Vintage is an acoustic old-time bluegrass/traditional band that plays a unique blend of new and traditional music. Their motto is: "We like anything old or anything new that sounds old!" Based in Roswell, New Mexico, the band is becoming known in the region. They were a featured band for the Historical Museum of Southeast New Mexico, The Roswell Library Centennial Celebration, and The Living West Frontier Festival, Ocotillo Performing Arts Center, the Artesia Annual Balloons and Bluegrass Festival and for the West Texas Bluegrass and Traditional Music Association, Lubbock, TX. Also, Vintage has performed at the Weed Bluegrass Festival, Weed, NM for the last seven years.
Vintage recorded their first CD "Who Will Watch the Home Place" (2009), and are scheduled to release their second recording, "Swinging On The Front Porch" (June, 2012)
Vintage band members are: Reuben"Carnegie" Hall (fiddle/vocals), Kent Taylor (bass, vocals), ReChele Taylor (vocals), Patti "Blue"Grassie (guitar/ vocals), and Sterling Morrow (banjitar/guitar/vocals).
Audiences can expect a wonderful vintage sound that the band has become known for featuring their lively old time fiddle tunes, soulful ballads, and tight vocal harmonies.
You will find yourself tapping your toe and clapping your hands to some great fiddle music, and singing along on some melodies. Just relax and let yourself be taken back to the old days by the Vintage band!
It is the goal of Vintage to help keep the treasure of old-time music alive!
Much Thanks to Jim Bullock for writing our Band Bios.Click below to get to know us a little better.
Band Bios
Sterling Morrow
If for no other reason, the fact that Sterling plays banjitar, mandolin, mandola, guitar, strum stick and harmonica and does vocals is enough to entitle him to be leader of the band. What began as a "fun" jam session with a couple of friends, grew into a band known as the "Old-Timers". As time passed the band grew, more diversity was developed, and Vintage was the result. Promotion, scheduling and helping with other business matters concerning the band are all responsibilities that fall to Sterling.
Much of Sterling’s childhood was spent growing up on a farm near the small, rural community of Arch, New Mexico thus giving him a love for music of his heritage. Being in the chorus and in a high school guitar band in near by Portales helped him develop his talent and his love for music.
After a stint at farming and barbering, he decided that he would become a teacher. He was a teacher for most of his career ending with being a school principal. His career was highlighted by having been selected as the 1972 "New Mexico Teacher of the Year."
He and his wife Andrea were married in 1962 and have raised three children. Brack, the eldest, after a successful career in the communication technology field, has changed to his true love and is pursuing a degree in art at New Mexico State University. Their daughter Michelle is an elementary teacher in Abernathy, Texas. The youngest son, Michael is a Captain with the Ruidoso, New Mexico fire department.
Since music has brought great pleasure to him Sterling hopes to bring great pleasure in music to others. His goal for Vintage is for the band to continue to grow, perform and entertain more audiences.
Reuben Hall
Reuben Hall plays fiddle and does vocals for the Vintage band, but he is certainly no newcomer to music. He learned to play violin in Albuquerque Public Schools and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from Western New Mexico University. He attended that particular university because he was offered a track scholarship. At one time, Reuben was a violinist with the Albuquerque Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 Reuben had the once in a lifetime experience when he was invited to sing with a choral group at Carnegie Hall in New York City! Vintage band now introduces him on stage as Reuben "Carnegie" Hall.
He has been married to his wife Jennifer for twenty years. She is a secretary at the County Club Church of Christ in Roswell. They have two sons. His oldest son, Matthew, was stricken with cancer during his earlier teen years. He, along with his family, endured a mighty struggle. Today Matthew is a student at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell and is doing well. Scott, the younger son, is a senior at Goddard High School in Roswell and is on the soccer team.
Reuben is still with the Roswell Public Schools. He has thirty years experience in teaching orchestra, choir, and marching band. He feels that being a member of the Vintage band has helped him become a better musician in that he has learned to play a new style of music without written notes. A unique hobby that he enjoys is teaching color guard at wintergrad and also watching drum corp international shows.
His hopes for the future of Vintage is that God will continue to bless them all with the opportunity for sharing their music.
ReCheleTaylor
Rechele Taylor, the lead singer with Vintage, has said that she was raised singing to the cotton fields around her house in Oklahoma. Their background in the Church of Christ made music a viable part of their lives, and they could always entertain themselves by singing. All the songs were not hymns, though, as she reports that she had a vast repertoire of "goofy" songs.
Rechele spent one year at Lubbock Christian College in Lubbock, Texas, and then returned to Roswell, New Mexico to work in the family businesses including the Roswell Livestock and Farm Supply as the office manager.
She has been married to Kent Taylor who plays the bass for Vintage. They have two children. Their daughter Taryn recently graduated from New Mexico State University. She enjoys singing jazz and has a beautiful voice. Son, Bryce, is a college student, and everyone admires his skill as a ukulele player.
Rechele loves singing. She especially loves singing with Vintage, because, as she puts it, "We are a Christian-based family of believers who care about each other and enjoy each other’s company. She hopes the band will continue to grow because they have a special gift to share with others.
Patti Grassie
Music has always been important to Patti. Having received a guitar for Christmas in her eighth grade year, Patti has delved into many types of music, including classical guitar lessons. Her main endeavors have been country music, pop, folk, and gospel. Being part of Vintage is her first experience with bluegrass, and she finds this experience a lot of fun, challenging and very rewarding. Her "day job", her church work, and family activities can be very hectic and she finds music helps to keep stress under control. Fun times with good friends playing traditional music is a great outlet. She finds that bluegrass and traditional music is broad enough to include a toe-tapping breakdown all the way to the mournful ballad that often provokes a tear. .
Her husband, Phillip, is a farmer and preacher in the Dexter, NM area and also works in a prison ministry program. They have two children. Their daughter Lauren is married and is working toward a doctorate in anthropology. Jason is working on a master’s degree at George Washington University. Both their children were born in Brazil where Phillip and Patti were serving as missionaries, and both children speak Portuguese. Patti’s role in her eleven year tenure with the missionary team was teaching English. She has been a nurse for the past thirteen working the last ten years as an oncology nurse.
