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Current" country-bluegrass group
United States Navy Band's "Country Current" country-bluegrass group is the Navy's premier country music ensemble. The seven-member group was formed in 1973 and quickly established itself in all aspects of country and bluegrass music. The group is under the direction of banjoist Senior Chief Musician Keith M. Arneson.
Touring the country each year in support of Navy Recruiting, they have performed with such artists as Boots Randolph, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill and David Ball. Country Current performed at the "Branson Cares–Help Start the Healing" tribute to the citizens of Oklahoma City and at the Glen Campbell Goodtime Theatre in Branson, Mo., on Memorial Day in 1995. Other credits include the Grand Ole Opry, Wheeling Jamboree and the Academy of Country Music Awards show.
Country Current performed at Branson's Silver Dollar City with Rhonda Vincent and Bradley Walker in May of 2008. The group performed at the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville, Tenn. in September of 2007. They played for thousands of NASCAR race fans in 2006 at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., and the DirecTV 500 in Martinsville, Va. In 2004, they performed at the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Ga., hosted by President George W. Bush. They celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2003 with a concert featuring past members Bill Emerson and Jerry Gilmore. They performed at the 24th Annual Congressional Barbecue in 2002, hosted by President and Mrs. Bush. In March 2000, the group was featured at the Mississippi Country-Bluegrass Spectacular in Columbia, Miss. In February 1999, the group performed with country music singer David Ball as part of The Pentagon Pops Musical Salute to America's "Guardians of Freedom" at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. In July 1998, the group performed for over 100,000 people at the Fort Vancouver 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular in Ft. Vancouver, Wash. In June 1994, they appeared at the Nova Scotia International Tattoo and in September 1992 at the Swedish Army Tattoo in Stockholm. In February 1989, they entertained Chinese officials in Beijing at a dinner hosted by former President and Mrs. George Bush.
In 1996, Country Current released a compact disc, Sugarland Run, featuring 18 country and bluegrass standards and originals. The CD received a rave review in the September 1997 issue of Bluegrass Now. The group's latest recording, Country Current LIVE, was released in the fall of 2004. The group received national acclaim during "Operation Desert Storm" for an original composition entitled "We Are With You", which aired on ABC's "Good Morning America, TNN's "Nashville Now" and over 500 U.S. and Canadian radio and television stations. Country Current appeared on CBS's "This Morning" in July 1994 and was featured for four consecutive years on the Department of the Interior's "Salute to America Independence Day Radio Program" airing on over 1,600 stations nationwide.
The group features an acoustic bluegrass quintet that was featured in 2002 at the Folk Festival in Anchorage, Alaska and in 2001 at the Mississippi Bluegrass Reunion in Purvis, Miss. They have made multiple appearances at the Wintergrass Bluegrass Festival (Tacoma, Wash.), the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival (Hillsdale, N.Y.), the Withlacoochee River Bluegrass Jamboree (Dunnellon, Fla.) and the Music in the Mountains Festival (Summerville, W.Va.). They were also featured at the 1999 Kissimmee Bluegrass (Fla.) Festival. The bluegrass ensemble performed at the 2006, 2000 and 1997 International Bluegrass Music Association's "Awards Show" and "FanFest" in Louisville, Ky., and in 1994 they performed at the IBMA's "Showcase" in Owensboro, Ky. In 1995, the group performed with bluegrass legend Bill Monroe in Rosine, Ky. Other festival appearances include "Grey Fox" (Ancramdale, N.Y.), "Festival of the Bluegrass" (Lexington, Ky.) and "Cherokee" (Cherokee, N.C.).
Constantly in demand as part of the Navy Band's "Music in the Schools" program, they offer a variety of concerts and demonstrations that complement music curricula in area schools.
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