Where you grow into adulthood and where you choose to live both deeply affect the style of clawhammer you play.  A great example of this idea is Kevin Fore, who is not only known as a master of the Round Peak style of banjo, but is also a renowned banjo builder.  Born near Lowgap in the shadow of Round Peak, North Carolina, Kevin heard the music of his birthplace as a background beat to his growing up years, but didn’t really become aware of the music until he was in his 20’s.  Two events led him to become a master clawhammer player and a master old time musician.

            First, at the age of 26, he was told by his doctor that he had to quit his first love, dirt track car racing.  It seems that the dust from the tracks he raced on was creating a serious health threat for him. “You should play music,” a concerned doctor told him.  He didn’t take the recommendation seriously until one night in 1999, when his aunt and uncle asked him to go with him to hear legendary fiddler Benton Flippen and his band “The Smokey Valley Boys” play in nearby Sparta, NC.  He decided right then and there that he had to play the banjo.

            The second event he precipitated by heading over to Benton Flippen’s house, to meet the master fiddler who peaked his interest in old time music. Over time, Benton became a mentor and a grandfather figure to Kevin, steering his interest in music homeward, towards the Round Peak style of Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, and ultimately to his second musical obsession, the music and banjo building of Kyle Creed.

            Kevin’s journey with the banjo began with a few lessons in bluegrass up-picking, which quickly led him to the clawhammer sound of his native area.  Encouraged by his cousins who were rooted in the music: including Paul Sutphin, Verlen Clifton, and Kirk Sutphin, Kevin quickly developed a playing style rooted in music of the Camp Creek Boys and the other great players of the area.

            Soon he was playing onstage with his friend, Benton Flippen, as well forming his own band, Southern Pride, and forming a new version of the “Camp Creek Boys.”  Throughout the early 2000’s, Kevin became a solid competitor at conventions and festivals, winning the famous Johnson County, TN, Old Time Fiddlers Convention six times.

            As a result of this intense interest in clawhammer, Kevin began to crave building his own banjo.  He became infatuated with the banjos built by the recently deceased Round Peak player, Kyle Creed, who specialized in fretless banjos.  In 2007, Kevin completed his first banjo, built entirely in the Creed tradition.  Slowly, he perfected the craft and soon had his own shop.

            While attending a local square dance, he met a young woman from Lansing, NC named Trish Kilby.  Although neither knew, these two champion banjo players from totally different traditions (Trish had learned the Grayson County and Whitetop Mountain styles) were married and were immersed in old time music together. They soon moved to Galax, to be closer to the music festivals in Virginia, and both established themselves as masters of their separate styles.

            Since that time, both Kevin and Trish have won countless festival ribbons each and together, and have formed their own band where Kevin now plays fiddle. They have toured frequently throughout the region becoming staples at the Galax Fiddlers Convention, The Fries Fiddlers Contest, The Grayson County Fiddlers gathering, (Elk Creek), The Blue Ridge Folk Life  Festival, and many more.

            Recently, Kevin was invited with his friend and musical collaborator to visit The Smithsonian where the two musicians were allowed to play Tommy Jarrell’s fiddle and Kyle Creed’s personal banjo.  The music that originated deep in the base of Round Peak mountain has now traveled the world, thanks to the playing and building of Kevin Fore.