It seems like the Washington-Baltimore area has always been a spawning ground for hot young Bluegrass pickers.   Just in the past few years alone, this region has presented the likes of Mark Delaney (The Country Gentlemen), Nate Leath (Old School Freight Train), Merl Johnson (Dave Evans Band), and Jordan Tice (Marty Raybon, Frank Wakefield) to the rest of the Bluegrass and acoustic music universe.

Likewise, Baltimore-born Kevin Conroy is rapidly becoming well-known as a hot young picker in an area overflowing with musical talent.   Growing up to the sounds of rock and roll, Kevin soon became an accomplished rock guitarist in the acid-metal vein.   Just as he was achieving some notoriety for his electric guitar work, however, Kevin suffered a serious, debilitating injury to his left arm that rendered his musical aspirations moribund for quite some time.

With nothing much else to do one weekend a few years back, Kevin and some friends visited one of the Baltimore area's venerable old road houses where nothing but pure 'grass is played by veteran pickers 52 weeks a year.  It was his first exposure to the music, and he was overwhelmed by the improvisational nature, speed and sheer power of bluegrass.   His musical rehabilitation became a metamorphasis of sorts, as Kevin first mastered all of the bluegrass standards on the guitar before taking up mandolin.   Eventually Kevin met up with young fiddling sensation Heather Twigg and together they launched their careers, jamming at every opportunity and performing with several jam bands in the area.

Kevin's speed and agility on both guitar and mandolin and his excellent singing voice soon came to the attention of veteran 5-string banjo player Jack Sanbower, who was soon to join Rattlesnake Hill.   Jack alerted Ed Schaeffer to Kevin's skillful playing and this was exactly what Ed was looking for to compliment Jack's fiery banjo work onstage.   We think the match has been a very good one and we expect major good things down the road in Kevin's future.