Barry St. Mane is certainly one the most well known 5-string banjo players in the area. He has played in a number of Bluegrass groups going back thirty years including Buckacre, The Middle Spunk Creek Boys, Minnegrassco (with Leo), Wheatstraw Suite (with Ben), The Pretty Good Bluegrass Band and Tangled Roots. The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old Time Music Association named Barry their favorite banjo player on the occasion of the organization's 25th Anniversary.

 

Leo Rosenstein hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has been involved with Bluegrass music for over thirty years. Leo is an alumnus of quite a number of Minnesota bands including Minnegrassco, The Dakota Drifters, The Nash Ramblers, and Kimmel-Rosenstein & Company. Leo participated in two CD's with Dick Kimmel that were released on Copper Creek Records in the 1990's. Leo has been engaged with a number of Bluegrass tours both nationally and internationally including and extensive tour of Great Britain in 1994.

 

Ben Manning plays the guitar and occasionally picks up the mandolin; he brings some fine lead vocals to the band's repertoire. Born in Bangor, Wales, Ben grew up near Liverpool, England (and yes, he did actually meet The Beatles). He has been playing Bluegrass music since 1966 with many bands, in both England and the USA. In Minnesota he has performed with Woodrush, Wheatstraw Suite, Bluegrass Inc., and most recently with Dick Kimmel & Co.

 

Katryn Conlin (string bass) is a relative newcomer to the music. She began playing Bluegrass semi-professionally in 1993 and has played guitar in several Minnesota-based bands, including Strawberry Jam, Woodrush and the Skirts. She took up the bass in jam sessions with the boys in Long Time Gone and has since made herself useful to the band both in the rhythm section and in the department of harmony vocals.