Bob Heyer, a native of Wheeling,West Virginia has been performing with various groups and as a solo artist since 1970. Since 1986, he has been a singer/guitarist for the Cabin Fever String Band. In addition, he has become an occasional member of eastern Pennsylvania's old time band, The Druckenmiller Family.
As a solo performer, Bob accompanies his singing with the guitar, the banjo, and the lap dulcimer. A portion of his repertoire represents the often lonesome and stark sound of the unaccompanied mountain ballad. His material draws from traditional ballads and folk songs of West Virginia, old time country, country blues,original songs, and songs from writers such as Jean Ritchie,Si Kahn, Bruce Phillips,Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.
From 1986 to 2011 he hosted The Mountain Moon Coffeehouse, a monthly concert series of acoustic music, in conjunction with Oglebay Institute. In addition to providing a musical venue, the program raised money to support environmental education.
In addition to performing, Bob has been an instructor at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV and at the Allegheny Echoes Workshops in Pocahontas County, WV where he was a visiting master artist in 2005.He has also presented programs about the history of Appalachian music at the Ashland Arts Center in Ashland, Ohio;Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling,WV;the Schrader Environmental Education Center in Wheeling,WV and the Ohio County Public Library also in Wheeling.
His recorded efforts to date include four solo albums:Root That Mountain Down(1995), Close To the Heart(1999), That Lonesome Road(2005), and One Day (2012) along with a 1995 release with The Cabin Fever String Band entitled Havin' A Fine Old Time.
Bob Heyer: Bio
Notable Performances from 2007 to 2012
West Virginia State Folk Festival-Glenville,WV
Stonewall Jackson Jubilee- Jane Lew, WV
Pattyfest- Morgantown, WV
Augusta Festival- Elkins,WV
Gardner Winter Music Festival- Morgantown,WV
Sweet Creek Gathering- Mineral Wells,WV
Musikfest (Sing Out Tent) Bethlehem,PA w/
The Druckenmillers
The Purple Fiddle- Thomas,WV w/ The Druckenmillers
Godfrey Daniels- Bethlehem, PA w/ The Druckenmillers
Pennyroyal Opry House- Fairview,Ohio w/Cabin Fever String Band
Salt Creek Bluegrass Festival- Chandlersville,Ohio w/Cabin Fever String Band
Ohio Hills Folk Festival- Quaker City, Ohio w/Cabin Fever String Band
Wheeling Jamboree- Wheeling, WV w/Cabin Fever String Band
Salt Fork Appalachian Festival- Cambridge, OH w/ Cabin Fever String Band
Jamboree USA - Wheeling, WV w/Cabin Fever String Band
Cabin Fever String Band
Since 1986 the Cabin Fever String Band has taken its distinctive blend of old time country,gospel,and bluegrass music to hundreds of audiences in a variety of settings including square dances,festivals,fairs,
churches,coffeehouses, and concerts.
Age-old ballads,fiddle tunes from their native state of West Virginia and the southern
Appalachian region,setimental songs from the golden days of early recorded country music,spiritual songs,traditional bluegrass favorites, and even the occasional blues or jugband tune all are represented in an interesting repertoire that includes both commonly known and obscure material.
Their eclectic mix of styles all played and sung with an undeniable respect for the traditions from which the music came has become a hallmark of the group. In a review of their first recording in Bluegrass Unlimited, David J. McCarty praised the band for "presenting the music in its original unvarnished state."
Cabin Fever String Band performances are accented by twin fiddle arrangements,strong vocal harmonies, and clogging by fiddler,Scott Black.
Scott Black - fiddle, vocals, dancer
Scott has won several awards for his dancing in freestyle clogging competitions. He has been featured numerous times on WWVA's Jamboree USA and at Jamboree In the Hills.
He is a fine fiddler and an overall engaging
entertainer.
Richard Pollack - fiddle, clawhammer banjo, bass, pennywhistle, mandolin, lap steel & vocals
Richard is originally from Fairmont, West Virginia. He worked as a musician for many years playing the folk circuit throughout the United States before settling in Los Angeles where he also worked as a professional musician. He and his family moved back to West Virginia in 1985. Richard is a master musician and multi-instrumentalist who gives the band a great deal of diversity and depth.
Matt Hines - acoustic bass and bluegrass banjo
In addition to providing the group's driving bass, Matt is a fine banjo player in the 3 finger style popularized by Earl Scruggs, Don Reno and others. Matt also plays with the Buc Allemond Bluegrass Band and has played with The Coleman Family and the Short Crick Flatpickers.
Jim Simpson - mandolin, guitar, vocals
Jim Simpson is the newest member of the Cabin Fever String Band. He and his wife, Sue,
moved back to the Wheeling area recently after living 20 years in the Philadelphia area.
Jim was very musically active hosting several successful jam nights and playing in a number of Philly area bands including Haywire, Choppin' Wood, and the Walls of Time.
Bob Heyer - guitar and vocals
(see bio above, please)