By Penny Parsons

The Steep Canyon Rangers

Sometimes timing is key. For the Steep Canyon Rangers, synchronicity has repeatedly and often uncannily played a major role. Yet their success is not a fluke. It is the result of hard work, dedication, focus, enthusiasm, and the bands adroitness at being ready and able to take the ball and run when opportunities come their way. Still, looking back, sometimes it almost feels as if there’s magic at work for this group.

The stage was set when North Carolinians Woody Platt, Graham Sharp, and Charles Humphrey III met and became friends as freshmen at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They all had some experience with music, though none of them had ever thought about playing bluegrass prior to that time. Charles had studied violin and bass in middle school. Graham had played saxophone in high school. Woody knew a few guitar chords, and had been influenced by his mother’s record collection, which included Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, and Sweet Honey In The Rock. Once in college, the friends were beginning to listen to bands that were at the fringe of bluegrass, including New Grass Revival, Old & In The Way, Norman Blake, and David Grisman. Before they knew it, bluegrass had cast its spell.

Graham reflects, “I don t really know how I settled on the banjo. It was kind of a whim. But, I remember I came back from spring break my freshman year and had decided I was going to play the banjo. It seemed like a natural thing to be doing. Around that same time, Charles recalls, “I had a dream that I was playing bass, so the next day, I went out and signed up for bass [classes] at UNC.” It wasn’t long before Woody brought a guitar from home.

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