King Street Bluegrass Lights Up Gloria’s in Old Town Warrenton

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If you were one of the lucky ones, you were at Gloria’s on Main Street in Old Town Warrenton on Friday night. The outstanding quintet of King Street Bluegrass brought a great blend of cover songs mixed in with some of their original tunes. We watched their fingers light up the strings on banjo, guitar, and bass as they harmonized their voices on a range of country, rock, folk, gospel, and traditional bluegrass melodies.

Roger Hart’s harmonica added a unique sound to the band. I loved watching him coax sounds from an array of mouth harps. His deep voice channeled the iconic Johnny Cash “Get Rhythm” tune. On other songs, he brought some fun stories about finding love in the bottom of the glass, which is always a little risky!

Their original songs were fan favorites and brought many of us back to the day of the Dixie Pig, once a rocking joint down Route One in Alexandria. “Lookin’ Back” was a ballad to those back roads that we don’t frequent as much any more, but we really should. Rob Waller showed his excellent skills on both banjo and guitar, on original pieces and covers. He was a quiet presence on stage who clearly enjoyed letting his picking speak for him.

Donnie Faulkner’s voice was as smooth as his guitar strumming. He opened the set with “Highway 40 Blues” and included The Marshal Tucker Band’s “Fire on the Mountain” and the classic Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles” later in the show. He made sure to honor requests. Somewhere in Utah there’s a happy 2-year old hearing “Crawdad Hole” played just for him. They closed with “Rocky Top,”and we all sang along.

Throughout the evening, Nancy Lisi’s bass and voice were a beautiful blend in both harmony and lead. She brought our attention to founding member, Robert Swain, and his recovery from a stroke five years ago with special thanks to the Stroke Comeback Center. Robert’s vocals may have a slight edge to them now, but I think that adds more depth to their harmonies. 

Their latest album is “A Stroke of Luck” and can be found online on their website. If you’re lucky, though, you’ll hear them live. 

You can learn more about upcoming shows and events at Gloria’s website: https://www.centerofwarrenton.org/events or by following The Gloria Faye Dingus Music Alliance on Facebook and Instagram. Gloria’s is a 501(c)3 non-profit that is dedicated to enriching the quality of life, cultural diversity, mental wellness and vitality of our community through music and the performing arts.

There are many fun photos from the night, so please check out my Gallery to see more. Cheers!