Swamp Mamas

This band consists of Barbara Whitney on fiddle, Patty McCollom on banjo, whistle and vocals, Marie Bruno on guitar, Dennis Louie on percussion, and Marcella Wagoner and Ellen Swope alternating on bass.

Marie Bruno: My earliest musical influences were Jazz and Classical music, but I got the desire to start singing and playing guitar after hearing and meeting folk singer Terrea Lea in the early 60's. I was a professional recording session vocalist from 1969-1974 and am currently a member of two other bands, Rainmakers and Get Reel!

Dennis Louie: Dennis is one of those rareties, a native angeleno.  After a lifelong

fascination with Celtic music and percussion, he finally decided to do something

about it 2 years ago by picking up the bodhran, the Irish frame drum and the

pennywhistle.  During this time Dennis has also become active in the local

instruments to his repertoire.  Oh yes, to support his music and dance habit,

Patty McCollom: My earliest musical influence came from hearing my father play honky-tonk style piano in the living room. I think my father would have been a musician if he hadn’t had a family to support, but, with our economic situation being rather uncertain, that was not an option for him. Since I grew up in a place two hours from the Louisiana border, I also remember hearing the Cajun music played by the oil workers who came to Houston to work on the oil rigs. Of course, no one, who grows up in Texas, can escape hearing the obligatory Country and Western music, so I suppose I was influenced by that as well. It wasn’t until I was well into my thirties, that I heard, and fell in love with, traditional Irish and American music.

Ellen Swope: the occasional upright bass player, doubles on banjolele. Her interests in music include Hawaiian, Native American, Celtic, blues, and, of course, Cajun, which makes her a natural mama of the swamps, full of gumbo.

Growing up there were always instruments in the house. My father played trumpet and piano and in the early years, composed music for my mother’s ballet troop. Several siblings also sang and played guitar. For me, it was a long time before I settled in on my instrument of choice. After college, I had more time to devote to music and took up banjo. Later, I switched to bass. Finally, I had found my instrument. In the 1980’ and 90’s I played in pick up bands and with a few more serious endeavors including “The String Bandets” and “Mojave Road” bluegrass bands. In the last few years, I have been playing in two groups: “The Lady Slippers” an English Country Dance band and the “Swamp Mama’s” Contra-dance band. I play a very cute cut-away bass with faux-ivory trim. The faux part fits in well with the Swamp Mama’s faux-fur outfit theme!

Barbara Whitney: Growing up in southwestern Virginia, I enjoyed not only the “high lonesome” sound of early bluegrass music but classical music as well. I played the violin in orchestras wherever I found myself: high school, college, university, and community. But I eventually drifted back to folk music, and my ‘violin’ was magically transformed into a ‘fiddle’! I’ve spent many happy years as a member of the old-timey string band, the Lilies of the West, collaborating with Patty McCollom. Patty and I also enjoy playing with Jim and Ann Kozinski in the contradance band, The Contradictions. When I happened to mention to Patty that I was captivated by the exuberant vitality of Cajun music, she pulled her triangle out of a closet, and the band Swamp Mamas was born! Thankfully, our friends Marie, Dennis, Ellen, Marcella, and Emile (when he can join us) enthusiastically jumped into the swamp with Patty and me, and during the past year we’ve been exploring how to combine celtic and cajun tunes (“O’cajun”) for contra dances.