Beat the heat at the Murray Acoustic Music Festival, Monday Sept. 3, at the Murray Park Amphitheater, 495 E. 5300 South, Murray. Music starts at 6 p.m., and general admission is $5 with kids under 12 free.

From early days of plinkin' on a $40 Sears & Roebuck guitar, to his present status as a performing and recording artist, Charley Simmons has made a lifetime of entertaining people with his music. Born in 1950 and raised on a farm near Blackiston Crossroads, Del., Charley began playing the guitar at age 9. By age 16, he was earning money traveling and performing throughout the state with a band, but it wasn't until his move to St. Augustine, Fla., in 1971 and his exposure to the late Gamble Rogers that he began to develop his own finger-picking solo style. Since that time his playing has taken him much further.

Charley was the 1992 Utah State Flattop Guitar champion, the 2002 Wyoming State Fingerstyle champion, the winner of the 2003 Gamble Rogers Fingerstyle Guitar competition and a winner in the 2005 KRCL singer/songwriter competition.

Charley's music is as diverse as his musical influences have been, drawing on folk, blues, bluegrass and jazz. "I might play a song about a depressed coal mine economy — I spent seven years as an underground miner so I know a little about this — and then follow it up with the 'Sheik of Araby.' I don't know if this is normal behavior, but it seems to work."

Normal or not, Charley continues to captivate audiences with his articulate guitar playing and voice, which was once described as a combination of "dry, shag-cut tobacco and honey." His concerts generate all the intimacy and warmth one might experience if invited into his living room and seated next to the fireplace on a cold winter's night.

Hammer Down was originally formed by Mark Jenkins in the early spring of 2003. The original band name was Salt Flat Pickers, and to date it has involved several talented local musicians. The core players —Mark Jenkins, Ezra Bussman, Wayne Gordon and Jake Workman — got together in the pursuit of developing the unique and hard-hitting sound for which Hammer Down is known. Hammer Down was deemed the "Hottest Bluegrass Band in Utah" by the IAMA at the Gallivan Center Bluegrass Festival in August 2005.

View Comments

Unstrung is a family bluegrass band consisting of the Singleton family — Todd (father) on guitar; Nancy (mother) on bass; Nicki on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin; and Nanette on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin.

Nicki and Nanette both began studying piano and classical violin at early ages. When Nicki was 12 she began taking fiddle lessons from the late Jim Shupe, a well-known and loved friend of bluegrass in Utah. Within a few years, both Nicki and Nanette had picked up fiddling, banjo, guitar and the mandolin. At Jim's suggestion, Nicki entered a few instrumental contests and won. Nicki has also performed with several local artists, such as Peter Breinholt and the group Colors and at many venues with Nancy Hansen. Nicki and Nanette also perform classical piano and violin music.

In 2000, Jim Shupe told Nancy he thought Nicki and Nanette needed to be in a band to showcase their talents. Nancy asked, "That's great — what band are you going to put them in?" Jim replied, "Yours, I'm going to form the Singleton Family Band."

Presently, the band is in full swing. Unstrung has performed in California, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and throughout Utah. Some of its most memorable performances have been at Disney's California Adventure, Sun Valley Resort, the Delta Center for the Alabama Concert pre-show and opening for Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband — a personal favorite of the Singletons.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.