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Headin' Up To Roy's

by Gap Civil

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about

Born in 1917, Roy Martin was a remarkable musician and man who lived in Alleghany County, NC. He lived in a cinder block house with only a screen door and no indoor plumbing and never had a wife or children. While he never had a driver’s license, he used a 54 Chevy Car mirror mounted to a CB mic stand to help him see enough to cut his own hair with a straight razor.

As Kyle was growing up, Kyle’s dad Snake would often say, “We’re headin’ up to Roy’s,” where they would be joined by other local musicians for an evening of music and tales. Day or night, anytime you pulled up to Roy’s, he would be sitting there ready to play. He played guitar, harmonica, and lap steel, and his playing had a major impact on Kyle and many others in the community. For many years he played a 1950 Gibson J-45 but sold it to a guy who painted his house, and he also had a 62 Supra Model lap steel. Later on he bought a Sigma Martin guitar from Jennings music store in Galax, VA. He was particularly known for his creative runs, and we asked Kyle to write a tune that would highlight the runs that Roy used to do - we are proud of this original tune by Kyle Dean Smith.

The video was filmed at the location of Roy’s old house, and we even tried to park exactly where they used to park - they would always turn around and be pointing down the road to make departures easy after the music was over. The shed we are playing in front of is the last remaining structure from Roy’s time. In the old footage, you can see Kyle and Snake as younger men picking along with Roy on the harmonica, which he played more as he got older.

Roy died in 1996. He was never featured on any commercial recordings, but we hope that he can live on through our band and in the hearts and memories of many in our community.

Headin' Up to Roy's was composed by Kyle Dean Smith

Videography by Kevin Combs, Friesland Productions

Recorded at Eastwood Studios, Cana, VA.

Old footage musicians
Roy Martin: harmonica
Kyle Dean Smith : lead guitar
Snake Smith: guitar
Richard Smith: fiddle

credits

released October 20, 2023
The band
Todd Hiatt: mandolin
Chris Johnson: banjo, bass
Lucas Pasley: fiddle
Kyle Dean Smith: guitar

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all rights reserved

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Gap Civil Sparta, North Carolina

Gap Civil is an old time band based in Sparta, NC with Caroline Beverley on guitar, Chris Johnson on banjo, Lucas Pasley on fiddle and Kyle Dean Smith on bass. Our music is rooted in the traditions of our region, a diamond-shaped area extending roughly from Sparta, Lowgap, Galax, and Whitetop. ... more

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