THE GOOD OL’ PERSONS

• • From the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • Formed in 1975 as an all-girl bluegrass band by Kathy Kallick and Laurie Lewis. They were among the first (after Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard) to feature women as bluegrass band leaders and songwriters.
  • Other band members included Dorothy Baxter (guitar), Barbara Mendelsohn (banjo), John Reischman (mandolin), Sally Van Meter (Dobro™/banjo), Paul Shelasky (fiddle) and Bethany Raine (bass).
  • Name was meant to be a joke—a humorous response to Frank Wakefield’s “Good Ol’ Boys” who were also active in the Bay Area at that time.
  • Although bluegrass-based, they featured a variety of musical styles including jazz, swing, Latin, old-time, country and cajun.
  • 1977, released The Good Ol’ Persons: California Old-Time Bluegrass Music album (Bay).
  • 1983, released I Can’t Stand to Ramble album (Kaleidoscope).
  • 1986, released Part of a Story album (Kaleidoscope).
  • 1995, celebrated their 20th anniversary with a concert at the Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, Berkeley. The album Good ‘n’ Live (Sugar Hill) was recorded at that concert.
  • 1996, released Anywhere the Wind Blows album (Flat Rock).
  • 1996, the group disbanded.
  • Kathy Kallick, who led the group for 20 years, now performs with her own band.
  • 2013, reunited for a concert at the Freight and Salvage in San Francisco. Band members: Kathy Kallick (guitar), John Reischman (mandolin), Sally Van Meter (resophonic guitar), Annie Staninec (fiddle) and Trisha Gagnon (bass).