A Tribute To Randall Hylton ft. The Virginia Squires Reunion
Venue: Floyd Country Store, Floyd
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Event Types: Music
Cost:

Description:
The Floyd Country Store presents A Tribute To Randall Hylton featuring The Virginia Squires Reunion and The Comptons on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Enjoy a tribute to Randall Hylton featuring The Virginia Squires Reunion (Sammy Shelor, Mark Newton and Ronnie Simpkins with Jesse Smathers) and The Comptons.

Randall Hylton, a native of Willis in Floyd County, Virginia, was an important historical figure, made famous for his role in bluegrass music and extend it past first-generation classics music sub genre meanwhile still keeping up with the tradition. He was even known to be "America’s foremost bluegrass songwriter" as he was described on a 1994 song album cover. His music was recorded by every important figures within the music subgenre. His songs have been recorded by such artists as Lester Flatt, Mac Wiseman, the Osborne Brothers, the Lewis Family, the Country Gentlemen, Curly Seckler, Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks. Doyle Lawson and the Bluegrass Cardinals. Altogether he penned more than 250 songs and was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. He also had a career as a solo musician, wrote a book on writing and selling bluegrass songs and was the recipient of the SPBGMA Songwriter Of The Year for five out of six consecutive years

The Virginia Squires were a bluegrass group comprised of Rickie Simpkins, Ronnie Simpkins, Sammy Shelor and Mark Newton. The Simpkins Brothers originate from a musical family from Christiansburg, Virginia. They played together in a family group, but eventually formed Upland Express, a bluegrass band that had an album release on Leather Records in the 70s. They separated in the early 80s, when Rickie worked with the McPeak Brothers and Ronnie became a member of the Bluegrass Cardinals. In 1982 they reunited in Richmond, in a band called the Heights Of Grass, but early in 1983, with Mark Newton (previously a member of Knoxville Grass) and Sammy Shelor (one-time member of the Country Boys), they became the Virginia Squires. Playing a variety of bluegrass, rock, old-time and country, they became a very popular band in their native state.

Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer, Sammy Shelor is 5-time IBMA Award Winner for Banjo Performer of the Year, 2011 Award Winner for the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass and has received numerous other awards and recognitions during his impressive career and is one of the greatest bluegrass banjoists of our time. Sammy currently leads the Lonesome River Band who have been entertaining audiences for more than 33 years.

When Sammy Shelor joined Lonesome River Band in 1990, he never envisioned himself leading the band only ten years later. Fresh off a six year stint with the popular Virginia Squires, Sam came on board along with Ronnie Bowman and before long, had recorded the landmark LRB CD, "Carrying The Tradition" with Dan Tyminski and Tim Austin. This recording quickly moved the band to headliner status, where they have remained ever since.

His peers in the International Bluegrass Music Association have voted him Banjo Player Of The Year on four separate occasions, and banjo pickers all over the world have studied Sammy’s tab books and instructional DVD from AcuTab.

Sammy got an early start with the banjo, when his grandfather fashioned him a banjo from an old pressure cooker lid when Sam was only four years old. His other grandfather then issued a challenge, promising to buy him a real banjo if the young Shelor would learn to play two songs. Sam met that mark in short order, and with the help of a family devoted both to him and to bluegrass music, he soon found himself entered in contests at fiddler’s conventions near his home in southwestern VA.

By age ten, he was performing in local bands and became a full time professional musician when he graduated from high school, joining The Heights Of Grass at age 19. That band eventually morphed into The Virginia Squires, and brought Sammy into contact with banjo legend Sonny Osborne, who helped shape the young picker’s approach to working as a pro banjo player.

As a testament to Sammy’s prominence and influence in the banjo world, he has his own signature Sammy Shelor banjo fingerpicks, and a signature model banjo produced by Huber Banjos. His influence on amateur and semi-pro pickers can be demonstrated by a casual walk through the parking lots or jam sessions at any bluegrass event, where licks and phrases which Sam has added to the repertoire are heard alongside those contributed by Earl Scruggs and JD Crowe.

Sammy also recorded and performs with country super star Alan Jackson on the “The Bluegrass Album”. They performed at Carnegie Hall, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Station Inn, and more.

Sammy has received a multitude of awards and recognitions during his impressive career including his induction into the 2009 Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, 2011 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, 5-time winner of the IBMA Banjo Performer of the Year Award, 4-time winner of the SPBGMA Banjo Performer of the Year Award.

Links:

• http://www.sammyshelor.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/sammyshelorbanjo

The Compton brothers, Darryl and Roger, began playing bluegrass gospel music in the 80's in church then was joined shortly after by their dad, Clinton Compton. The three make their home in Willis, VA in Floyd county.

The band just changed members about a year and a half ago. Tim Goins from Mt. Airy, NC now plays dobro and banjo with the group, whichever the song may call for. Tim in the past has played with such groups as the Easter Brothers, Mark Templeton and New Vision, Lynwood Lunsford and many more.

There are times when the Compton' friends consist of Doug Holly from Floyd on guitar and some vocals, also Jimmy Creed, cousin of the Comptons, on mandolin or guitar.

Links:

• http://comptonbluegrass.tripod.com/index.html
• https://www.facebook.com/The-Comptons-Friends-139296176140731/

Tickets are $30.00 for general admission and $35.00 for reserved seating. Kids 12 & under are $15.00

Advance tickets can be purchased in person, by phone or online at: https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/1g9g73we98/a-tribute-to-randall-hylton.

Doors open at 6:00 PM and the music starts at 7:00 PM.

The Floyd Country Store is located at 206 South Locust St in Floyd, VA.

To view the event flyer, visit: https://i.postimg.cc/Zn2sBCXn/image.png or https://i.postimg.cc/sxZXwZx7/image.png.

For more information, visit: https://www.floydcountrystore.com/event/tribute-to-randall-hylton-with-the-virginia-squires-reunion-the-comptons or https://www.facebook.com/floydcountrystore or https://www.facebook.com/events/623315556769849/ or https://www.instagram.com/thefloydcountrystore/ or call 540-745-4563.