Conrad Shiba's Folk Music Page

Conrad Shiba's Folk Music Page

Performing at the 2008 Cumberland Gap Dulcimer Gathering (Photo by Pam Lewis)

I began playing folk music in my teens, inspired by my older sister's record collection and the "Hootenanny" television show. The "British Invasion" led me to play in a rock band for a couple years, but I still also played folk music. During college I performed in coffeehouses, mostly singer-songwriter stuff. Trips to the Mariposa Folk Festival got me interested in more traditional music. After I graduated I bought my first banjo, then in Columbus, Ohio, I met some musicians who introduced me to traditional Appalachian music. Nowadays I play guitar, banjo, hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, banjo-ukulele, ukulele, and harmonica. From 1982-1990 I played banjo and guitar in the Raggedy Robin String Band. I now do solo performances for schools, festivals, coffeehouses, civic events, receptions, and other occasions. In addition to my appearance in the movie and video mentioned below, I performed the musical soundtrack for the video "Preserving the Legacy," a history of medical care in Danville prepared for the Ephraim McDowell Medical Care Foundation, and I also appear on the CD "UUCL Greatest Hits."

Booking Information
For concerts, festivals, receptions, weddings, etc.:
Contact Conrad Shiba, 3165 Waterworks Road, Danville, KY 40422.
Telephone: (859) 402-8431. Email: cfshiba00 "at" adelphia "dot" net

My Performance Schedule

    Feb. 9, 2008, 8:00 P.M.. House concert. Accompanist for Anne MacFie. Ziegler House, Frankfort, KY.
    Mar. 7-9, 2008. Breaking Up Winter. Not performing, just a lot of jamming. Cedars of Lebanon State Park, near Nashville, TN.
    Mar.16, 2008, 5:00 P.M. Reception for Carrickfergus Sister Cities group. Carnegie Building, Centre College, Danville, KY.
    May 9-10, 2008. Cumberland Gap Dulcimer Gathering. Cumberland Gap National Historic Park Campground.
    Sept. 5-6, 2008. J. P. Fraley Mountain Music Gatherin', Carter Caves State Park, Olive Hill, KY. See the KET documentary on "Kentucky Muse." I'm onscreen for a few seconds in a group jam.


Jamming at the Fraley Festival. Who's that banjer player in the back?	Raggedy Robin String Band with Cheryl Ladd on the set of "Bluegrass" L to R: Conrad Shiba, Cari Norris, Cheryl Ladd, Carmel Bowman, Eleanor Wilson (rear), Mike Norris

Raggedy Robin String Band (1982-1990)

The band was formed in 1982 during the Appalachian Family Folk Week at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, KY. Band members were Eleanor Wilson (hammered dulcimer and autoharp), Mike Norris (guitar and harmonica), Conrad Shiba (banjo and guitar), and Carmel Bowman (fiddle). Mike was the son-in-law of Lily May Ledford, famous banjo and fiddle player in the Coon Creek Girls, and Eleanor was her manager. Lily May and Jean Ritchie were inspirations, friends, and mentors to the band. In addition to dozens of concerts, festivals, workshops, and conventions, RRSB appeared in the CBS television miniseries Bluegrass (directed by Simon Wincer), in which we played "Whiskey Before Breakfast" and "Star of the County Down" for a Kentucky Derby party scene, and the KET production Hammered Dulcimers: Styles and Music (available on video from KET or at public libraries). RRSB is often in the playlist of Sweetwater Folk, a Live365 internet radio station that specializes in dulcimer music.

Album: "Raggedy Robin String Band" (1989) Click on the underlined links to hear sound clips.
Track list: Boatman/Cherokee Shuffle, Down on the Farm, Temperance Reel/Mississippi Sawyer/Whiskey Before Breakfast, Uncle Dudy, Star of the County Down, And the Tide Came Rising, Money in Both Pockets/June Apple, Gabriel, Balleydesmond Polka, The Shearing, The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore/None But One, Brother Eph

Available on CD or cassette. Contact me for ordering information.

Links to Folk Music Resources on the Internet
Use the drop-down menu to select the area of interest.

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