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From the late 1940’s up until just a couple years ago, Roger visited southern Appalachia every year to learn songs and tunes, and to bring them back to the Northeast. He also performed regularly at the festivals at Galax and Clifftop. Roger appeared frequently at folk festivals and musical conventions, including the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Union Grove Fiddler’s Convention in North Carolina, where in 1970 he was winner of the banjo competition.
His pioneering “progressive bluegrass” repertoire ranges from mountain music, classical, jazz, ragtime, dixie, show tunes, hornpipes and reels, and just about anything you can name.
Roger has performed with such legendary folk musicians as Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson. He has recorded with Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians, and he has performed at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. For many years, he performed with guitarist Hal Wylie and various other musicians as “Roger Sprung, Hal Wylie and the Progressive Bluegrassers.” He still participates in various jams near his hometown of Newtown, Connecticut, and thrives on teaching and sharing his love of music.
Roger teaches banjo based on playing by ear – no tab or sheet music. He utilizes his own system of music theory. He teaches his pupils how to develop a song from the ground up, starting with the fundamental chord changes and basic rolls and adding refinement until the piece is a complete arrangement. His students are equipped with techniques that can be taken to any setting, where they will be able to play solo or in a group with success.
Richie Hawthorne plays standup bass.
Kevin Fennessey of Rhode Island plays mandolin and guitar and is a singer-songwriter. He started playing old-time and bluegrass music at the age of fourteen and has performed professionally with a number of bluegrass bands through the years. He became acquainted with Flat Foot dancing in the 1960’s while performing at the Union Grove North Carolina Fiddler’s Convention. Most recently he competed in the Flat Foot competition at Galax Virginia and also danced on stage with Valerie Smith at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in Connecticut.
Paul Pozzi plays mandolin and sings tenor. He has been immersed in bluegrass music for 25 years and also has considerable experience playing various instruments in several musical genres. Paul previously participated in a well-received mandolin workshop at Camp Wightman and has been a member of the ShoreGrass band since 2000.
Frank, Barbara and Paul (all from Branford, CT) are 3/5 of the local bluegrass band ShoreGrass, which has performed around the northeast since 1996.
Barbara Shaw plays rhythm guitar (and sometimes bass and fiddle), sings lead and harmony vocals and writes original music. She is a retired IT consultant and currently enjoys writing (among other things, her “Bluegrass Benediction” was published in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine), photography and traveling with her husband Frank in their motorhome. She and her husband Frank were original members of the band Professors of Bluegrass and subsequently founded the band ShoreGrass.
Frank, Barbara and Paul (all from Branford, CT) are 3/5 of the local bluegrass band ShoreGrass, which has performed around the northeast since 1996.
Frank Shaw plays banjo, guitar and bass and sings lead, baritone or tenor. He was winner of the 1st place old-time banjo award at the 2001 Roxbury Contest and currently teaches banjo, giving private lessons in both clawhammer and 3-finger style. Frank is a retired mechanical engineer and was an electric bass player and vocalist in the 70’s folk/rock band Clean Living, which recorded two albums on the Vanguard label.
Frank, Barbara and Paul (all from Branford, CT) are 3/5 of the local bluegrass band ShoreGrass, which has performed around the northeast since 1996.