Guitar Workshop with Martin Beckman and Jerry Sutton

Martin Beckman
Martin Beckman was a longtime friend of Al Osteen Al, and a fellow musician. Als older brother, Louis, introduced the two of them to bluegrass and took them to their rst live show which was to see Bill Monroe at Whispering Pines, Georgia. Martin played guitar and mandolin. The two of them played with many local musicians including Louis Osteen, Larry Jeerson, Van Helms, Lance Leroy, Charlie Moore and Bill Napier. It was at a festival in Mountain Rest that they met Curtis Blackwell and the Dixie Bluegrass Boys were born. This band consisted of Sam Cobb, Larry Jeerson, Al and Martin. Randall Collins was soon on ddle. They won the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville, NC in 1967. After graduation from a school in Charleston, Martin and Al took on a full time job playing at Six Flags over Georgia forming a band called the Lick Skillets Ramblers. At the end of that summer Martin was drafted and headed o to Vietnam. After Vietnam Martin ended up in Germany with the US Army and formed two bands, Kulawee and Stringville. Martin currently lives in Asheville, NC and is enjoying music again with his YAM connections.

Jerry Sutton
Jerry Sutton has been playing guitar, banjo, and bass for many decades. He has been in several bluegrass and old-time groups through the years, and now plays guitar with a swing quartet and an old-time trio in the Asheville area. Occasionally, he has performed with his son, Bryan, at Merlefest, Rocky Grass, Shindig on the Green, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the Lunsford Festival, and other similar venues. Jerry is on the Folk Heritage Committee which produces the Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville, and is included in the Traditional Artists Directory which is part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. He is looking forward to being a contributor at the Jubilee by leading the guitar workshop alongside Martin Beckman from 1:00 to 2:00 in Room 1.