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Buddy Renfro |
Kenn Roberts |
Mack Bailey |
Mike Ritter |
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.
Group Photo Tribute:
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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Vintage
Photos
Mack, Buddy, Mike,
Kenn
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Mack Bailey, Buddy Renfro, Mike
Ritter, Kenn Roberts
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Mike Ritter, Buddy Renfro, Kenn
Roberts, Mack Bailey |
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Mike Munford, Mike Ritter, Kenn Roberts, Jon Glik, Buddy Renfro, Mack Bailey
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Mack Bailey, Mike Munford, Mike Ritter
Kenn Roberts, Buddy Renfro, Jon Glik |
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Mike Ritter, Kenn Roberts, Mack Bailey, Ira Gitlin |
Christmas Reunion Shows at Rams Head
December 22, 2001
Kenn Roberts, Ira
Gitlin, Mack Bailey, Jon Glik, Mike Munford
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"Music From The
Mountains" at Maryland Hall
November 9, 2001
Special Guest Jim Salestrom, Mack Bailey, Ira Gitlin,
Mike Munford
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Christmas Reunion Shows at Rams Head
December 21 & 22, 2001
Ira Gitlin, Mike Munford,
Mack Bailey, Kenn Roberts, Jon Glik |
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Baldwin's Station
May 29 & 30, 2002
Mike Munford, Kenn Roberts, Mack Bailey, Ira Gitlin,
Jon Glik |
Cystic Fibrosis Benefit at the Baltimore
Arena - Opening for Alan Jackson
September 13, 2002
Special guest John Sommers, Kenn Roberts,
Jon Glik, Mack Bailey, special guests Jim Horn and Jim Salestrom
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Group Photo for 2003
Ira Gitlin, Jon Glik, Kenn Roberts, Mack
Bailey, Mike Munford
(If you need to use this photo for PR
purposes, please use the larger version by clicking
HERE, and click on right
button on mouse, and use "Save as.")
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New Group Photo for 2003
Kenn Roberts, Jon Glik,Ira Gitlin,
Mack Bailey, Mike Munford
(If you need to use this photo for PR
purposes, please use the larger version by clicking
HERE, and click on
right button on mouse, and use "Save as.") |
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The Hard Travelers - 20th Anniversary
Concert
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The Hard
Travelers
celebrate their 20th Anniversary with charity concert
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In a concert fundraiser for
The M.U.S.E.
Foundation ,
The Hard Travelers were the honorees on the occasion of celebrating their
20th Anniversary of reuniting. The concert was held at the Smith
Theater on the campus of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.
Guests included original Hard Traveler - Ed Windsor - and musical friends: John Sommers, Chris Nole and Pete Huttlinger,
the latter two of whom created an overture of Hard Travelers songs.
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The Hard Travelers: Ira Gitlin, Mike Munford, Kenn Roberts, Mack Bailey,
and Jon Glik. |
The guys are
joined by Chris Nole, Pete Huttlinger, John Sommers & Kris
O'Connor |
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The Gaithersburg Express
Wednesday, September 11, 1991
&
The Aspen Hill Express
Thursday, September 12, 1991
“Take Me Home . . .
Clopper Road”
— by Betsy Stieff, Express
Staff Writer
“Take me home,
country road, to the place I belong...”
The next few
words really should sing out “Montgomery County”, not "West Virginia,"
because that's where the inspiration for the popular tune sung by John
Denver came from.
The
songwriter. Bill Danoff, and his former wife. Taffy, were inspired to
write the popular tune as they were driving down Clopper Road 21 years ago
on the way to a Fisher family reunion at the Izaak Walton League.
"It was a
real pretty old country road with farms and cows and fields. I thought it
would be a great thing to write a song about so we started humming it
right then," Danoff said. He and his wife, who were then part of the
group Fat City, developed the song and were later helped out by friend,
John Denver, who put in his two cents worth and later recorded the hit.
Why West
Virginia if the country road was in Maryland? Danoff admitted it just
sounded good. He'd never been there he said, but he has gone since – to
Harpers Ferry where the Blue Ridge Mountains reach the Shenandoah and
"it's everything I said it would be - almost heaven,'' he joked.
Concert to
aid Cystic Fibrosis fight
Danoff was
also the talent behind the group Starland Vocal Band, responsible for the
hit “Afternoon Delight.” The band broke up about ten years ago but will be
back together for a very special performance – the 4th Annual
Hard Travelers and Friends Concert for Cystic Fibrosis Sept. 20 at
Merriweather Post Pavilion. This year Barbara Mandrell will headline the
concert. Kenn Roberts, a former Montgomery County developer and resident
and a member of The Hard Travelers, puts this concert together every year
to raise money to help find a cure for the nation’s number one genetic
killer of children.
The Hard
Travelers is a group of seasoned performers that began playing together
again in 1985 after 20 years apart. Not long after their reunion they did
a benefit show for Cystic Fibrosis and were taken with a little girl that
had the disease. The little girl died, and the group decided then to
dedicate themselves to fighting the disease. “There have been a lot of
breakthroughs in recent years....we have been involved in something that
we can actually see the results,” Roberts said.
