Lydia, Emily and Claude Martin

Lydia and Emily Martin, sisters from a musical family, are an exciting duo playing traditional music on banjo, mandolin, guitar, recorder, tin whistle, mountain dulcimer and piano. Their brother, Fiddlin' Claude Martin, is a versatile and dynamic musician who makes up the third corner of a great sibling trio. They share a repertoire of Appalachian, Irish, 18th century and earlier European and American music. Lydia's banjo playing is drawn from the styles of Appalachia and early African-American musicians. Claude's fiddling and Emily's mandolin/tenor banjo style include Irish music, ragtime, and Old Time. Their vocal harmonies stem from the traditional singing of Appalachia and especially that of their great-aunt, Miss Ruby Vass of Hillsville, VA, who was recorded for the Smithsonian Institution by Alan Lomax. Lydia, Emily and Claude Martin perform at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, where they have introduced thousands of visitors to the roots of today's traditional American music.Myspace Contact Tables