Carroll Swam – photo © Arnold Dickens
Life-long bluegrass vocalist and guitarist Carroll Swam, who figured prominently in the Baltimore, MD music scene, died June 4 at 85 years of age.
Growing up in northern Baltimore County, he became a follower of Marvin Howell & The Franklin County Boys in 1967, and a love affair with bluegrass music began. The band performed regularly on WMET TV, and on radio for WVOB and WBMD, and when the bass spot opened up, Carroll jumped at the chance to join the group. He stayed for as long as he could handle the demanding schedule, as he was then teaching second grade at a local school.
Swam then became a founding member of Keystone, along with Larry Smith, Tom Runkle, and Dick Laird. With Bluestone Carroll switched to playing guitar where he was more comfortable, and took on the lead singing role. They were together into the early 1970s and opened shows frequently when national touring acts like The Osborne Brothers and Jim & Jesse came to town.
He worked for a time with Jeff Presley and South Central Bluegrass after Keystone disbanded, before helping create the band Bluestone in 1993, for which most Capitol area grassers will remember Swam. They continued performing up into the 2020s, and recorded an excellent album for Patuxent Music, What Goes On, in 2014. It is still available on CD and for streaming and download. Dick Laird was a fellow founding member, and the reason that he and Carroll kept the “stone” portion of the band name.
A good many fine musicians were involved with Bluestone over the years, including Jon Glick, Ben Saap, Russ Hopper, Chris Warner, and even a young Patrick McAvinue.
In more recent years Carroll had created a new group he called Bluegrass and the Blues, with Mike Traynor on banjo and reso-guitar, Katelynn Casper on fiddle, and A.E. Bull on bass.
Throughout his long bluegrass career fans enjoyed hearing Carroll’s smooth singing and solid guitar playing, and he made friends everywhere he performed.
After retiring from the school system, Swam opened an antique shop, The Gatchellville Store in New Park, PA, where he indulged his other passion for antiques and collectibles, and hosted jam sessions for pickers in the area.
Carroll Swam’s influence on bluegrass music in Baltimore, and throughout the DC Metro region is extensive, and his lovely voice and warm smile will be greatly missed.
A memorial service will be announced in the near future.
R.I.P., Carroll Swam.