Over the past
years, the group has raised over $150,000 and this year they hope to add
another $100,000 to that figure. 2,800 tickets have been sold this year
but there are plenty left, Roberts said. Roberts promises a
family-oriented event. Danoff and the other members of his band are going
to have their children do a number and children with Cystic Fibrosis will
have their moment on stage.
“I’d love to
see the place full. It’s going to be a wonderful night of entertainment
and all the proceeds go to finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis,” Roberts
said.
The Rouse
Company is one of the major sponsors and as owners of Merriweather, the
company helped secure the location for the event. Other sponsors
underwrite all the expenses, and the artists perform at reduced rate.
“When we are
as fortunate as we are to be able to play music and to have friends join
us — it is such a blessing we feel we have a responsibility to give back,
and through Cystic Fibrosis the Hard Travelers are able to give,” Roberts
said.
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Charity Work:
The Cystic Fibrosis
Concerts
(opened by The Hard Travelers and sponsored by them, along with
M.U.S.E.):
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Year |
Artist |
Attendance |
Raised |
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(1st) |
1988 |
The Hard Travelers and Friends |
188 |
$412,500 |
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(2nd) |
1989 |
The Hard Travelers w/ Glenn Yarbrough |
753 |
$51,000 |
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(3rd) |
1990 |
Emmylou Harris |
3976 |
$88,500 |
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(4th) |
1991 |
Barbara Mandrell |
4366 |
$103,000 |
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(5th) |
1992 |
Lee Greenwood |
2542 |
$122,000 |
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(6th) |
1993 |
Oak Ridge Boys |
2735 |
$201,000 |
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(7th) |
1994
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Kathy Mattea |
3480 |
$323,000 |
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(8th) |
1995 |
Kenny Rogers |
8211 |
$525,000 |
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(9th) |
1996 |
Alabama |
10109 |
$561,000 |
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(10th) |
1997 |
John Denver |
8323 |
$463,000 |
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(11th) |
1998 |
Randy Travis |
7631 |
$452,000 |
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1999 |
Alabama (Richmond) |
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(12th) |
1999 |
Vince Gill |
9861 |
$667,000 |
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2000 |
Oak Ridge Boys |
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(13th) |
2000 |
Brooks and Dunn |
8955 |
$1,004,000 |
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(14th) |
2001 |
Alabama |
8024 |
$931,000 |
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(15th) |
2002 |
Alan Jackson |
13311 |
$1,302,000 |
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(16th) |
2003 |
Martina McBride |
12515 |
$1,120,000 |
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(17th) |
2004 |
Reba McEntire |
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(18th) |
2005 |
Brad Paisley |
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(19th) |
2006 |
Alan Jackson |
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(20th) |
2007 |
LeAnne Rimes |
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The
Maryland
Therapeutic Riding Fundraising Concerts
(anchored and sponsored by The Hard Travelers along with
M.U.S.E.):
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Year |
Guest Artists |
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Raised |
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(1st) |
2001 |
Jim Salestrom, John
Sommers, Chris Nole |
51,000 |
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(2nd) |
2002 |
Jim Salestrom, John
Sommers, Chris Nole |
85,000 |
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(3rd) |
2003 |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff |
155,000 |
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(4th) |
2004 |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff, Gary Muledeer |
180,000 |
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(5th) |
2005 |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff |
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(6th) |
2006 |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff, Gary Muledeer |
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(7th) |
2007 |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff, Gary Muledeer |
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(8th) |
2008 |
The Hard Travelers |
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Other Fundraising Concerts
(anchored and sponsored by The Hard Travelers along with
M.U.S.E.):
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Year |
Charity |
Guest Artists |
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Raised |
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2003 |
The Yahweh
Center |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff |
82, 000 |
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2004 |
The Yahweh
Center |
John Sommers, Chris Nole,
Mollie Weaver, Bill Danoff |
62,500 |
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2004 |
Johns Hopkins
School of Nursing |
Chris Nole,
Jim Salestrom,
Bill Danoff,
Mollie Weaver,
John Sommers,
& Jim Horn
|
270,000 |
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2005 |
M.U.S.E. Foundation |
Chris Nole,
John Sommers,
& Pete Huttlinger |
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2006 |
Johns Hopkins
School of Nursing |
Chris Nole,
Jim Salestrom,
Bill Danoff,
Mollie Weaver,
John Sommers,
& Jim Horn
|
270,000 |
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2006 |
Columbia Orchestra |
Chris Nole,
Jim Salestrom,
Bill Danoff,
Mollie Weaver,
John Sommers,
& Jim Horn
|
270,000 |
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2007 |
Old Otterbein
Church - Baltimore |
The Hard Travelers
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2008 |
Old Otterbein
Church - Baltimore |
The Hard Travelers
with
Bill Danoff
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