Hey y’all! This is classic Canadian bluegrass right out of Southern Ontario. Denis LePage is the legendary banjo player from the Dixie Flyers, who are still going strong after 33 years. You can catch new music and regular updates on their MySpace page.
The Dixie Flyers:
Formed in April 1974 in London, Ontario, Canada, the founding members of The Dixie Flyers were Bert Baumbach (guitar), Dennis LePage (banjo), and Ken Palmer (mandolin), Brian Abbey (bass),and Willie P. Bennett (harmonica) joined soon after, taking the place of the requisite violinist, and remained until 1979.
Baumbach and Palmer, who have been among the group’s lead vocalists, remained constant to the Flyers in 1991; personnel has otherwise included, in turn, Gordon Stobbe, Peter Robinson, J.P. (John) Allen, and again Robinson (violin), David Zdriluk, Abbey, and again Zdriluk (double bass), Luke Maynard (bass), and David Jack, David Talbot, and Walter Maynard (banjo), plus Allan Widmeyer (the Old Houndog) dobro and Darren Parisse (dobro) plus Mike Ethelston (harmonica).
By their longevity, versatility, and what Palmer has described as an evolutionary rather then revolutionary approach to the idiom, the Flyers have been Canada’s most prominent bluegrass band, performing at festivals (Mariposa, Winnipeg, Bluegrass Canada, Festival of Friends, etc), fairs, nightclubs and universities across the country. They were the host band in 1985 for CFPL-TV’s ‘Bluegrass Express’ and have appeared on ‘The Tommy Hunter Show’ and many other Canadian country TV series. In 1989 they took over direction of the Back 40 Bluegrass Festival at Woodstock, Ont. They also have performed in the USA – eg, at Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom (Ind) Festival in 1983 and on several occasions at the Flint (Mich) Folk and Bluegrass Festival.
I am the creator and site administrator at The Basement Rug. I have been collecting LP's and CD's for more than 30 years. I 
