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00000173-fd1d-dd82-a377-fffdc7280001 KASU is your connection to music! We invite the you to join your community and enjoy some great music from some of your favorite artists. Check back to find out about the latest concerts coming to town!

May 20 is KASU-FM's Bluegrass Monday concert with Remington Ryde

Remington Ryde: (left to right) Ron Truman, Ryan Frankhouser, Stanley Efaw, Billy Lee Cox
Remington Ryde
Remington Ryde: (left to right) Ron Truman, Ryan Frankhouser, Stanley Efaw, Billy Lee Cox

Remington Ryde will perform a concert of bluegrass music Monday, May 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould, Arkansas.  The show is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM.  There is no admission fee, but KASU will literally “pass the hat” to collect money to pay the musicians.  The suggested donation is $5 per person.

Based in Pennsylvania, Remington Ryde travels throughout New England, the Southeastern United States, and Canada, performing over 120 concerts each year.  Their performance in Paragould will be one of the rare times that the band travels this far west for a concert.

Remington Ryde is known for its hard-driving, traditional bluegrass sound and the family-friendly comedy that the band members bring to their shows.  The group has been nominated for eight awards by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) including the Entertainer of the Year honor. 

The band has recorded four CDs, the latest of which is a tribute to bluegrass vocalist James King.  That CD was released by the prestigious bluegrass music label Pinecastle Records in 2017.

Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Frankhouser started Remington Ryde sixteen years ago in his hometown of McClure, Pennsylvania.  He writes songs which the group has recorded and performs in their concerts.  He has also organized the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival for the past twelve years, being recognized for that work with three nominations for SPBGMA’s Promoter of the Year award.

Billy Lee Cox plays banjo for the band.  He began playing the instrument at age eleven, and he played his first concert at age thirteen.  He has a fifty-year career in bluegrass music, having played with George Harris & the Shade Tree Boys as well as with Charlie Moore & the Dixie Partners.  For 25 years, Cox led the group Mason Dixon Grass.  In 2018, he was nominated for SPBGMA’s Banjo Player of the Year award.

Bassist Ron Truman began playing music at age five, and he was introduced to bluegrass music at age ten.  This West Virginia native has played onstage with legendary bluegrass figures Raymond Fairchild and James King.

Stanley Efaw plays mandolin for the band.  He performed for many years with his father, Larry Efaw, and his band, the Bluegrass Mountaineers. 

Additional information about Remington Ryde is available at https://remingtonrydeband.com.

Seating at the concert is first-come, first-served.  Doors to the theatre will open at 6:00.

In addition to the concert, Terry’s Café, 201 South Pruett Street in Paragould, opens on Bluegrass Monday nights to welcome bluegrass music fans.  The café serves a buffet meal beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the evenings of Bluegrass Monday concerts.  Concessions will also be available at the Collins Theatre.

Bluegrass Monday concerts typically happen on the fourth Monday night of each month, however this month’s concert is one week earlier than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday being on the fourth Monday of this month. 

These concerts are presented with support from Bibb Chiropractic Center, the Posey Peddler, the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association, Holiday Inn Express and Suites of Paragould and KASU.

KASU, 91.9 FM, is the 100,000 watt public broadcasting service of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.  For more information, contact KASU Program Director Marty Scarbrough at mscarbro@astate.edu or 870-972-2367.  Bluegrass Monday is also on Facebook (search “Bluegrass Monday”).

Marty Scarbrough has worked at KASU since 1992, and he serves as program director, overseeing the station’s content. Marty is a graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, and he has produced and hosted programs of classical music, jazz, bluegrass, and blues music. He also oversees KASU’s Bluegrass Monday concert series. When not at work, Marty loves spending time with his wife and his three sons, and he enjoys attending concerts of many different styles of music.