Keltic Kudzu and Members
Founded at the turn of the century, Keltic Kudzu performs the world of
Celtic music, and Celtic music of the world. From early madrigals to Elvis,
from Dougie MacLean to Dolly Parton, from Loch Lomond to Louisiana to Led
Zeppelin, we dig for the Celtic roots.
In the early days of the southern US, settlers from Scotland, Ireland and
England brought their music with them to the hills of Georgia, Tennessee and
the Carolinas. Their jigs, reels and airs became the basis of early American
fiddle tunes, eventually laying the foundations of bluegrass and contemporary country music.
The solid vocal harmonies of Maggie and Merideth form the foundation of
our sound. The instrumental lineup is constantly changing. You never know
what’s coming next, but you know it'll be fun.
The Lineup
Atlanta native Maggie Anderson is the founding member of Keltic Kudzu and
all around ‘Band Mom’. A graduate of the music program from Rhodes College
in Memphis, Maggie possesses a terminal case of musical ADD (and an
impressive collection of instruments she can't play). She's an
accomplished vocalist and keyboard player who has studied and performed many
styles over the years including opera, pop, and musical theater. Lucky for
us, Maggie has found her true calling in performing quasi-traditional Celtic
music.
Maggie is a medical transcriptionist by day. She has
one adult daughter, Teresa, and is always happy to point out her grandson
Sage on the cover of our CD “In Our Own Country”.
- Roland RS-5 keyboard
- Michael Vignole handmade bodhran
Tom
Crawford
Born in New Jersey, Tom spent his teens soaking up musical influences in
1960s Greenwich Village. Rock and roll and rhythm & blues; punk and
bluegrass; Indian and Irish; classical and country. He’s never heard an
instrument that he didn’t want to try.
When he’s not performing, practicing or buying new instruments, Tom
is a managing partner at PVI Productions, a Web site developer that focuses on the
needs of small businesses and nonprofits. If you need a Web site, drop him a
line!
Tom and his wife Patty have two
adult children, Emily and James.
- Trinity College octave mandolin
- Takamine 12-string (DADGAD tuning)
- 1974 Martin D-18 guitar
- Steinberger Spirit 5-string bass
- 2000 Naill DN2 Great Highland bagpipes
- 2006 Walsh A2000 and D2000 smallpipes
Another Atlanta native, Merideth has been classically trained on the
fiddle since the age of ten. She spent two summers at Interlochen National
Music camp, with dreams of becoming a concert violinist. While attending the
Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, she found her passion
for bluegrass music and never turned back. Merideth was the original fiddler
for Cedar Hill, a well known Atlanta bluegrass band. She also has a
background in Irish/New England dance music, Cajun style, Waltz and
traditional old time music, and also sings with an all female a cappella
group, the Divas.
Merideth has the green thumb in the group and enjoys working with the
plants and flowers in her yard. She works in Human Resources for a large
healthcare system in Gwinnett County. Merideth and her husband Don have one
adult son, Drew.
Tim Porterfield
The
newest member of the group, Tim spent several years playing in various
acoustic combos in New England before moving to Atlanta in 1998, where he
joined the Pat Walsh group as principal guitarist and co-arranger for Pat's
2000 CD release, Egghead. Tim has also performed as a musician in theatre,
enjoying two runs of Marietta Theatre-In-The-Square's award-winning original
production of Turned Funny. Tim enjoys playing many different
styles of music but has a strong affinity to all things celtic, bluegrass
and Beatle-pop.
When not performing with Keltic Kudzu, Tim pays the mortgage as a
Marketing Manager for an Alpharetta software company, participates in the
Atlanta Kitchen Party (music of Newfoundland) and travels with wife Lisa and
daughter Kate.
- Bourgeois Ricky Skaggs Dreadnaught 6-string guitar
- 1933 National Duolian resonator guitar
- Olympia walkabout dulcimer
Photos by www.alaneffphotography.com