Berklee Bluegrass & Country Band Plays Kennedy Center: Billboard Endowed Scholarship Winner Charlie Worsham To Lead Group

BOSTON, MA, April 19, 2006 — The Conservatory Project, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' three-year-old program to showcase the country's best music colleges and conservatories, gets a healthy shot of American hill music on Thursday, May 4, when Berklee College of Music presents Charlie Worsham and The Free State of Tallahatchie in the Terrace Theater. The concert begins at 6:00 pm, is free of charge, and the public is welcome to attend. View the archived webcast.

Worsham, who sings, and plays banjo and guitar, has just been announced as the recipient of the 2006 Billboard Endowed Scholarship at Berklee, presented each year by the seminal music industry publication to the single most promising student at the college. He is the first country musician ever to win the coveted award in its 11-year history, and he has chosen the group from the finest country and bluegrass players at the pioneering Boston music college.

On the day following their Kennedy Center show, Worsham and the group will move from the stage to the recording studio, when they record a concert in XM Satellite Radio's Washington DC studios, for broadcast on XM later this year.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Berklee presents Charlie Worsham and The Free State of Tallahatchie. From left: Joe Walsh, mandolin; Kristin Weber, fiddle, voice; Ashleigh Caudill, upright bass, voice; Charlie Worsham, guitar, banjo, vocals; Jaron Eaton, electric bass, vocals; Charlie Hutto, guitar, vocals; Steve Sinatra, drums, vocals. The bluegrass and country music group performs Thursday, May 4, at 6:00 pm, as part of The Conservatory Project at the Kennedy Center. Photo by Rob Hayes

Charlie Worsham and The Free State of Tallahatchie 

Charlie Worsham, guitar, banjo, vocals
Born and raised in Mississippi, Charlie began his musical life with piano lessons in kindergarten. By second grade, he had taken on the banjo and bluegrass music. When Charlie was ten, he performed alongside bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Two years later, he would go on to perform at the Grand Ole Opry with Opry member Mike Snider. Throughout his high school years, Charlie played guitar and sang in various blues and rock bands. He began studying at Berklee in the fall of 2004, and since that time has established himself as a songwriter and vocalist, and has continued to perform with his heroes, including B.B. King, Earl Scruggs, and Marty Stuart. Charlie will graduate from Berklee in December 2006 with a degree in Music Production and Engineering. At that time, he plans to move to Nashville, where he is already working with a number of established songwriters and producers.

Ashleigh Caudill, upright bass, vocals
Ashleigh grew up in a musical family in Montrose, Colorado. Starting out on electric bass, she soon took on the upright. Her very first gig was with her family's bluegrass band at a local nursing home. She has since moved on to bigger venues such as bars and street corners. A Performance major at Berklee, Ashleigh enjoys the outdoors, rubber chickens, and closet composing.

Jaron Eaton, electric bass and vocals
Jaron Eaton, 19,is from Hendersonville, Tennessee. He grew up playing the drums, starting at 3, then moving on to several different instruments as he grew older. He really became focused on playing the bass at age 15, after hearing a number of different bass players, and developing a love for the instrument. Jaron also was also the punter on his high school football team for his junior and senior years, and earned the status of #1 punter in the state of Tennessee. Luckily, he elected not to play NCAA football, opting instead for studies at Berklee.

Charlie Hutto, guitar and voice
Born and raised in Henderson, Texas, Charlie's love for music began at an early age. He started out playing the drums but soon developed a deeper passion for the guitar. After high school, Charlie attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas and earned a degree in Forensic Science. During this time, he had the opportunity to play lead guitar for many different artists in the Texas Country Music scene, sharing the stage with many Texas favorites including Pat Green, Jack Ingram, Robert Earl Keen, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and others. He was also hired to play lead guitar for Sony Nashville recording artist Miranda Lambert. In the fall of 2002, Charlie recorded his debut album, Roots Run Deep. For this project, Charlie worked with Grammy award winning producer Lloyd Maines. Following the release of his first record, Charlie toured across the South with his band. Several years ago, he left Texas and moved to Boston to attend Berklee. Charlie plans to graduate from Berklee in May of 2006 with a dual degree in Guitar Performance and Music Production and Engineering. He plans to move to Nashville, to pursue his goal of producing records.

Steve Sinatra, drums, vocals
Steve grew up in South Florida, where he started playing drums at age five. As a teenager, he performed in school jazz bands, wind ensembles, and orchestras. However, his true passion became country music, which he performed in the club scene throughout his teenage years. After graduating from high school, Steve enrolled at Berklee, where he has had the opportunity to record with music industry giants Elliott Scheiner and George Massenburg. Steve currently works with Charlie Worsham in a Nashville-based band backed by producer Trey Bruce. After graduating from Berklee in September with a degree in Drum Performance, Steve plans to move to Nashville, where he will study one-on-one with drumming legend Eddie Bayers.

Joe Walsh, mandolin, vocals
Joe recently moved to Boston to enroll as the first Mandolin Performance student at Berklee College of Music. Some questions he's frequently asked there include... is that a banjo?...like, from the Eagles?...and...do you play jazz on that? The answers: no, yes, and no. He plays bluegrass. His time at Berklee has opened some doors, though, as he's had opportunities to share the stage with the likes of Bela Fleck, Earl Scruggs, and Ricky Skaggs, among others. "Joe is on the verge of becoming a major talent on the mandolin scene" – Mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko.

Kristin Weber, fiddle, vocals
Born in Aurora, Indiana, Kristin began studying violin at the age of four under the Suzuki method. When she was ten years old she added bluegrass fiddle lessons. From the age of ten until high school graduation she also played in numerous orchestras and symphonies including the Cincinnati Junior Strings and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. Her experiences at Mark O'Connor's fiddle camps in Tennessee got her interested in all styles of fiddle music, and eventually inspired her to choose music for her career. She is currently in her second year at Berklee as a Violin Performance student. Outside of classes she performs with the band Back Bay Bluegrass, as well as her touring indie-folk-rock band, The Young Republic.

For editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:

Rob Hayes
Office of Public Information
rhayes@berklee.edu
(617) 747-2566