Critton Hollow String Band

Since 1975, the Critton Hollow String Band has brought traditional American music to international audiences. Combining the fiddle, hammer dulcimer, banjo, and guitar, the band tends a stable of songs from the first settlements of Appalachia to the best of contemporary American folk music. Made up of Joe Herrmann, Sam Herrmann, and Joe Fallon, the trio combines precise instrumentation, melodic interplay, and three-part harmony to create a warm and engaging sound. As Mitch Podolak, the artistic director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, commented, they have a "unique ability to make their audience feel a part of their performance." The Critton Hollow String Band has played at numerous festivals and concert venues, including the Birchmere Music Club and the Kennedy Center, and has also appeared on prominent radio shows like Mountain Stage and the Today Show. In their long musical career, the band has produced seven old-time albums: Gather 'round (2009), The Dulcimer Collection (2000), Cowboys and Indians (1995), Great Dreams (1988), By and By (1985), Sweet Home (1983), and Poor Boy (1979).