Creek Bend

CREEK BEND

  • From Buffalo, New York.
  • Formed in 1978 by Ted Lambert.  Original members: Ted Lambert (banjo), Ted Lambert Sr. (bass) and Rich Schaefer (guitar).
  • 1980, Marty Bray (guitar) and Kelly Simpson (mandolin) joined.
  • 1981 Bill Matthews replaced Bray on guitar.
  • 1982 lineup: Ted Lambert (banjo and fiddle), Rich Schaefer (bass), Dennis King (guitar), Tom Vaughan (mandolin) and Mark Panfil (dobro and harmonica).
  • 1984, released first album “Firm Foundation” (Mark Records).
  • 1985, Carl Eddy (guitar) and Chris Panfil (mandolin) replaced King and Vaughan.
  • 1987, Doug Yeomans (guitar) replaced Eddy and Chris Panfil left the group to form Sleepless Nights in St. Petersburg, Florida.
  • 1988, released second album “Life’s Highway” (Mark).
  • 1990, won first place in the band contest at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.
  • 1992, released That Home Far Away album (Copper Creek).
  • 1994, Yeomans and Lambert left the band and Carl Eddy (guitar) and Chris Panfil (mandolin) returned.
  • 1996, released Thanksgiving album (Copper Creek).
  • 2005, Eddy left the band and Lambert (banjo, fiddle and mandolin) returned. Chris Panfil switched to guitar.
  • Over the next few years they were occasionally joined by Paul Norris (mandolin), Perry Cleveland (mandolin), Billy Constable (banjo), John Martz (banjo) and Ross Nickerson (banjo).
  • 2008, released “Thirty Years of Bluegrass” (no label).
  • 2015, Lambert passed away and Philip Banaszak (fiddle) joined the remaining three members Chris Panfil (guitar), Rich Schaefer (bass) and Mark Panfil (dobro and banjo).
  • 2020, Banaszak left the band and was replaced by Sally Schaefer (fiddle), daughter of Rich Schaefer.