In a story entitled The Grascals add girl power to their lineup, journalist Derek Halsey, writing for the Huntington, West Virginia Herald-Dispatch, previewed a recent Grascals show, the eighth featuring the band with recent banjo recruit, Kristin Scott Benson.
Benson spoke about her very interesting musical background ..
“My maternal grandfather, my Mom’s dad, was a professional mandolin player and he was half of the duet called Whitey and Hogan (Roy ‘Whitey’ Grant and Arval Hogan),” said Benson. “Hogan is my grandfather’s name. They were part of a larger group called the Briarhoppers. They had a 50-year career as Whitey and Hogan and with the Briarhoppers, and their heyday was in the 1940s. They played on WBT Radio in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was a powerhouse radio station in the day, and they had a daily radio show. Then, my Dad, all of his life, he just played for fun.”
The full story is available on line.
