Formed by
John Lair in 1979,
the New Coon Creek Girls carried on the bluegrass tradition established by
Lair's original
Coon Creek Girls in the 1930s. Just as he had with the first group,
Lair promoted
the New Coon Creek Girls through his radio show and concert hall, the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. Guitarist and banjoist
Vicki Simmons was one of the first performers to sign on to the group. Besides her musical talent,
Simmons also had a connection to the original
Coon Creek Girl, Lilly Mae Ledford, who had taught her the clawhammer banjo style. While the
NCCG lineup would fluctuate over the years,
Simmons was always a constant.
The band remained on
Lair's show until 1983, at which point they struck out on their own. Throughout the 1980s and '90s,
the Girls were a popular attraction on the bluegrass and folk festival circuit. By 1991, the lineup included
Simmons, banjoist
Ramona Church Taylor, vocalist and guitarist
Dale Ann Bradley, and
Pam Perry on vocals and mandolin. This lineup released 1994's
The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore as well as
Ain't Love a Good thing a year later. The mandolin of
Deanie Richardson replaced
Perry's for 1996's
Everything You Do, but
Perry and
Richardson both appeared on
Our Point of View two years later. By this point,
Bradley and
Simmons were playing in another combo, simply called Coon Creek. Teenage fiddling sensation Kati Penn also contributed to latter-day
NCCG recordings.
–
Johnny Loftus, Rovi