Bill Gaston
Banjo player Bill Gaston grew up on 60s/70s rock and roll while living in New
Jersey. He began playing guitar in 6th grade, but
recalls that he got his introduction to Bluegrass accidentally at the age of 15 by his best friend, who was the
brother of legendary New Jersey/New York banjo player, Steve Lutke. Bill says, "Steve's brother and I
were riding down Route 23 in a pushbutton transmission Dodge Dart, and I picked up a cassette
that was lying on the seat and dropped it into the cassette player. It was the Osborne Brothers
and the first song on it was "Ruby" and I just about had a heart attack!"
"I picked up a cassette that was lying on the seat and dropped it into the cassette player. It was the Osborne Brothers and the first song on it was "Ruby" and I just about had a heart attack!"
Bill began taking banjo lessons from Steve Lutke. Bill was influenced early on by the playing of JD Crowe, Bill Keith, Sonny Osborne, and of course Earl Scruggs.
He joined Three Wheel Drive around 1983, and started Hidden Drive in 1986. He has also played with Wildbranch and Two Chord Jones. Bill was a former promoter of the Vermont Bluegrass Family Festival, 1997- 1999. Bill sings lead, tenor and bass with Big Spike Bluegrass.
He plays a Gibson banjo which he bought from Pete Langdell. Bill recalls, "Pete brought a banjo that he had just picked up that day to a gig one night and asked me to play it. I did, and I hated it. Pete brought the same banjo a couple of weeks later to another gig after setting it up properly and again asked me to play it, and I wouldn't. He kept asking me to try it, just for a few songs, and I told him that I'd already tried it and I thought it sounded awful. Finally, just so Pete wouldn't bug me anymore, I did play it. I picked it for two songs and told him right then and there that I'd buy it, whatever he was charging. It was the difference between night and day. Just goes to show what a good setup will do."
Bill lives in Enosburg, Vermont. Contact Bill at bill@bigspikebluegrass.com.