The band will be performing at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum Luncheon on Friday afternoon.
Meet the Band
Brad Reynolds – Springfield, MO – Upright Bass
Band Manager and on the Board of Directors for the Greater Ozarks Bluegrass Society.
Brad started his musical life as a young man with the “Lifesavers Choir” from the Assemblies of God Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Brad spent many years touring and performing with music groups from SAGU, Waxahachie, TX including the internationally renowned “Harvesters”, “Divine Touch” and “Free Spirit”. In these groups, Brad sang tenor and was the founder of “Free Spirit” These groups toured nationally with many large concert events including: Jesus Rocky Mountain, Christ for the Nations, The Billy Graham Crusades, as well as hundreds of churches all across the country. Brad has opened for such acclaimed Christian Artists as Russ Taff, Dallas Holm & Praise, Andrus Blackwood and Company, The Archers, and many, many more. Brad has also toured and sang background vocals as part of “The New Men of the West, for Western Music Hall of Fame Member, Rex Allen, Jr.; Johnny Western; Charlie Rich Jr. Lacy J Dalton, and Bix Crary. Brad now sings and plays upright Bass for Acoustic Essays, and is a proud member of the Greater Ozarks Bluegrass Society, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPGBMA).
Bill Crider – Springfield, MO – Guitar
Bill started playing guitar at age 8 with his family’s band in Southern Illinois. While in High School, he was the guitarist and lead singer for a Southern Illinois gospel quarter, “The Gospel Messengers” and spent his Senior Summer in the far northern reaches of Canada, providing the music for his church’s sponsored Missionary. Bill then headed west to Arizona where he performed at many local Country & Western Clubs, winning several local talent shows, and soon after joined the internationally award winning “Spirit of Phoenix Chorus”, the premier performing group of the Phoenix Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, competing on the international stage. During this time Bill met Western Music Hall of Fame Member, Rex Allen Jr. and became part of Rex’s backup group, “the New Men of the West”. With this group, Bill toured and sang backup vocal for Rex, as well as fellow Western Music Hall of Famer, Johnny Western, Charlie Rich Jr. Bix Crary and Lacy J. Dalton. Bill later relocated back to the Midwest, settling in the Heart of the Ozarks, Springfield, MO and currently sings and plays guitar for Acoustic Essays. He is a proud member of the Greater Ozark Bluegrass Society, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America, (SPGBMA), and the International Country Gospel Music Association.
Brett Dudenhoeffer – Marshfield, MO – Fiddle
When Brett was 4 years old, a “fiddle and a bow” topped his Christmas list. In the years that followed, Brett’s love for music intensified. He began making public appearances when he was 6 years old and he recorded his first album. At age 9 Brett was featured in the March/April edition of “The Ozark Mountaineer” magazine. At age 10 he won the “2010 Most Outstanding Young Fiddler” award at the American Heritage Music Festival in Grove, OK. Brett’s fiddling has been featured in numerous Missouri venues to include contests, festivals, county fairs, benefits, music shows, school functions, and church events. He has made guest appearances on the Mickey Gilley Show and the Joey Riley Show in Branson. The last 2 years he has played the National Anthem to open MSU’s Lady Bears and men’s Bears basketball games as well as the Springfield Cardinals baseball games. This year Brett also played the National Anthem for the Missouri Tigers Men’s Basketball game in Columbia MO. Brett is a regular performer at Luttrell’s Live Music Show in Springfield, and a frequent performer at Prater’s Ozark Hills Theater in Lebanon, MO. Brett is also a member of a young group of fiddlers called The Possum Holler Fiddlers, a young fiddle group from Missouri that has performed at the White House in 2012 and 2014. In the last 6 years Brett has recorded 5 full length cd’s. His latest titled “In His Element” Brett now plays fiddle and sings with Finley River Boys.
Alan Johnston – Ozark, Mo. – Banjo
Alan started playing guitar at 10 years old. He later switched to banjo with his family’s Bluegrass Gospel band, playing throughout the Southwestern Missouri region. After Alan graduated High School he joined the U. S. Air Force and spent 26 years active duty serving in many of the Military Operations over the last few decades. While in the Military, he played guitar in Church Ministries, and started doing more Tech work; organizing Talent Shows at military bases. He also played with the Variety group “The Beyanamme Band” in Turkey, and he has played with regional Texas bands “The Texas Outlaws” and “The Buckshot Band”. After his military service, he moved back to the Ozarks to pursue his love of Bluegrass Music. His recent projects were playing Banjo and Guitar with “Route 66” and “The Lost Hill Bluegrass Band”, both from Springfield Mo. He leads Bluegrass Gospel Church in Ozark, and plays Guitar for other services. He is a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist that has played with many local bands and Venues in the area. He is a member of the Greater Ozarks Bluegrass Society (GOBS) in Springfield Mo.
