Welcome to the Southwest Pickers!
The Southwest Traditional and Bluegrass Music Association (aka The Southwest Pickers) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization established in 1981 to preserve, promote and strengthen traditional, acoustic music, particularly Bluegrass and Old-time, in New Mexico. The Soutwest Pickers sponsor concerts, workshops, and jam sessions throughout the year in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and every August, we present the annual Santa Fe Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival, three days of concerts, contests, pickin’ and grinnin’. On this site, you can find information about the festival, upcoming events, local bands, and membership. If you haven’t already, please join our fine organization to get discounts on concert tickets and to help us support traditional, acoustic music in New Mexico.
Contact Us
E-mail
Mail@SouthwestPickers.org.
Our mailing address is:
SWT & BMA
PO BOX 90145
Albuquerque, NM 87199
Announcement
Change of Date for Lost and Found Concert
The Southwest Pickers would like to announce that Lost and Found have changed their performance date. The original date of Wednesday, March 24, 2010 has been changed to Tuesday, February 23, 2010. The tour dates for Lost and Found were altered and they are coming through this area sooner. We apologize for any confusion.
Meeting of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Southwest Traditional and Bluegrass Music Association will have meeting on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The meeting will take place at 12:00 pm in the Community Room of the Santa Fe public library. If you would like to participate in the planning of the 36th Santa Fe Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival, you are encouraged to attend this meeting.
Our Next Concert
Allen Mills and Lost & Found
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Covenant Presbyterian Church Hall
9315 Candelaria Road NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112 | Click for Map
Phone: (505) 891-2829
$ 10 Southwest Pickers Members
$ 15 Non-Members
Children under 16 free!
No advance ticket sales
Tickets available at the door
Lost and Found was Formed in 1973, the original lineup of the Lost & Found bluegrass band consisted of bass player Allen Mills, banjo player Gene Parker, mandolin player Dempsey Young and guitarist Roger Handy. The band became quite popular playing bluegrass festivals, with Mills' exceptional songwriting contributing much to the group's fame; "Love of the Mountains," recorded by the original lineup, has become a contemporary bluegrass standard. In addition to contemporary songs, the band also recorded more traditional fare, such as "The Man Who Wrote 'Home Sweet Home' Never Was a Married Man." Most of their albums feature similar material, and the band continues to be a strong positive force in contemporary bluegrass music. The band first recorded for Outlet Records in 1975, then achieved wider fame after it signed with Roanoke's Rebel Records in 1982. By the mid-'90s, only Allen Mills and DempseyYoung had stayed, recruiting guitarist Berry Berrier and banjo player Lynwood Lunsford as replacements. Through out the years Lost and Found has had many talented member of the band, including Ronnie Bowman, Shane Bartley, Greg Luck, Jody King, Ben Green along with others. As of today, the band is made up by Allen Mills on bass, Scottie Sparks on Guitar, Ronald Smith on banjo and newest member Scot Napier on Mandolin replacing the legendary Dempsey Young who passed away December 10, 2006.
