The Freight Hoppers are an American old time string band, formed in 1992. Their repertoire includes music that was first recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and spans geographically from Mississippi to West Virginia. Its members include

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

players Barry Benjamin and Frank Lee, with Allie Burbrink on guitar and vocals and Bradley Adams on string bass. Based in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, The Freight Hoppers draw from rural southern music for their inspiration. The band were featured on

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

's nationally syndicated radio show ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

'' on National Public Radio in 1996, winning second place in the show's

Talent from Towns Under 2000 Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

contest. They recorded two albums on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

: "''Where'd you come from, Where'd you go?''" (1996) and "''Waiting on the Gravy Train''" (1998).http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=173503&aid=315933 The Freight Hoppers reformed in 2007 after a five-year hiatus during which fiddler David Bass underwent heart transplant surgery. The Freight Hoppers third album is 'Mile Marker',released in 2010.

Discography

* The Freight Hoppers: Where'd You Come From Where'd You Go? (

, 1996) * The Freight Hoppers: Waiting on the Gravy Train (Rounder Records, 1998) *Mile Marker (BTR Records, 2010)

References

External links

* Allmusic.com: Biography
FiddleAid Benefit for David Bass's heart transplant described on The Old-Time Herald website

* ttp://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p00417.htm Review of Where'd You Come From Where'd You Go? by Arthur Berman
Article about Freighthoppers reforming and signing with Roe Records

Videographic documentation

YouTube video of Bass playing with the Forge Mountain Diggers

YouTube video of Bass playing with the Forge Mountain Diggers at Watermelon Park Fest in Berryville, VA

YouTube video of Bass playing Backstep Cindy with the Forge Mountain Diggers

YouTube video of Bass playing fiddle with the Freighthoppers

YouTube video of Bass playing Sally Ann with the Freighthoppers at the Free State Music Festival in Lawrence, KS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freight Hoppers American bluegrass music groups American fiddlers Old-time musicians Old-time bands American folk musical groups American country music groups Musicians from Appalachia Performing arts pages with videographic documentation