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Melvin Goins Melvin Goins was born during the 1930's near Bluefield West Virgina. He Grew up with his brother Ray Goins and performed with him on and off through Rays entire life. Melvin Goins has toured with several legendary bluegrass acts since 1953 and is currently still touring.
Early Years
As a child, Melvin grew up listening to Flatt and Scruggs and Ralph Stanly on the radio. These groups were two of Melvin's biggest
musical influences. He was very excited when his chance came in 1948 to hear Flatt and Scruggs live for the first time. Soon after hearing
Earl Scruggs play their theme song "Train 45" he acquired an old banjo from one of his cousins. Though, before learning to play the banjo, his brother Ray had started learning to play and proved to be a fast learner. Melvin then took up the guitar and began learning to play. Melvin Goins performed his first show during the winter of 1951. Melvin performed with his brother Ray Goins on a local radio station, WKOY, in Bluefield W.V. At age 16, Melvin took first place in a band competition out of Bluefield W.V. He play and sang one of Flatt and Scruggs songs, "I'm Gonna Settle Down." After this, he soon bought his first "real" guitar; it was a Southern Jumbo Gibson guitar.
Musical Career
During August of 1953, Melvin started performing with Benard Dillion and Joe Meadows who made up the Shenandoah Playboys. The short time melvin played with the Playboys was heard through WHIS radio show out of Bluefield and would perform at Saturday night dances. These were hard times for everyone,[1]but especially for musicians trying to find as much work as possible and support families. To help keep shows coming in, Melvin started his hand as a booking agent along with playing the guitar. Only one month later and Melvin started working on the road with Ezra Cline and the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers in November of 1953. The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers were playing evrey night during the week at movie theaters. Over the next several years the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers would release albums under RCA Records,Victor Records, and Starday Records. Melvin would rejoin the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers in 1961 and perform on a weekly Monday night television show at WCYB-TV in Bristol. In 1966, Melvin received a call from the Stanley Brothers. He started working with the Stanley Brothers on January 18, 1966. During this time, the Stanley Brothers were made up by Ralph Stanley, Carter Stanley, George Shuffler and Melvin Goins. Around this time, Melvin started doing some comedian work and trying to play bass. In doing so, Melvin started wearing a polka dot suit, so Carter Stanley gave Melvin the nickname "Big Wilbur". Melvin was still working with Carter Stanley the last year he lived. Melvin and his brother Ray Goins formed the Goins Brothers band in May of 1969. The brothers formed this band after Melvin left the Stanley Brothers. During this time, Melvin also ran a festival in Lake Stephens, West Virginia. he would later move the location of the festival and keep it going for another couple of years. The Goins Brothers would return to television in December of 1975 and had a weekly Saturday morning show on WKYH-TV based out of Hazard Kentucky. He played this show until the station was sold in 1994.
Later Years
In 2005, Melvin and his brother Ray filmed a two part documentary as part of the International Bluegrass Music Museums oral history project. Melvin has released his most recent CD on the Blue Circle Label in 2008, titled "Dancing in the Dirt". [2] References
[3]
Rosenberg, Neil. Bluegrass A History. University of Illinois Press.
- ^ Wright, John 1941. Traveling the Highway Home: Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional Bluegrass Music. Urbana University of Illinois Press, 1993
- ^ Rosenberg, Neil. Bluegrass A History. University of Illinois Press.
- ^ Wright, John (1941). Traveling the Highway Home: Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional Bluegrass Music. Urbana.: University of Illinois Press, 1993.