Description

1977 was the first incarnation of the Hurricane Ridgerunners after Jerry Gallaher, Scott Nygaard and Jack Link met at the first Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend. This trio performed for a year until Scott and Jack left. Luckily, waiting in the wings to join with Jerry was Mark Graham, harmonica in hand. Although the banjo and the harmonica make scintillating music together; Jerry and Mark journeyed to enlist the stellar “guitarifying” and mandolin brio of Paul Kotapish. Paul packed up and moved his life to Seattle. Soon after, Armin Barnett, showing the value of the fiddle as a lead melody string band instrument, came blowing in from the East like retrograde tumbleweed and was quickly enlisted. They went along their merry way until Ronald Reagan’s era struck the flimsy old-time music economy like an asteroid. Everyone put on clean clothes and went to school or got a job. Jerry and Mark still occasionally play together in Seattle, sometimes with Bill Meyer. Armin hangs with the Queen City Bulldogs. Paul plays in an actual successful band called Wake the Dead in Alameda, CA. They all have jobs and families. God bless us everyone. – The Hurricane Ridgerunners

Additional Notes: The Hurricane Ridgerunners