As a young girl, Judy spent almost every weekend with friends and family sharing food, playing games and making music. She remembers folks singing and playing guitars, fiddles and banjos into the wee hours of the morning. Her maternal grandfather played guitar and sang, performing with such artists as Red Foley and well-known gospel groups, in popular places such as Renfro Valley and The Grand Ol' Opry. Grandpa Marvin York also had a radio show and would stand Judy up on a Coca-Cola case so she could readh the mic to sing. Her Grandmother was a gospel singer, her mother played the guitar and sang, and her father was a barbershop singer.
Judy and two sisters sang as a trio when she was 10 years old. She
also sang with people such as Steve Marlatt, Bill Adami, Jimmy Adami
and Warren Henderson into her early twenties. She then learned
to play bluegrass fiddle, then picked up guitar, and started playing
and singing with local bluegrass groups.
After she retired, friends started asking her to teach them to play
guitar. Eventually, folks of all ages started coming to Green's
log home on Coon Holler Road to play and sing. Former band mate
Richard Riggs joined her to teach guitar, banjo, or whatever else was
needed. Eventually, this led to the fomation of the Coon Holler
Kids, a bluegrass band that is in high demand in the Wabash Valley.
In addition, Judy works with a younger group of kids called "The Grass
Seeds", and also leads two adult groups and many other beginner and
intermediate performance groups made up of children of all ages.
Judy was one of the founders of the National Crossroads Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Association (NCBAMA), which promotes bluegrass music in the Wabash Valley.
Judy was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2018. Under her leadership, the Coon Holler Kids have opened the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and picnics for several years.
Click a picture to see a larger version. When you are done, click your browser's Back button to return to this page.
|
|
|
Last update on 16 Mar 2018