Banjo Bash a pickin’ good time
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Legendary banjo player George Allen, right, teamed with 15-year-old Nathan Hanna, one the best new pickers on the scene, Friday at the fourth annual Banjo Bash, held at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center in Punta Gorda, and sponsored by the Gulf Coast Banjo Society.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
John Wildeman of the Gulf Coast Banjo Society sounded just like Louie Armstrong singing Its A Wonderful World, Friday at the fourth annual Banjo Bash in Punta Gorda.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Cathy Reilly Finns versions of "Shenandoah" and the theme from "Gone With the Wind" on banjo had many audience members on their feet applauding when she finished. She and her husband Mickey Finn (seen left, sitting atop a silver beer keg at the piano) entertained the audience with a medley of tunes.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Eight-year-old John Mark Sowell wooed the crowd with his musical talent and big smile.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Various musicians play at the entrance to the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center Friday before the performance.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
John and Charlotte Inman of Nokomis enjoy an evening out with friends Joan and Don Greenwood of Venice.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Sisters LaRae and Corrine Anderson arrive early to see the show.
SUN PHOTO BY SUE PAQUIN
Marsha Mellendorf of Nashville enjoys the evening with her sister Jean Ihman and Jean's husband Bill from Illinois. Bill played in two of the bands over the weekend, Damn Yankees and Off The Street.
PUNTA GORDA — Mickey Finn is the ultimate showman. For more than 50 years, he has entertained people with his “rubbery-fingered” piano-playing style. His Las Vegas Show ran for 30 years, and at the age of 26, he had his own television series.
But he is only half the team. His wife Cathy Reilly Finn, a former Miss Delaware, won the talent portion of the Miss America contest by playing the banjo, and became the first woman elected into the National Banjo Hall of Fame in 2003.
