Bill and Pam Gurley will return to the Music by the River stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at Belle Isle State Park, 1632 Belle Isle Road, Lancaster.
The Gurleys are a married couple with deep roots in the Tidewater area. They started singing together on their first date and have been doing so ever since, much to the delight of audiences from Maine to the Caribbean, reported Bill.
They’ve performed for Music by the River on several occassions.
Bill is a multi-instrumentalist moving from guitar to banjo to fiddle. He also writes many of the songs that they perform together.
Pam has a warm, captivating voice that listeners have found to be quite memorable.
They’ve made their home in Crawford’s Corner after restoring an old family farmhouse there. Bill keeps a busy schedule teaching music privately while Pam gains recognition for her other passion as a talented chef. They have recorded several CDs over the years working with some of the best musicians in the region. Bill and Pam also front a bluegrass band known as Fiddlesticks, a group of talented friends that they have known since high school.
The Gurleys’ mix of folk, bluegrass, blues and a good dose of humor makes for a fun evening of music not to be missed.
“We will be joined by Gray Granger and Jack Cowardin,” said Bill.
Granger lives in Richmond and has been playing bass with Bill since the eighth grade. They were members of The New Morning String Band, a progressive bluegrass group that toured regionally.
Cowardin is another high school pal who plays mandolin and fiddle. He also stays busy building and repairing stringed instruments.
The concert will be staged in the picnic area at the park. Picnics are encouraged. There will be free popcorn. Bottled water and soft drinks will be available for purchase. There also will be supervised activities for the children.
The concert is free; however, a $4 parking fee is payable at the front gate. There also will be opportunities to join the Friends of Belle Isle State Park and to purchase raffle tickets for a paddling package valued at $900….
