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Whispers' Sweet Nothings

Sweet nothings are a favorite to whisper on Valentine’s Day, everything from love songs to three little words. Valentine’s Classic Soul at the Fox Theatre at St. Louis will make that romance a bit easier this weekend. The Whispers, a legendary R&B vocal group, who have performed for more than four decades headline the show. Their albums One For The Money, Open Up Your Love, and Headlights in the 1970s thrust them in to the nat…... Read more >

The Family That Plays Together

WHILE SOME TWELVE-YEAR-OLD GIRLS worried over boys and trips to the mall, Larita Martin of Versailles concentrated on playing the Dobro and traveling yearround with her family’s bluegrass band, The Martin Family.

Now fifteen, Larita plays with professionalism that belies her age, as do her three sibling band mates. Jeana plays the fiddle, Dale the guitar, and Janice handles the banjo. Their father, Elvin, plays the bass, and thei…... Read more >

Big Bluegrass

At a Big Smith concert, you see college girls wearing cowboy hats and dancing next to people clad in John Deere gear. You see nicely dressed middle-aged folks hootin’ and hollerin’ along with young neo-hippies. The music is eclectic too, despite the down-home attitude that holds it together.

Big Smith, the self-proclaimed ‘hillbilly band’ from Springfield, moves easily from traditional bluegrass songs to acoustic blues and electric rockers…... Read more >