Q&A with Bland Simpson of the Red Clay Ramblers

The Red Clay Ramblers have been around for 40 years. The band has written and performed Tony award-winning music for the musical romp “Big River.” On Friday, the band — native to North Carolina — will be honored at the 24th PlayMakers Ball for their reprise performance in last year’s season-ending run of “Big River.”

Staff writer Sarah Haderbache talked with Bland Simpson, the group’s pianist, about the Ramblers and the Triangle’s music scene.

Canvas: Tell me about the Red Clay Ramblers.

Red Clay Ramblers: The Red Clay Ramblers are a string band in business for 40 years this coming fall. We have a core of four — harmonica and mandolin, guitar, accordion, tuba, ukulele, bazouki and myself on the piano. We generally perform as a quitet, adding a banjo and also frequently adding drums.

The band was band initially as a trio intending to replicate southern music. It extended fast. Americana would be the broad rubric under which we perform and work.

Canvas: How do you work together as a group?

RCR: We tend to work when we have dates coming up at least once a week. When we gather everybody makes familiar with the structure. Then, we will arrange it as a group, go through it section by section and then we work on tempo. We will eventually go through it bar by bar. There’s a whole map to draft and we do that as a group, it is a lot of fun.

Canvas: Would you say the Triangle Area has a good music scene?

RCR: Chapel Hill has had a very lively music scene since the ’60s. It’s livelier now that it’s ever been. Here at Carolina, we have a top notch presenting operation going. we have a lot of theater and music right here on campus.

We just did a show with PlayMakers last spring, which was a big hit.
We have some history with PlayMakers, they contacted us back in the fall and said, well, we’d like to give you this award.

We’re going to perform a song at the PlayMakers Ball. Jack wrote it and it’s very friendly and funny. We’re looking forward to doing that.