Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks

Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks rounds out its series with the authentic sound of 1946 style of Bluegrass music.

David Peterson & 1946 exhibits Bluegrass in a straightforward manner. They’re Bluegrass with a capital B and they entertain without the need of technological gizmos.  Simply put, it’s “Hardcore Bluegrass Music”.

California, MD 4/01/2024: The Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks series welcomes David Peterson & 1946 on Sunday April 28, 2024, at the Calvert Elks Lodge #2620 in Prince Frederick, MD.  The doors open at Noon with the performance starting at 2:00 PM. 

If you've ever listened to classic Bluegrass from yesteryear and wondered why no one has done these songs in so long, the answer is simple. Few have been able to do them justice. David Peterson & 1946 is a band that is playing and singing quality traditional Bluegrass like the masters intended. They bring the much-loved sounds of the past right into the present with their own refreshing signature.

In 1946, Bill Monroe (along with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs) had all the right ingredients come together for the first classic recordings for Columbia, and Bluegrass music was formed.  This new music captured the imagination of a whole new generation of fans and musicians and changed forever the face of American music.  Over the past three quarters of a century Bluegrass has changed and evolved, but no group of musicians has recaptured the original essence of the founding group of Mr. Monroe's quite like this band.

In January of 1999, David Peterson collaborated with some of Nashville's heavy hitters as an in-town, fun gig and called it 1946.  While others were heading toward the progressive, ‘whatever’, Peterson continued to look and sound authentically Bluegrass then as now. While many embrace trends, Peterson stayed true to the traditional sound. 

From old-style Appalachian story songs to rip-roaring, loud and proud yodeling solos, David has it all.  His atomic voice projects to reach not simply the back row, he sings as if he’s trying to be heard down the block and around the corner. And yet his voice can cradle a ballad as well as any hard-driving Bluegrass tune he so chooses to tackle. The range of emotion he has in his voice is absolutely amazing.  Dave is a virtual walking encyclopedia of tunes from the forties and fifties and actually spends his spare time memorizing old song catalogs and going through library archives searching for that perfect song to round out his repertoire.  If  you add his solid guitar playing and bouncy stage antics to the mix, you come out with nearly perfect entertainment. 

Peterson chose 1946 as his band’s name not only paying tribute to Monroe’s most famous lineup of Bluegrass Boys, but to brand his band.  Gabe Dettinger leans in and lays on the banjo much as his heroes did. When he wants speed, he’s Richard Petty behind the wheel. When he desires delicate touches on banjo, he’s a master.  Reed Stutz straps on the mandolin much as Mike Tyson dominated the boxing ring. He can throw a punch laced with knockout notes to one’s music-loving noggin.  With Dettinger singing baritone and Stutz singing tenor, they can augment Peterson’s lead on a Sunday morning pew-pounding gospel as well as heart-palpitating ballads.  With an upright bass in hand, Nate Stephens maintains a steady rolling pace as set forth by David Peterson & 1946. He’s not flashy. Doesn’t need to be. With Peterson in the lead, they’re troubadours looking to entertain the lights out of those who adore Bluegrass.  And it works.  But be sure to know they won’t be playing any boot scootin’ Bluegrass. When cradling a Bluegrass tune, they treat it like a loving mama would her swaddling babe, as if nothing else matters.

They have played on the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, Lincoln Center, and 40 dates on Country Music Hall of Fame member’s Brooks & Dunn’s Neon Circus and Wild West Show Tour in 2003.

This final show of the season takes place on Sunday April 28 at 2 PM.  The Calvert Elks Lodge is located at 1015 Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick, MD.  Tickets will be $23.00 per person and sold at the door.  The doors will open promptly at Noon.  Children under 12 are admitted free with a paying adult.  Food will be available for sale by the Calvert Elks Lodge beginning at noon until 2:30.  A 50/50 raffle and door prizes will be offered.

The Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks concert series will start up again in the fall with a top-notch lineup to include Joe Mullins, LRB, Donna Ulisse, Rhonda Vincent, and many more!!  For more information, please call 301-737-3004 or go to www.somdbluegrass.com.

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