When the Seldom Scene takes the stage in advance of an anticipated performance, the audience's attention is raptly focused on the stage positions taken by Dudley Connell, Ben Eldridge, Lou Reid and Fred Travers.  Most fail to perceive that a critical measure of what is to follow rests with the man holding the bass...Ronnie Simpkins.

Simpkins fondly remembered that "my first show with The Seldom Scene was New Year's Eve of 1995, and that was at The Birchmere." The legendary ensemble had a new identity for that show and "it was a major change for the Seldom Scene", he commented.

Yet it was a long road to the stage at The Birchmere. While the young bassist began his career in a family band, national bluegrass audiences gained their initial exposure to Ronnie Simpkins as a member of The Bluegrass Cardinals in 1980. He spent a year and a half with them, and it was his first experience with a traveling band.

Simpkins was playing the fiddler's convention circuit around Virginia and North Carolina with his brother, Rickie, and a local band called Upland Express.  "I cut my teeth with music playing fiddler's conventions," he recalled.  Then, when Ernie Sykes left The Bluegrass Cardinals, Simpkins was recruited to join Don and David Parmley.

"It was my first experience traveling with a band that had a large fan base," Ronnie said.  "I was just barely out of high school and I was thrown into that.  It was a great learning experience."

Simpkins tenure with The Cardinals ended in 1981 and, after a short stint in a day job, resurfaced in the bluegrass world as the bassist for The Heights of Grass.  The Virginia-based ensemble was active in the burgeoning bluegrass community of the 1980's and Ronnie, again, saw his share of the road. Ronnie recalls this band as the spark that ignited his career.  "The Heights of Grass was the launching pad for The Virginia Squires, because the four of us (Sammy Shelor, Mark Newton, me, and Rickie) were in the band with Donnie Grubb for about a year.  The Heights disbanded and The Virginia Squires came into existence in 1983."

"We did alot of traveling and had alot of fun," he laughs, "didn't make any money, but we had alot of fun!"

The Squires released their debut recording as a independent, on their own label.  Sonny Osborne co-produced the project with the band, and it caused a stir from the start.  "Back then, there was a handful of bands that were out there working the roads like we were," he commented, "as far as bands pushing the envelope, there wasn't alot of them.  I think we accomplished alot and have alot to be proud of."

The stir caused by the band's vibrant debut recording brought the band to the attention of Dave Freeman with Rebel Records, who released four projects on The Squires. Ronnie proudly notes, "it's flattering to hear other bands do some of the songs that we recorded and that I haven't heard in almost fifteen years"  and concludes, " we were porbably ahead of our time."

After the break-up of The Squires, Ronnie took a short time off from music, only to resurface as bassist for The Tony Rice Unit.  "It was very exciting and challenging to be able to work with Tony."  Like most players in the new breed of bluegrass, the recordings of Tony Rice had an impact on Ronnie Simpkins.  "Looking back, there are two people who come to mind who raised my level of musicianship.  One is Tony, and the other is John Duffey.  When you're onstage with Tony, you have to really think about the music and what's going on around you.  He raises you to another level, period."

"I never auditioned for the job with Tony.  My first gig with his was up in Bel-Air, Maryland, at a private party for a friend I knew when I was with The Squires."  Simpkins recalls getting together with Tony to go over a few numbers prior to the show, commenting, "I was just thrown in there."

Perhaps Rice saw the simplicity in Ronnie Simpkins approach to his instrument.  "I try to be prepared and put in the time to sound as good as I can be.  Because when you play the bass, you play either the right note or the wrong one.  You can't hide behind anybody."


Tony Rice revolutionied his music at every turn.  While Ronnie admitted that he knew two sets of material when he first joined Rice, he adds, "you knew that you were going to play certain songs, but even though you did the same song, they were always different."  Rice would develop his material differently each time he walked on stage and alter the order of the solos or change the direction completely.  "It affected my playing on how I backed a solo because he always mixed it up."

The Tony Rice Unit at that point was vocal oriented with mandolinist Jimmy Gaudreau and Rickie Simpkins making up the trio.  Ronnie recalls the final time he ever heard Rice sing.  "I was on stage with him, the last time he sang, it was Bluegrass Album Band Show in Gettysburg," he recalled, but doesn't remember the year.  "It just really got to the point where he couldn't get out that last song."

That performance signaled the end of this version of The Tony Rice Unit.  "The Unit disbanded after that and Tony decided that we should record something with the last configuration, and the result was Unit of Measure, on Rounder Records."

Unit of Measure was released in 2000 and featured a magnificent collection of instrumental mastery that reached a pinnacle with the band's rendition of "Sally Goodin".  "That cut was on a live show in North Carolina, and if I played it now I'd probably be dog tired, but back then we were so pumped! I can't believe we played it that fast.  The tempo is just crazy!"

Ronnie thought back on how he came to join one of the premier bands in bluegrass history, The Seldom Scene.  "It came down to Ben (Eldridge) and John (Duffey) discussing possible players because most of the former members left to form Chesapeake.  They weren't even sure if they would continue with the Seldom Scene."  However, the legendary duo made the decision to rework the band, and Ronnie Simpkins found his name on their short list.

The Seldom Scene remains as an enigma in the bluegrass community.  Each member of the band has day jobs and other projects outside of the band.  Simpkins spends his weekdays in downtown Washington, D.C.  "I work for Smithsonian?Folkways recordings", he states.  "I've been there almost ten years. It's alot of fun because there's so much music in it.  So it's ideal for me to work for Folkways during the week, and travel with the Scene on the weekends."

Simpkins perpetuates many of the off-kilter traditions of this storied unit.  "We don't have a set time that we get together and rehearse.  If we are working on something old or new, we'll try to work it up with whomever is singing it when we get together to do a live show.  We'll work on it during sound check or backstage.  It is hard, when everyone in the band has a day job, to find time to get together." 

The Seldom Scene remains a democratic entity.  When the topic of bringing new material comes to the band, Simpkins says, "I'm not a singer but I will contribute with changes, endings, or little nuances.  I have an ear for arrangements."

Ronnie provides the bass vocal on all of the Seldom Scene's quartet numbers, an important aspect of their live shows.  He is featured on their new "Scemechronized" album on the hearty "110 in the Shade" as well.

Ronnie Simpkins is proud that the current line up of the Scene has been together longer than any other version in the history of the band.  He is very comfortable with the attitude of the band and it's members, who exemplify the casual vision that the band started with over 35 years ago.  "We try to hold true to the name The Seldom Scene," by limiting their appearance schedule to the weekends.  His weekdays are spent tied to the hard core folk music that is a part of his job as engineer for Folkways Recordings.  His free time is also spent with wife, Monnie and daughters Emily and Meagan.

"At Folkways, we have about 2500 different titles in our archive that is available to the public.  I take the tapes and digitize them." The Folkways collection features music from all over the world and features much of the best music ever recorded by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan.  "It's a fascinating collection", he notes, "Doc Watson, Red Allen, Frank Wakefield and Bill Monroe all have done recordings on Folkways."  Ronnie laughingly relates that he's keeping a notebook of music that he may one day bring into the Seldom Scene.

Ronnie Simpkins has been an innovator throughout his career.  He's kept the beat for many of the greats in bluegrass and continues to bring his sense of style to the Seldom Scene.  He's a quiet giant who remains focused on being the best that he can and that's about the best compliment that anyone can offer about a musician.

By Steve Romanoski for BN