One day in the summer of 1995, I returned home from work to hear Aaron playing my Kay bass along with Ricky Skaggs' version of “Kentucky Thunder.” Aaron was 10. He asked, “Daddy is this right?” I said, “Yeah. Who showed you that?’

I had shown Aaron a bit about the bass. One time. For maybe 10-15 minutes. He could hear it and understood it, probably better than I did. I think I was still having trouble tying my shoes at 10.

Over the next two years I built a mandolin using Roger Siminoff’s book as a guide. Aaron had begun experimenting with a friend’s mandolin on occasion. In the spring of 1997, we traveled to MerleFest, Aaron’s first trip there. He carried a backpack with CDs we had bought prior to attending. We plotted our courses and he got the CDs signed by the artists that were there. We also saw a young Ashby Frank trying out mandolins. Aaron asked, “how does he know how to play that Steffey stuff?” I told him, “maybe he’s been practicing really hard.” I didn’t even know that Aaron knew who Adam Steffey was, much less what his licks on the mandolin sounded like.

Later that spring, I finished the home-cobbled, Daddy-made mandolin. Inside it is a label made from brown paper that reads: 1997, Michael D Ramsey in collaboration with Aaron Michael Ramsey. Aaron started practicing in earnest. That fall he began playing with our Gospel group, Damascus Road. He was almost 13.

When Aaron was 16, I bought him a Lebeda mandolin from Jeff Cowherd. In return for payment, he agreed to help mow grass at home for 3 summers. The mandolin arrived on a Wednesday, we practiced on Thursday and began a recording with his new mandolin on Saturday. That was the final Damascus Road recording, “Higher Ground.”

During the IBMA in the fall of 2001, an endorsement deal was worked out with Jiri Lebeda and Jeff Cowherd. In mid April of 2002, Aaron received 2 identical mandolins from them, built with Aaron’s input. He was to keep one. Almost 2 weeks later, he entered and won the MerleFest Mandolin Contest.  He was supposed to play at MerleFest on Saturday with the other instrument contest winners for a short set on the Cabin Stage. He was unable to do so as we traveled to Huntington, WV to play the final set of Damascus Road dates. The word got to Steffey about the contest and Adam called, telling Aaron how proud he was of him.

On the way home, the decision was made to form The Linville Ridge Band. The original members were Perry Woodie-banjo, dobro, Corey Pittman-guitar, fiddle, Aaron Ramsey-mandolin, guitar and old Dad on the bass. The first band recording, “A Road To Anywhere” was released in early 2004. David Wiseman came onboard in May of 2004, replacing Corey Pittman, to play the mandolin and fiddle. Aaron switched to the guitar in this configuration.

In June of 2005, “Hopes and Dreams” was released. Aaron engineered, produced and mixed this recording himself. It was the #24 bluegrass release of 2005 as voted by the listeners of WNCW. It was also the #11 regional release that year, pitting the recording against all regional recordings submitted to WNCW, covering many varied genres of music.

In February of 2006, Aaron traveled to Tacoma, WA, to play bass as a fill-in with Randy Kohrs & the Lites. The next month he officially became a member of that band, playing bass until August of 2006, when he switched back to the mandolin. During the late fall/early winter of 2003, Aaron had played mandolin on some tracks that Randy eventually used in his recording “I’m Torn.” He played bass and mandolin on several tracks of Kohrs’ next CD, “Old Photograph,” released in early 2007.

On a Thursday night in the fall of 2007, he got a call for another fill-in gig. No pressure. Just to fill in for Adam Steffey with Mountain Heart at a private party at Naomi Judd’s home. He spent that Thursday night and most of the next day practicing to be prepared as best he could on such short notice. Upon talking with Barry Abernathy a few weeks later, Barry said given the short notice, it couldn’t have been any better. He was impressed.

Knowing Steffey was to leave Mountain Heart at the end of 2007, Abernathy had considered auditioning several mandolin players. Then, another fill-in gig opened up for Aaron with Mountain Heart.

Aaron called me one night to ask what I had planned for Saturday night. Nothing. He asked, “do you want to go listen to some music?” I asked, “who and where?” He said “Nashville.” Thinking about a 5 hour drive, I asked a bit more sternly, “WHO?”

I had made a promise to myself that if Aaron ever got the chance to play The Grand Ole Opry, I would be there.

Then he said, “I get to fill-in for Steffey with Mountain Heart on The Opry.” I’m glad I was sitting. Plans were made for travel. Tickets were secured. Film and digital camera cards were bought. That night, 12-1-07, during the pre-show interview by Keith Bilbrey, Aaron was introduced on-air by Barry Abernathy as the newest member of Mountain Heart.

I tried to shoot 35mm that night and none of my pics turned out. It had been years and I had forgotten how. But the memories are burnt into my mind. The Opry show at The Ryman . Going across the alley to eat at Jack’s BBQ between shows. The events of that night not sinking in, even after returning home on Sunday night.

Memories. Tons of them. More of them to be made and enjoyed. Music to be made and enjoyed. 


          -Michael D. Ramsey