The Red Clay Ramblers

The Red Clay Ramblers are a North Carolina-based band founded in Durham, North Carolina, performing continuously since their formation in 1972. The current touring band has been together since 1987, with Jack Herrick (trumpet, bass), Bland Simpson (piano), Clay Buckner (fiddle), and Chris Frank (guitar). The original members included Mike Craver (guitar) Tommy Thompson (banjo), Bill Hicks (fiddle), and Jim Watson (mandolin, bass).

Mike Craver joined Red Clay Ramblers in 1973, and recorded with them on their first record, which was released by Folkways under the title The Red Clay Ramblers with Fiddlin' Al McCanless. The quartet continued their recording career with Stolen Love on the Flying Fish label, recorded in 1974 and released in 1975 during their successful run in "Diamond Studs." Jack Herrick joined the band in 1976 as a bass and trumpet player. The band recorded, concertized and performed in theatrical productions, most notably Diamond Studs (Bland Simpson/Jim Wann) off-Broadway in 1975. Their 1977 recording, Merchants Lunch, described a trucker's disastrous visit to a Nashville diner. (The diner still exists at the same location, but has been renamed the "Merchant's Restaurant").

The recordings produced by the Red Clay Ramblers during their first decade include Stolen Love, Twisted Laurel, Merchants Lunch, Meeting in the Air, Chuckin' the Frizz, and Hard Times, all on the Flying Fish label, and all available as CDs through Rounder Records. The first decade of the Ramblers also produced album-collaborations with other musicians, including Debby McClatchy in 1976 and Si Kahn in 1981. Chuckin' the Frizz is noteworthy as a live album. Meeting is an album of all Carter Family songs featuring the singing of Tommy Thompson, Mike Craver, and Jim Watson. These early albums featured several writing collaborations by Mike Craver and Tommy Thompson, the most "famous" of which are "Merchants Lunch" and "The Ace." Debby McClatchy recorded Hicks' most infamous original composition, "You Were Only F**king, While I Was Making Love."

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