Susan Kemper
"Traditional folk and old-timey music makes me smile. So does plunking my banjo."
Susan plays traditional and mountain folk, old-timey songs she learned from her Aunties, and standard country. She also performs songs from a program she created called Whistle Daughter Whistle, about the roles and portrayals of women in historical American stories and music. Susan sings and plays her two Gibson guitars: a J-200 and a Gibson-12 string. "Recently, I'm really enjoying playing the Collings guitar that I swiped from Andy. It rings and booms like a bell." She sometimes brings her favorite wedding present, an Olsen five-string open-backed banjo, played mountain style, given to her by her husband, Andy.
Here is Susan performing Two Maids Went A-Milking live at the Acoustic Brew in January of 1994--yes, many a year ago. She's recording new versions of the songs from the Whistle, Daughter, Whistle for release early in 2005.
Susan started playing and singing when she was 12 years old. Her family was her loving audience and the jeering crowd. They helped her become the artist she is today. Susan takes the songs she finds and makes them her own. When she sings them for others, she shares herself and the song, and everyone follows the story she tells.
Susan is lead singer for the acoustic trio Red Apple Juice, featuring Andy Tolins on a couple of instruments, and Bill Stetz on the upright bass. Their repertoire is old-time and contemporary bluegrass, country standards, rockabilly, and anything else that they wanted to sing in three-part harmony and that they can arrange with their instruments. Red Apple Juice appeared in numerous arts and music festivals, community music series, and public and private venues throughout the state and the region. They still perform when they are in the same place at the same time.
Listen to Susan sing a bit of Housewife's Lament live at the Acoustic Brew in State College, PA. © 1994
Read more about Susan at her page of writings--dare we call it a blog--here at the SKAT Music Productions site.