The first part of our name, Golden Griffon, was inspired by the
paintings on Loretta's dulcimer and is intended to conjure up memories of
simpler times. Stringtet is a combination of string band and quartet,
quintet, etc. that we made up because it's memorable, it's elegant and like
"String Band" it allows us the flexibility of any number of musicians.
For instance, when we play for contra dances, we'll have four or five
musicians and a caller. Typically, the instruments would be hammered dulcimer,
fiddle, flute, guitar, bass and piano. For wedding or Christmas music, there might only be hammered
dulcimer accompanied by guitar.
The music we play is generally classified as dance music,
meaning square and contra dance tunes. Our repertoire includes traditional jigs,
reels, waltzes and airs from Irish, French-Canadian, New England and
Southern/Old Time sources, contemporary dance tunes written in the traditional
style and a few contemporary pop melodies that we have corrupted into contra
dance tunes. We also play Christmas and religious music when appropriate.
The Golden Griffon Stringtet has been performing for sixteen
years at cultural and historic events including the Ohio Renaissance Festival, the national
convention of Abraham Linclon Presenters, the Windham, New York Civil War Music Heritage
Gathering, New Year's Eve celebrations in Ypsilanti, Birmingham and Port Huron, the Ypsilanti
Heritage Festival, the Port Huron Thomas Edison Festival, the Northville Victorian Festival
Ball, the Clinton Fall Festival, the Henry Ford Community College production of "The
Grapes of Wrath," and the Greenfield Village re-dedication of Henry Ford's
birthplace as well as numerous weddings, receptions, contra dances, Civil War re-enactment
dances, fairs, festivals and community events throughout Michigan and
Ohio.
The Golden Griffon Stringtet has three recordings of
traditional dance music available, as well as a recording of traditional
Christmas music. Propinquity, our first
recording, is available on cassette or CD and features Loretta McKinney playing hammered
dulcimer and Jim McKinney playing fiddle and guitar. Our second recording,
A Fine Collection, is
available on cassette or CD and features Loretta playing hammered dulcimer and
Jim playing fiddle, guitar and bass. Our third recording, also available on
cassette or CD is entitled Christmas and has
only Loretta playing hammered dulcimer and Jim playing guitar. Our newest release of the medleys
of jigs and reels we use for contra dancing is called Band
Call and is available only on CD. It is the first recording to showcase the talents
of all four members of our band: Loretta on hammered dulcimer, Jim on fiddle and
guitar, Renzo Hutchinson on guitar and flute and Bob Ewald on bass. Jim and Loretta have also
released a CD of traditional tunes from the 1800s called
Gems of the 19th Century.
Loretta (Vickerman) McKinney
Loretta has been involved
with music almost all of her life. Acknowledged in "Who's Who In
Music", Loretta retains a teaching certificate in piano and organ, and has
received several awards for her performance on the clarinet. She was named
the 2000 ABA Traditional Instrumentalist of the Year for hammered
dulcimer. Her
attraction to the hammered dulcimer is generated not only by the unique sound
and appearance of the instrument, but also the diverse musical styles that it
has the ability to enhance. Loretta began playing the hammered dulcimer in
1990, the same year she met Jim, Renzo and Bob. Loretta has been giving private lessons
on hammered dulcimer since 1996.
Jim McKinney
Jim started playing guitar in 1978 and fiddle in 1987. He also dabbles a bit with the
mandolin and bass. Jim has played with
The Shakin’ Hammers String Band, with whom he made two cassette recordings,
"Hit & Miss" and "Dancing Bear". Jim and Loretta met in 1990 and in 1992 formed The
Golden Griffon Stringtet.
Jim has been presenting workshops at the Original Dulcimer Players Club Funfest in Evart,
Michigan since 1997, teaching tunes, ornamentation, harmony and music theory. He is
currently a violin and guitar instructor at Eastern Michigan University's Community Music
Academy. Jim also offers private lessons in his home on fiddle and guitar to
students of all ages.
In March 2008, Jim participated in the Advanced Fiddling competition of the National
Federation of Music Clubs. He received a "superior", their highest possible rating.
Jim took first place in the 2005
Hetzler's Fakebook Fiddle Contest with his performance of Soldier's Joy.
Jim has received two seconds, three thirds, one fourth and two sixths in the Michigan State
Championship Old-Time Fiddlers Contest from 1995 to 2005. He has been serving as
Director of the contest since 2006. He was named the 2000 ABA Traditional
Instrumentalist of the Year for fiddle.
In 2004, Jim's original composition, The Well
Digger's Daughter (midi) (ABCs)
won second place in the Second Annual Nebraska Chapter of the American String Teachers
Association Fiddle Tune Composition Contest. In 2005, Jim's original composition,
Emptyhead (midi) (ABCs)
won first place honors. In 2006, Jim again won first place with his original
composition Perporkin
(midi) (ABCs)
In 2007, Jim took third place with his original composition The Lucky Streak
(midi) (ABCs)
In 2001, Jim and Judy Raber Burns published
Come Dance With Me, a biography of
old-time Michigan fiddler Les Raber, containing articles, photos and Jim's
transcriptions of 149 tunes from Les's repertoire, including Les's original
compositions, rare old tunes learned from Les's father and grandfather which
had never before been written down and many old fiddle tunes played in Les's
unique style. The book is now in its third printing.
In 2007, Jim and Judy Raber Burns produced
Come Dance With Me...Again! a CD of 43 tunes
from Les's unique repertoire.
Renzo Hutchinson
Renzo has experimented with a number of instruments and musical styles since
his first slide whistle in childhood. He began studies in classical flute in high school, picked up a guitar and sang his way through the folk music of
the 60's and 70's, came upon the hammered dulcimer in the 80's. More recently, he discovered old time, traditional dance music from the
British Isles, Canada, and the United States, and their contemporary outgrowths. In
recent years, he has focused on this musical genre playing guitar, hammered dulcimer, flute and penny whistle. He delights in the ability of this music
to bring people together through a common language that transcends occupational, class, and religious distinctions.
He was recognized as the 2000 ABA Traditional Instrumentalist of the Year for
guitar.
Bob Ewald
Bob has been making music of one kind or another since the
age of 5. Bob's father taught him to play ukelele and guitar and his
grandmother taught him harmony and yodeling. From there, Bob expanded his
instrumental repertoire to include banjo, mandolin, bass and hammered dulcimer.
Besides playing all of those instruments, Bob also collects and restores them.
Bob has played with several folk and bluegrass bands over the years
including The Wildwood Flower Pickers and Michigan Consolidated Grass Company
who once opened for The Statler Brothers. In November 2000, Bob received
the ABA award for Traditional Instrumentalist of the Year for bass.
Denise Marie Stein
Denise is the newest addition to our group, playing keyboard for our
contra dance engagements. Denise also plays with Cindy Simmons as Just
Us Two and with Maggie Ferguson as Tansy Patch.
