Friends & colleagues for a number of years now & both living in the far west of Cornwall, it is only recently that Richard & Guy have combined their love of the acoustic guitar & hit the live music circuit together, bringing a fresh new sound & take to the ‘Ancient Tones’.

Guy Charles has brought a welcome touch of quality to Folk & Country music since his move down to Cornwall a few years ago. His background as an electric guitar player & songwriter in British New Wave, Punk & Rock music, adds both a passionate vocal delivery & clean, clear lead lines on acoustic guitar. He’ll be familiar to a lot of festival-goers as a member of ‘Cloudy In The West’, local devotees of early country music.

Richard Plank, originally from London, first got into the acoustic guitar & the American tradition, during the Folk Blues Revival of the 1960s while at Art College. Known for his fingerstyle playing & singing, Richard has worked both solo & with a number of Cornwall’s leading folk musicians. He has recently spent more time travelling & playing in the USA, while picking up tips on how to do it right from guitar masters Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence & Steve Kaufman. With distinct but compatible guitar & vocal styles, & a love of songs & tunes from the parlour to the prairie, these two musicians have now joined forces on the long, but rewarding, road to Hobohemia Heaven.

The keenly awaited debut CD from Richard Plank & Guy Charles is now available from the Acousticart label. Featuring twin acoustic guitars, Richard & Guy play & sing a stylish mix of early American Folk, Bluegrass, Blues & Old Time Fiddle Tunes. Accomplished playing, & with a feel for the music not often heard on this side of the ocean, Richard & Guy breathe fresh air into a fine collection of traditional American folk songs.

Their influences are well reflected in their choice of material; with Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Art Stamper, Charlie Poole & Mississippi John Hurt all represented on this debut CD. The flatpicking of Guy Charles and fingerstyle of Richard Plank combine to produce rich melodies & great rhythms, in the mold of Doc & Merle Watson, with sensitive & sometimes contemporary arrangements of traditional tunes that are the hallmark of the best American acoustic musicians.

Richard & Guy share strong & heartfelt lead vocals & well arranged harmonies; the title track ‘Going To The West’ and ‘The Hobo Song’ being strong favourites from their live set. This powerful collection of songs is further enhanced by the guest performances of Kate Lissauer (fiddle), Sibs Riesen (backing vocals & Appalachian dancing) & Jacqui Callis (backing vocals). Kate Lissauer & Sibs Riesen will be well known to fans of Old Time American music as members of the very highly rated ‘Buffalo Gals’.

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