The Wilson Family,
on the other hand, provided a sharp contrast. Father Robert and mother Melissa provided able support for their two kids, both talented musicians who are clearly on their way in bluegrass if they wish. Seventeen
year old Clint is becoming a fine banjo player and offers a droll and persuasive sense of humor. He later played
banjo with Ernie Evans and Southern Lite, carrying this assignment ably, too. The star, though, of this group
is twelve year old Katie, playing the fiddle and singing with sure strength and in tune as well as providing harmony
vocals. A high point was her performance of a novelty song about
feeding the family with a five pound opossum hunted down by the wheels of her car. The other high
point of their performance was a song Katie had written called “The Old Man” in which she
sings:
His daughter moved to the city,
His only son went off to the war, He tries not
to lie there in self pity,
But he just can’t take it any more.
Katie has written a classic bluegrass lyric which would do James King or any other purveyor
of sad, pitiful songs proud.
~Ted Lehmann
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Wilson Family Band has the capacity to turn on a crowd and does it again this evening.
Katie Wilson, with her special rendition of “Five Pound Possum” brings the house down. Perhaps most
important in watching this group is the pure love and pride parents Robert and Melissa evidence for Katie and Clint as they
play. It’s perfectly clear that these two gifted young pickers will be around for quite a while and will
enrich the music.
~Ted Lehmann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We’ve been watching The Wilson Family
Band from Folkston, GA for nearly a year now and they just keep getting better. Robert Wilson has been
around bluegrass music for quite some time, beginning his career touring with the River Grass Revue in the eighties.
He and wife Melissa have built a family band around their two children, Clint, age 17 and Katie – 12. With the
addition of Drew Jones on bass, this young band is maturing almost by the day. Katie, a gifted singer/songwriter
who plays the fiddle has continued to improve in every aspect of her performance. At Riverbend it was clear that
she has developed a deeper understanding of her instrument and its potential inside a bluegrass band. She is
taking risks and hits much more often than she misses. She has become a solid mainstay of a good band, and is
not to be seen as a novelty kid who can perform. Brother Clint has also continued to mature and expand. This weekend was the first time we had seen him perform
on the mandolin and guitar as well as his primary instrument, banjo. He made significant contributions at the
workshop the family conducted on Saturday morning, too. Even though the band’s focus is on the kids, Melissa
is taking more and more intricate mandolin breaks as her confidence before an audience increases. Drew Jones provides a solid
beat at bass and also offered some strong flat picking on the guitar. The Wilson Family Band is the kind
of band that audiences respond to strongly. They play a solid mixture of gospel and traditional bluegrass as well
as several songs written by the kids. They will only continue to improve as they mature with their instruments
and their connection to the music.
Review by Charles Cornett
"I've known Robert Wilson for many years, and have always loved
his singing. When Robert called a while back and said he had a new "family" band, and I inwardly rolled my
eyes a little. Having been involved in bluegrass music promotion for over 30 years, I've had more than one daddy tell
me that his kids were putting on a great show. Robert has never steered me wrong however, so I was pleased to give them
a listen. A collective "wow" was what was uttered in the first few minutes
of the show. I knew that the kids (Clint and Katie) were reasonably new to playing, and I wasn't expecting much.
Instead we got a polished, professional, entertaining evening, where we felt that we were all growing up with them.
The pride on Robert and Melissa's face was evident, as the fruits of their labors poured through the speakers. It's
one thing to teach a cute kid a tune or two. It's something else entirely to inspire them to constantly learn, to entertain,
to write wonderful songs, to work hard at their craft. Well done folks! I
look forward to each time I get to see The Wilson Family to see what they are going to amaze us with next.
I highly recommend them for any family event."
~Charles Cornett
The Festival of the Bluegrass, Lexington, KY
Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak, FL
Review By Dale Kennedy
It has been well over 20 years since I first heard Robert Wilson sing at Maggie’s Lake Bluegrass Festival.
He was warming up with his band, Rivergrass Revue before their stage performance, rehearsing one of his original songs,
“You're Gonna Have to Change”. As I stood there, I was very impressed with his ability, not
only as a singer and musician, but also as a songwriter. When they took the stage, I was equally impressed
by the ease with which Robert and band member, Lonnie Joe Davis, included the crowd in the show with their spontaneous brand
of humor. We became fast friends and Rivergrass performed at every festival at Riverbend until they disbanded in the early
1990’s.
When Robert and
Melissa began performing with their children, Clint and Katie a few years ago as The Wilson Family Band,
everyone who knew them was delighted. And no one was surprised that they had raised two such talented and
humble children. Neither of the children seems to realize just how talented they really are.
Melissa and Robert still do what they have always done; writing, picking and singing. Together,
the four of them make up one of the most entertaining acts in bluegrass music today.
When The
Wilson Family Band performs, what you’ll see is exactly the same as if you heard them playing in their
living room. As much at home on stage as off, they combine their music and humor with ease, making their
audience a part of the performance. In this day of plastic and false sincerity, it’s nice to know and see genuine, real
people performing. The Wilson Family Band that you see on stage is exactly what
you’ll encounter when you see them off stage and I am proud to be a part of their extended family.
~Dale Kennedy
Riverbend Bluegrass Festival
