Dec. 27-Roanoke Times does story about Sammy Shelor and Lonesome River Band.

From The Roanoke Times, Dec. 27 Banjo master Sammy Shelor had a simple social survival trick while he was growing up in the Stuart area. When he was driving around town, he blasted AC/DC from the car stereo. Once he was out of town and on his own, he would pop some Tony Rice into the system. "I was the outcast that did bluegrass," Shelor said. "Everybody was into Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kiss and all that stuff during that time." These days, he doesn't have to hide his love for mountain music. In September, Shelor won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, which came with $50,000 and resulted in interview requests from across the country. Last month, the comedian/raconteur/banjo man joined Shelor and his Lonesome River Band to play some on "Late Show With David Letterman." Shelor is hoping all the publicity will help the band, which comes to Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke on Friday. Shelor has been in the LRB for 21 of its 30 years and since 1990 has been the band's general manager. 'A lot of fun' Podcast With Sammy Shelor of Lonesome River Band. Streaming: "Record Time Machine" and "Jack Up The Jail" More podcasts blogs.roanoke.com/cutnscratch/category/podcasts If you go Lonesome River Band 8 p.m. Friday. Kirk Avenue Music Hall. $20; $10 to students, 21-younger. 589-0546, kirkavenuemusic.com, lonesomeriverband.com Shelor first made bluegrass waves in the 1980s with the Virginia Squires, which included siblings and future bluegrass stars Ronnie and Rickie Simpkins. He could have chosen from a lot of different ways to cast his musical fortune. But he found something special in the Lonesome River Band. He joined when the lineup included both Dan Tyminski (now with Alison Krauss and Union Station), future country music hit songwriter Ronnie Bowman and producer/sound engineer/guitarist Tim Austin.