Band Biographies

JOE PEOPLES Songwriter, rythym guitar, lead and harmony vocals Hailing from Yancey County, North Carolina, "Smokey Joe" Peoples has been writing and singing songs for over thirty years. Those who have seen him perform delight in his folksy, melodic voice and harmonic guitar playing. The content of his songs often make an audience laugh, cry and feel many emotions in between. Smokey Joe's career as a singer-songwriter began in 1983 as the primary creative force behind the Wisteria Sting Band out of Pensacola, Florida. Peoples wrote the majority of the original music the Wisteria String Band presented and all that it recorded. The band's recording, "Rollin' On" was released in 1991. In addition, the Wisteria String Band was the house band for Florida Public Radio's W.U.W.F radio live program "On the Road" for over four years. Along with their busy public radio schedule, the band performed at many festivals and events throughout the Southeast. These include The Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Fla. and The City Lights Festival in Nashville, TN. The band even went on to be nominated twice for "String Band of the Year" at the prestigious SPIGMA Convention in Nashville, TN. Currently, Smokey Joe is still writing uniquely original songs that he now performs with The Smokey Joe Show. They have performed at various venues. These include The Flat Rock Music Festival in Flat Rock, NC, The Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival and Hub Stacey's in Pensacola, Fla., as well as the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC.

TOM ROGERS Harmonicas I was born in 1949 in Western Pennsylvania. I received my first harmonica, as a tip from a customer on my paper route, when I was ten. She also gave me lessons for a year. I started stage theater at the same age and continued in summer stock, high school and college. The music began in earnest in college. Penn State had a large music scene. Mostly folk and blues. I heard Charlie Mccoy on a Steve Miller album and was hooked. I joined Fat Sal, a blues band, out of college, because it paid more than teaching at that time. We played Pa. New York Ohio, and Ga. The Band moved to Atlanta in 1972 and eventually broke up. I moved back to Pa. And started teaching in 1976. I worked at Jeree Records working for country and blues artists. At that time I did a song for Maureen Mcgovern. I joined a 7 piece band doing blues and country. We toured Pa Ohio and New York. In 1979 I moved to Virginia and joined a mainstream country band called Heavy Country. We were picked up by Warner Brothers recording artist Big Al Downing. I toured with him until 1987. Since then I have maintained a day job with a service company. I moved to Western NC in 2000. Here I met Joe and helped him at The Flat Rock Music Festival. Other artists I have played with : Little Feat, Danny Gaton, Roy Buchanan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Doc and Merle Watson, Cleve Francis, LAW, Red Steagal, Johnny Williams, Vassar Clements, Jackson Crossing, Sheb Wooley, The Poindexters, Merle Kilgore, Bobby Thompson.

CHELSEA GOODMAN Lead and harmony vocals, egg shaker A "straight A" sophomore at East Henderson High School in East Flat Rock, NC, Chelsea began her singing career doing karaoke at the fair and once on a cruise. She then made some guest apperances locally with her dad (Darryl) accompanying on guitar and met Smokey Joe at a Showing Our Hearts for Kids Shriner's Hospital benefit in Lake Lure, NC in June of 2006. She won "Henderson County Idol", a high schools singing contest for 2007.

HOWIE JOHNSON Lead guitar bio coming soon....welcome Howie !!

DARRYL GOODMAN Electric bass I am originally from East Tennessee with family roots in the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia since the late 1700's and have been living in North Carolina since 1971. I broke out of my just for fun six-string guitar playing to push Chelsea into a singing career. At the same time Joe asked if Chelsea would sing with him he ask me to play bass as well. It is a special thrill to be performing with my daughter !!

GEORGE BRASINGTON Drums Earning his reputation as the "token hippie" of the band, George is a jack-of-all-trades who enjoys gardening and playing drums. Along with his wife Whitney and daughter Adalaya, George lives in Celo, NC in a completely off-grid, earthen house he has built himself.

© 2006 All Right Reserved F.L. (Joe) Peoples