History of the Band

Mountain Thyme was founded in 1983 by five friends—Nancy Buckingham, Pam Curry, Bonnie Tatterson, Peggy Longwell, and Pat Epstein— who had been learning and playing traditional music together informally. The group’s initial musical interests included old time mountain tunes along with folk and Appalachian songs. In no time at all the band began to focus on traditional Celtic tunes and songs, as a reflection of the members’ growing interest in the music and songs of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and England.

The group’s first official performance as Mountain Thyme occurred in 1983. The Sunrise Museum in Charleston, West Virginia featured the National Irish Silver and asked this local fledgling Celtic band to provide entertainment for the opening reception. Mountain Thyme was well-received and encouraged to perform in other venues. The band began to appear fairly regularly at community concerts, parties, special events, public radio, schools and other appropriate settings. Band members also began the longstanding tradition of participating annually in Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop in Elkins, WV and/or in Celtic Week at The Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1987 they self-produced the first recording called Celtic Music With Mountain Touches (cassette only).

In 1989 Nancy left the group to follow other music paths. The group developed the “Ties That Bind” project to explore the musical connections between Ireland and West Virginia. With funding secured from a variety of local sources, they traveled to and performed in three communities in Ireland.

Upon return, they performed the Ties That Bind concert, complete with a custom slide show, as part of the FOOTMAD concert series in Charleston. The band produced its second recording, She Moved Through the Fair in 1992 and featured music from the project. Pat Epstein left the band in 1993.

The group continued to perform locally and across the region. Jan Carroll (formerly Hartstein) and Stacy Miller joined in 1993 and Libby Musser in 1996. The band produced the third recording, West Virginia Chose Me in 1997. Bonnie moved to Pennsylvania soon afterwards and Stacy moved to Tennessee later in the year.

In 1999 the group, with financial assistance from the WV Department of Culture and History, developed and participated in the “Journey to the Source” study tour of music and culture in both Ireland and Scotland. An article can be found at: www.leyline.org/cra/2000imbolc/mtn_thyme.

Peggy, a founding member, left the band in 2000 and Tom Thurman served as guest guitarist through a brief transition period. Mountain Thyme created, coordinated, and performed in, two “A Celebration of Appalachian Celtic Music in West Virginia” – music and dance performances hosted by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and co-sponsored by Friends of Old Time Music and Dance (FOOTMAD) in 2001 and 2002. The enthusiastic audience turnout for these performances underlined West Virginian’s strong interest in, and close connection to, Celtic music and culture.

Linda Workman joined the band in 2003. The four of us continue the Mountain Thyme tradition of music, good times, friendship, and performances. A Smile at the Door - is our most recent recording and it features some of our favorite songs and tunes from the recent past and present.

The Charleston Daily Mail recently featured Mountain Thyme in its Arts and Entertainment section. The article offers a little more background about the band.