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History and Tribute
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The History of the Hard Travelers: The Hard Travelers are probably the longest running opening act in show business. Forty-plus years later, they are still going strong, having worked with some of the top names in country, bluegrass and folk music, including Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea, The Oak Ridge Boys, Barbara Mandrell, Randy Travis, Brooks and Dunn, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and John Denver. The Hard Travelers include original member Kenn Roberts on tenor vocals, plus newer members Mack Bailey on guitar and baritone and tenor vocals, Mike Munford on banjo and harmony vocals, John Glik on fiddle, and Ira Gitlin on upright bass. Mike Ritter and Ed Windsor were original members, as was Buddy Renfro, who passed away May 15, 1998. The Hard Travelers, formed by students from the Baltimore suburbs attending the University of Maryland, consisted of the original personnel of Buddy Renfro, Mike Ritter, Ed Windsor and Kenn Roberts. They played together for several years in the Washington / Baltimore / Annapolis triangle during the folk heyday of the 60's while they were attending the University, and thereafter. The Hard Travelers appeared in the Washington, D.C. area at the Cellar Door and the Live Eye, where artists like John Denver, the Mama and Papas, and Bill Cosby got their start. They opened for Ian and Sylvia at the Cellar Door in Washington, D.C. in 1962. After releasing a single and recording an undistributed album, the Hard Travelers received many offers to start touring. Faced with the need to make a decision, they opted to leave music as a career and went off to pursue their separate careers and fortunes rather than endure the rigors of "life on the road." There was always the lingering, "What if . . . " and, in December, 1985, just for fun, Kenn Roberts arranged to use the King of France Tavern in Annapolis for their one-time-only Reunion Concert. (Editor's Note: This concert was recently released as a "new-old" CD, available on the Hard Travelers' CD Page.) When the event sold out and closed to standing ovations and pleas for encores, the Hard Travelers were quickly signed on to appear there for a weekend every month. For years, lasting through 1997, they presented monthly, weekend concerts in which they shared the stage with "Friends" that have included Donal Leace, Jan Garrett, Bill Danoff, Allen Damron, Side by Side, Charlie Byrd, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, Josh White, Jr., Schooner Fare, Hobo Jim, and many others. In 1987, they added Mack Bailey whose strong vocals have become a mainstay for the group. They also added two stunning instrumentalists: Mike Munford and Jon Glik. The Hard Travelers are also dedicated to finding ways to use the music as a vehicle to improve the world around them. In 1988, they had their first "Hard Travelers...And Friends Concert" to aid in seeking an end to Cystic Fibrosis, the killer of the young. Over the years this concert has become an area event. The Hard Travelers have been joined by such renowned artists as Emmylou Harris, Alabama, Kathy Mattea, Kenny Rogers, Brooks and Dunn, and John Denver, and have raised over 5 million dollars for CF. For more information on these concerts, visit the M.U.S.E. (Music Unites the Souls of Everyone) website. M.U.S.E. was founded by Kenn Roberts as a charity organization to use music to benefit others, primarily through benefit concerts. In addition, they are hoping to raise the public's consciousness regarding the plight of the Chesapeake Bay. They have written and performed several songs at various civic functions throughout Maryland. The Hard Travelers have four CD's, some are releases featuring favorites from the height of folk music's popularity, and new original material written primarily by Mack Bailey and the late Buddy Renfro. Coming together from diverse locations and vocations, the Hard Travelers continue to draw packed houses for an evening of humor and great music with something old, something new, and always something for everyone.
Tribute to Buddy Renfro:
On Friday, May 15, 1998, Buddy Renfro passed away at his home in Shepherdstown, WV. He was 62 years old.
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