This concert ranked in our top groups.  Roberta has a simply wonderful voice, and Charley really knows his way around the guitar.  They could play just about any song you wanted them to sing and play, which in this business isn't really that easy to do. She kinda sounded like Loretta Lynn in many of her songs, as she was from that area in Washington.  They did some harmony and Charley did do one or two songs on his own, but we would have liked to have heard a few more from him in the evening.   We had a very nice time with them during intermission, as they were very easy to talk to and had a lot of varied interests.  Our homebaked chocolate chip cookies were a smash hit and we had hot chai tea to drink.  Our concert guests went away with a smile in their heart and a tune on their minds.

Saturday, 08 September 2007
House Concert:   Charley Dyer & Bert Monroe

Charley Dyer and Roberta Monroe led the Big Kitchen Blues Band in San Diego for over a decade, hosting many house concerts and jam sessions.  Coming from different backgrounds, their tastes are eclectic, playing blues, jazz, country, pop, and folk.  Charley studied with folk guitarist Vickie Cottle and with Wayne Riker, blues and jazz instructor for the National Guitar Workshop.  Bert “cut my teeth on country,” as she grew up in a 24-hour barbecue restaurant with a juke box on old Highway 40 in Missouri.  She likes to sing Pasty Cline and Billie Holiday, as well as Hank Williams, Bonnie Raitt, and John Prine.  Charley’s large knowledge of rhythm patterns on both acoustic and archtop guitar provide the core foundation for the wide variety of their styles.  Bert and Charley consider themselves performers of “living room” music, seeking group enjoyment with participatory music in intimate sessions.  They encourage people to join in with a lot of their songs like “City of New Orleans” and “Jambalaya” and “Last Thing on My Mind”, among others.  Like gathering around the campfire or in a cozy living room, let’s share some songs and sing.

  7:30pm at Brookhaven Lodge.