****  2011 Nominees for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards  ****

L-R: Trina Emig – Banjo, Mandolin
Margie Drees – Fiddle, Vocals
Ma Crow- Guitar, Vocals
Vicki Abbott- Doghouse Bass, Vocals

Ma Crow and The Lady Slippers is an all-female bluegrass band from Cincinnati, Ohio, and a 2011 Cincinnati Entertainment Award nominee.  Ma Crow is a legendary acoustic artist in the Cincinnati area, a CAMMY (a Cincinnati Grammy) award winner, and a multi-nominee for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Ma Crow’s past performances have included the Ohio State Fair, Tall Stacks, the Appalachian Festival, the Wool Festival, Queen City Balladeers summer concerts, Taste of Cincinnati, Richwood Bluegrass Festival, and live radio shows at WNKU in Northern Kentucky; WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio; WPFB in Middletown, Ohio; WFPK in Louisville, Kentucky; WAIF in Cincinnati, Ohio; and WGAD in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Lady Slippers include Ma Crow (vocals and guitar), Trina Emig (banjo and mandolin), Margie Drees (vocals and fiddle), and Vicki Abbott (vocals and bass).  Each member brings decades of professional experience, creating a unique blend of superb instrumentation and vocals.  Some of the band’s recent performances include the historic Hoosier Theater in Vevay, Indiana; the Blue Plate Special live on WDVX in Knoxville, TN; the Red Barn Radio Hour in Lexington, Kentucky; the Richwood Opry in Richwood, Kentucky; and the historic General Store in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky.

In November, 2011, The Lady Slippers were featured in an article in the well-known Cincinnati arts and entertainment magazine City Beat and were one of only six bands selected to perform at the prestigious Cincinnati Entertainment Awards at the Madison Theater.  Ma Crow’s latest CD, Smoky Junction, received a stellar review in the Cincinnati Enquirer in December, 2011, and was listed in City Beat as one of the top 100 CD’s in Cincinnati for 2011.  The CD was also selected by the Cincinnati Public Library to be added to their musical inventory and was reviewed in the national publication Bluegrass Unlimited.

From ballads to bluegrass and old-time to contemporary, this beautiful acoustic music is filled with masterful instrumentals and sweet mountain harmonies.  This band values every show and strives to make each one special, knowing that music is a treasure and gift to be shared.

Trina Emig:

Trina has been playing banjo since 1988.  She has performed and recorded with bands including the Appalachian Grass, Kentucky 31, Missy Werner and Next in Line, Katie Laur’s All-Girl Bluegrass band, Ma Crow and the Medicine Show, and the Motherpluckers.  She also played drums and recorded with Dr. Twang and the Stainless Steel.  She has made guest appearances with Bill Grant and Delia Bell in Hugo, OK and Xenia, OH as well as Women in Bluegrass at IBMA in Louisville, KY.  Regional performances include Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO; Carter Fold, VA; and the Sandpiper Inn in Baltimore, MD.  Local performances include Tall Stacks, Taste of Cincinnati, the Appalachian Festival, Arnold’s, Leo’s Coffeehouse, the Madison Theater, the Aronoff Center with the Cincinnati Women’s Choir “MUSE”, as well as live radio shows on WNKU in Northern KY. Trina has an instrumental CD available through the contact page of this website or digitally at CDBaby.  Trina also has a banjo instruction book, titled Becoming Banjo Worthy available through the contact page of this website, through Trina’s website, or through Amazon (coming soon).

Margie Drees:

Margie is an accomplished bass player, fiddle player, and vocalist and is a graduate of CCM (College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati).  She has been playing bluegrass music in Cincinnati and Northern KY for many years and has performed regionally at the Station Inn, Nashville, TN; the Osborne Brothers Festival, Hyden, Kentucky; the J. D. Crow Festival, Wilmore, Kentucky;  Bill Jorgenson’s Bluegrass Festival, Green Bay, Wisconsin; the Salt River Bluegrass Festival, Oil City, Michigan; and many others.  She has played in the Jenni Lyn Band, Appalachian Highway, Crossroads, Farm Hand, and Bittersweet (acoustic duo).  She has also recorded on Ma Crow’s latest CD, Smoky Junction.  Her tight harmonies with Ma, her excellent lead vocals, and her wonderful fiddle playing all make her an irreplaceable member of the Lady Slippers.

Ma Crow:

Ma is a longtime veteran of folk and bluegrass music.  She won a CAMMY in 1999.  She has recorded with various artists including Harold Kennedy, Roger Yeardly, the Flock, and Plow on Boy.  She was a featured guest with the Cincinnati Women’s Choir “MUSE”, a member of the Irish Ramblers, Mid-Life Crisis Ramblers, M.C. Blue, Chicken Deluxe, Friends of the Family, and Katie Laur’s All-Girl Bluegrass band. She played for many years with the well known Cincinnati band Ma Crow and the Flock and also formed her own bands, Ma Crow and the Medicine Show and also the Motherpluckers (nominees for a Cincinnati Entertainment Award).  Performances include the Ohio State Fair, Tall Stacks, the Appalachian Festival, the Wool Festival, Queen City Balladeers summer concerts, Taste of Cincinnati, Richwood Bluegrass Festival, and live radio shows at WNKU in Northern KY; WYSO in Yellow Springs, OH; WPFB in Middletown, OH; WAIF in Cincinnati, OH; and WFPK in Louisville, KY.

Vicki Abbott:

Vicki has been a DJ  at www.WorldwideBluegrass.com since 2005 and does her own show, “Abbott’s Bluegrass Habit”, every Wednesday afternoon from noon until 2:00pm eastern time.  “One of my proudest moments was the day I received a certificate from Miss Dixie Hall naming me an Honorary Daughter of Bluegrass!“  Vicki has been playing bass since 2008 with several local bands including East Fork Junction.  She has recorded bass on Ma Crow’s latest CD Smoky Junction.  She remembers,  as a young child, hearing the bluegrass and classic country that her parents always listened to, but then she got away from it for many years and didn’t start listening to bluegrass again until only about 10 years ago.  “It’s been like coming home.  And the friendships I’m making are the greatest blessing of all.” Vicki’s solid timing on the bass holds the Lady Slippers music together.  And her harmony and lead vocals are a treat to listen to.

 

Ma Crow and the Lady Slippers at the Hoosier Theater, October 8, 2011:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ma Crow and the Lady Slippers at the Cincinnati
Entertainment Awards November 20, 2011: