Profiles by Ellary Smith

Patrick Crouch grew up in Caldwell County in a cotton mill house, surrounded by a musical family. Even within his own family, he was exposed to two different styles of guitar playing, and began playing guitar at age 11. He knew Old-Time Music simply as "music," and played frequently with his family and friends. Patrick bought his first banjo at age 16, and was also a member of a wind band at school, where he became skilled in wind instruments. By his college graduation in 1978, Patrick played almost all string and wind instruments. He added peddle steel guitar to his repertoire in 1980 and became even more adept in wind instruments such as flute, clarinet, trombone, and more, as a band teacher. His skill in his original instrument of guitar allowed him to teach a guitar class at Appalachian State University, one his now-wife, Kay, happened to take. He is a vocalist and plays a variety of instruments in his band, Strictly Clean and Decent, which features Patrick, Kay, and Ron Shuffler.

Kay Crouch was born in the Washington D.C. area and didn't experience the immediate exposure to Old-Time Music that Patrick did. However, artists like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley were renowned for their work across the country, not just in Appalachia. Kay began her musical career with piano lessons at age 10. She played flute and percussion in grade school and later entered East Carolina University with a major in piano and a minor in percussion. She switched her major and minor during her junior year, fully realizing her passion for percussion. During her college years, she first heard and grew familiar with Bluegrass music.  Later, she returned to the college environment as the director of the music program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. She now plays piano, guitar, percussion, flute, tin whistles, and is learning accordian. Strictly Clean and Decent highlights her skill as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist.

Trevor McKenzie is the Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies, supporting scholarships, research, and programming in the Appalachian region,  at Appalachian State University. He grew up in Southwestern Virginia in a thriving Old-Time, Bluegrass, and String-Band music scene. He started playing music at age 9, joining in on jams at his local barber's shop.  

He has harnessed his passion for keeping Appalachian stories alive by performing as an Old-Time fiddler, writing songs, and even publishing a book, Otto Wood, The Bandit, about a criminal frequently featured in Appalachian Ballads.