wednesday, May 5th-live music night on Allegheny Mountain Radio station WCHG, 107.1 FM, Hot Springs VA. Ted had just finished playing back up guitar for a phenomenal 12 year old fiddle player, Lane Brody. The fellows Jack was supposed to play with didn't show up. Station manager Gibbs Kinderman said, "I bet you guys know a lot of the same songs-why don't you just jam for a half hour or so?" Jack and Ted shrugged their shoulders and said "OK, let's give it a try." The music on this program was the result: Jack and Ted, Live and Unrehearsed, just as they played it that night. Six of the numbers they did have been omitted because of time restraints; otherwise the show is exactly as the WCHG listeners heard it that night. Ted Stone was born in Staunton, VA in 1935. His family was not musical; he was started on the guitar at 13 by a school friend. A couple of years later two older local musicians who "just liked to drink that wine, sit around and play" showed him how to thumb pick "like Merle Travis plays." Ted recalls, "I got hooked right there on that style of playing. I never did get to see Merle till up in the 60's. I went to Nashville and stayed with my buddy for a while, and Merle, he was down there then, playing at the Opry, and I met him." Among his most treasured musical memories are of picking some with Merle in the 70's and 80's. Ted never played full-time professional. He's lived around the Allegheny County-Bath County area all his life "within 20 miles." Most of his working life he was a road brakeman for the C&O. About 20 years ago he had to retire because of an injury, and with his wife Martha he opened Ted's Place, a store and restaurant near Millboro VA. Musicians came from all over the area to pick with Ted on weekends. He sold Ted's Place in 1998, and is enjoying retirement, playing a lot of music. Jack Koontz was born in the railroad town of Cumberland MD, in 1926. Jack's mother died when he was six "but I can remember that woman singing all the time. She played piano, and in fact she used to do the silent movies...and her family, my grandparents, my auntsand uncles, you never went in that house where somebody wasn't playin' the piano and singin'." He started music young; "I learned three chords on piano, and back then you could do any country songs with three chords, any of 'em." Jack started playing the guitar at the age of 18. Jack has spent a lot of his life moving around as a journeyman electrician. "I used to carry a guitar in a flour sack." More recently he has worked as a construction efficiency consultant, and moved to Muddy Run Road in Bath County ten years ago. "I still do a lot of traveling, and I still carry a pick with me."

Group Members Jack Koontz and Ted Stone

Instruments Guitar

Albums Live and unrehearsed

Location Dunmore, WV - USA

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