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Band Members: Back Row Left: Alan Strickland – Banjo Back Row Right: Matt Maydew – Mandolin Front Row Left: Larry Beem – Dobro Front Row Middle: Jennifer Strickland – Bass Fiddle Front Row Right: Butch Suitt – Guitar |
For Booking Information Contact:
Alan Strickland
3191 St Rt. 14
West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 257-2335
(417) 257-2015
Email: alan5557@webtv.net
First Impression won first place at the SPBGMA International Bluegrass Competition
In Nashville, TN.
First Impression was also voted “Instrumental Band of the Year”, “Album of the Year”
and Alan Strickland was voted “Banjo Player of
the Year” at the SPBGMA awards
festival in Jefferson City,
MO.
Check out these great cassettes and CD’s that First
Impression has for sale HERE!!!!
They’re burning up the bluegrass circuit!! First Impression has been gaining new fans (since 1989) with their extraordinary talent and high-energy showmanship. Winners of SPBGMA’s “Instrumental Band of the Year” award in 1994 and 1995, “Album of the Year” in 1997 and second place winners of the 2000 SPBGMA International Bluegrass Band Competition, these are exceptional singers, songwriters and musicians.
The combination of good taste and raw drive comes to its fullest realization in Alan Strickland. Band leader and founding member, Alan’s home is West Plains, Missouri. He began his musical career at the age of twelve. His stage experience includes such groups as The Strickland Family, The Ozark Drifters, The Izard County Boys, Bluegrass Attack, as well as several others. Alan has earned trophies throughout the Midwest, and his banjo picking abilities were acclaimed at the SPBGMA awards. He was voted “Banjo Player of the Year” in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000, by adoring fans that know and love him. Alan’s impeccable tenor, lead vocals, and musicianship make him simply the best of the best.
The upright bass is the foundation of any great band. One of the finest in the industry is Jennifer Strickland of West Plains, Missouri. Her career began around the age of eight when she traveled and entertained all over the country with her grandfather, James. She won first place in Solemn Old Judge Days, placed in the Arkansas State Junior Division. Jennifer was nominated in 1997 and 2000 for SPBGMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year (Contemporary), in 1998 and 2000 for Bass Player of the Year, and in 2000 for Songwriter of the year. Utilizing the sound that she heard all of her life, Jennifer incorporates her own emphasis to create an unsurpassed and energetic style in her singing and playing. Jennifer is the daughter of Alan Strickland, who both live in West Plains, Missouri.
Butch Suitt: guitarist and vocalist extraordinaire began playing at the age of eight, growing up and picking with such people as Rhonda Vincent and Brent Truitt. Butch was voted SPBGMA’s Most Promising Guitar Player at the age of sixteen, and was nominated in 2000 for Male Vocalist of the Year (contemporary). Butch has played at the Big Blue Marble in New York, a show for talented children around the world. Butch adds a great sense of humor to the stage and keeps the audience captivated by his incredible vocal style. He makes his home in Mt. Vernon Arkansas.
Larry Beem began his musical journey at the ripe age of seven, playing steel guitar in a family band. His talents have extended from electric steel and bass guitar in earlier years to banjo and resophonic guitar in more recent years. His hunger for bluegrass grew from playing with bands such as Jasper County Line, A Touch of Grass and Bluegrass Addiction. Larry was a 2000 nominee for SPBGMA's Dobro Player of the Year. He continues to have a desire to mingle with audiences and fans and is always willing to participate in jam sessions. He brings a much-desired contribution to First Impression with his one-of-a-kind resophonic guitar playing style and his entertaining stage presence. Larry hales from Mingo, Iowa.
When it comes to aggressive mandolin picking, look no further than Matt Maydew. Don’t let his young age fool you, Matt has had the opportunity to play with several acts including Stella Parton, Don and Shelly Smith, Vic Jordan, and still performs with the band Hogmolly. Matt isn’t exactly a new face to First Impression, he was a member in 1990. Matt’s biggest mandolin influences have been Mitch Land, David Wilson, and Barry Winn. When he was thirteen, Matt won second place in the Missouri Mandolin Contest. He was a 2000 SPBGMA Mandolin Player of the Year Nominee. Matt is also a great fiddler, guitarist, and vocalist and sang at the Carnegie Hall in New York City. Matt lives in Lebanon, Missouri.