M.S.G. - The Acoustic Blues Trio performs traditional Piedmont blues. Their style of music has been influenced by the likes of Archie Edwards, Etta Baker, and Cephas & Wiggins. This band can raise the roof with some old-fashioned house party tunes, make you laugh with their witty originals and then make you weep with blues ballads! They all perform with the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation Band. They have performed at numerous regional festivals including: Blues in the 'Burg, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Artscape, and Bayou Boogaloo. They have also had the honor of performing on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage
Jackie Merritt
Jackie Merritt - harmonica player, is an accomplished visual artist and musician. She performs in several bands: M.S.G. (harmonica, guitar and bones); and Blues Xchange (bass). For three years, she was Phil Wiggins' harmonica teaching assistant at Augusta Heritage Center's "Bluesweek" at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV. You can hear her harmonica on the syndicated PBS series "Cultivating Life", which has aired for two years.
In July of 2009, Jackie was awarded the honor of being the first recipient of the John Cephas Scholarship created to carry on the study and tradition of Piedmont style guitar at Centrum's Country Blues Workshops, Port Townsend, WA.
Miles Spicer
Miles Spicer - guitarist, demonstrates the distinctive technique of the Piedmont style. He considers himself fortunate to have known late Piedmont blues greats Archie Edwards and John Jackson, as well as having learned from John Cephas and Michael Baytop. He is currently the treasurer of the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation. In addition to M.S.G., he also plays with the Riverdale Ramblers Cajun Band.
