Big Canoe Records

The Discovery String Band

Cathy Barton and Dave Para, Bob Dyer, and Kelly Werts
Traditional, Period and Original Music
Interpreting the Epic American Journey

Four noted musicians steeped in the history and traditions of the Missouri valley have joined together to take you on a musical journey with Lewis and Clark on their new CD "Most Perfect Harmony." Music was part of the daily life of the Corps of Discovery and part of their introduction to native tribes. Gibson and Cruzatte played the fiddle. The French boatmen hired on to work the keel boat sang voyageur songs to bear the heavy burden upstream. A box of jaw harps was among the trade items destined for the natives. While no specific musical title is mentioned in any of the journals of the voyage, tunes and songs of the period and of the ethnic traditions represented provide the musical context of the journey. These troubadours also have composed original music that tell the heroic stories and stay true to the history and musical traditions of these people.

The Discovery String Band is available to perform a variety of programs featuring music from their CD "Most Perfect Harmony" (Lewis and Clark: A Musical Journey). These programs can be designed to run from 45 minutes to 2 hours in length, and can either be in a concert setting for all ages or in participatory programs for school-age children 4th grade and above.

All the programs related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition will have narration and introductions to tie together the original and traditional songs and to bring to life some of the characters and experiences from this extraordinary journey.

Instruments played by The Discovery String Band: Fiddle, Mandolin, 6 and 12-string Guitars, Piano, Autoharp, Hammered Dulcimer, Lap Dulcimer, Mouth Bow, Indian Flute, Banjo, Guitar, Jawbone, Pennywhistle, Jaw Harp, Bones, Spoons, and Triangle (Petit Fer).

Cathy Barton and Dave Para have been acclaimed for 25 years for their variety and expertise in vocal and instrumental music. They have celebrated the musical traditions and folklife of Missouri and the Ozarks in festivals, clubs, concert halls, schools and studios across the U.S. and Europe.

A versatile duo, Dave and Cathy play several stringed instruments including hammered and fretted dulcimers, banjo, guitar and autoharp, as well as "found" instruments like bones, spoons, mouthbow and leaf. Their concerts present a range of music from the lively dance tunes they have collected in their home region to old ballads to new songs.

Cathy and Dave have conducted several instrumental workshops as well as workshops on songs from the Civil War, from American rivers, gospel songs, and Christmas music. Putting the song before the singer, Dave and Cathy are caretakers of a long musical heritage, and they are known for their expertise and affection for traditional music.

They have recorded 11 albums, three of which received awards from the American Library Association. Dave and Cathy have participated in the artists-in-education program for the Missouri Arts Council since the early 1980's. They have done folk arts residencies and assembly programs in schools across the state.

Dave has produced musical events in Missouri since 1974. Dave and Cathy also created and serve as artistic directors of two annual folk festivals, the Big Muddy Folk Festival, in their hometown of Boonville, and the Boone’s Lick Country Folk Festival, in Arrow Rock, MO.

Bob Dyer was born and raised on the banks of the Missouri River. He has spent much of his life delving into the history and folklore of his native state and the great river that runs through it. Combining his talents as poet, musician, historian, folklorist and teacher, Dyer has developed an entertaining way of presenting history and folklore that he calls "Songtelling." He has recorded two collections of original folk-style ballads — Songteller and River Runs Outside My Door. His songs were featured in the film Tom Benton's Missouri; and he was writer and co-director of a film about the American epic poet, John Neihardt.

Bob has also published a book of poetry, a history of his hometown, an anthology of poems and stories about the great Missouri/Mississippi River flood of 1993, and an award-winning book in the Missouri Heritage Series for the University of Missouri Press entitled Jesse James and the Civil War in Missouri. He is co-author (with Hans von Sachsen-Altenburg) of Duke Paul of Wuerttemberg on the Missouri Frontier.

Along with Cathy and Dave he has recorded two volumes of Civil War songs: Johnny Whistletrigger and Rebel in the Woods. He is also one of the co-organizers of the Big Muddy Folk Festival held annually in April at Thespian Hall in Boonville.

As part of the Missouri Artist-in-Education and Young Audiences programs, Dyer has conducted residencies, assemblies and workshops in many of Missouri's public schools. He has also performed in a variety of other settings including colleges, folk and craft festivals, libraries, banquets, clubs, theatres, and conventions.

He has a Master's degree in English and taught college English for 15 years prior to embarking on his career as a "Songteller." In 2002 he received the Governor's Humanities Award for Excellence in Community Heritage.

Kelly Werts has played traditional music throughout the Midwest for two decades, delighting audiences with his award-winning fiddle and guitar playing and his infectious love for music and folklore.

"Home on the Range," a recording/book combination Kelly produced about the Kansas pioneers and their music, garnered praise throughout the state and led him to featured musical spots in various regional television productions, the TNN special, "Music of the Wild West," the Hollywood film "Ride With the Devil," and the July 2005 film, "CSA - Confederate States of America".

In addition to playing with the Discovery String Band Kelly continues to perform with longtime collaborator Connie Dover in her concerts of Celtic and American music. Kelly's extensive experience in concert halls and school auditoriums has kept him in touch with audiences of all kinds. A fifth generation Kansan, he is dedicated to perpetuating and invigorating the musical tradition of the western pioneers.