Allegheny Uprising

History

The history of Allegheny Uprising goes back to the 1970s, in little Shepherdstown, W.Va. A small teacher's college there, now Shepherd University, attracted Jay Votel and Scott Rockwell, who for a semester, actually lived in the same dormitory -- the now defunct Boteler Hall. The two shared an interest in music, both were from Northern Virginia, and Scott was playing bass in one of the hottest area rock groups at the time, the E-Z Duzit Band, which played in and around the college and had a large devoted following including Jay.

Jay, who was working summers as a folksinger on Virginia's famed Skyline Drive, also befriended another bass player -- the campus was teeming with bass players it seems, as Scott's roommate at the time was yet another bass player. Jay's bass playing friend, Larry Blavos, brought him tales of a faraway steel town, Weirton, W.Va., and his friends there from his high school's marching band including Sandy Beale, a Shepherd business student, and Tom Ierace. Eventually, Tom came to Shepherd. So did his sister, Betty Jo. Larry, Sandy, Tom and Jay formed a quartet called "Euphoria" that started playing in and around the campus. Sandy played flute and Jay's original songs formed the basis of the band's repertoire, a folky jazz fusion that also could easily accommodate the current rage of country rock music.

After a year, Sandy left the group. She was replaced by Betty Jo on flute. Scott continued to perform in the rock bands and Euphoria played smaller clubs, like the funky and now defunct 1872 Club, as well as the student center. Perhaps the band's most shining moment was its featured set at the annual Dark Side of the Moon festival, played mostly in the rain, during a three-day camp-out organized by a coalition of Shepherd students on high in the mountains of southeast West Virginia.

Jay graduated from Shepherd but remained in the Shepherdstown area to start his journalism career and his family, and stayed in touch with Tom. Larry joined the Air Force (retired as a colonel). Betty Jo continued in school to obtain her degree in music education. Scott and Betty Jo started dating and married, remaining in the Eastern Panhandle area.

The 1980s brought Jay, Scott, Betty Jo and Tom together into a new group, called the Back Pages, named after the Bob Dylan song of that title. With several drummers, they developed a repertoire of rock and country featuring Betty Jo's vocals and flute. The band practiced in Shepherdstown. Tom moved to the Washington, D.C., area, to pursue his career in computer programming, but came back to the Panhandle on weekends to play music.

The Back Pages played the 1872 Club and the now defunct Iron Rail Inn in Charles Town. They stuck it out for a year but the band broke up amicably after several drummers came and went. Jay and Tom formed a musical duo, as did Betty Jo and Scott. In the mid-1980s, Jay moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore to edit a small daily newspaper there. He and Tom continued to perform occasionally around Washington, in Annapolis and across the Chesapeake Bay, and still perform together to this day (more at www.riffraffmusic.net). Betty Jo and Scott also continued to perform in the Eastern Panhandle.

Betty Jo and Scott also stayed in touch with Jay, who developed his long interest in bluegrass music and was messing around with mandolin during the early 1990s, jamming with bluegrass musicians on the Shore. They actually got together in what would form the first Allegheny Uprising trio during the couple's campouts at the beach in Delaware. Scott was putting together his home studio, developing his ability on banjo and fiddle, and Betty Jo was writing her first original songs. By the mid-to-late 1990s, when Jay returned to Virginia having five years of performance with the Elkton, Md.-based Hit 'n Miss bluegrass band under his belt, Betty Jo and Scott were to the point of asking Jay to sit in on some recording sessions for their CD project, "Songs from the Soul." Jay already had co-produced the Hit 'n' Miss debut disc at that time.

Country Roads Folk Festival

Almost Heaven Farm, Kearneysville, WV

Summer 2004

Eventually, the three started performing folk and Appalachian tunes publicly. Scott and Jay played some jobs in Charles Town on banjo and guitar. They brought Betty Jo in on guitar, flute and vocals so Jay could play more mandolin. They performed at small clubs and folk venues in Maryland and West Virginia. Mutual friends helped them garner the attention of West Virginia-based folk festival producer Maureen Harrigan, who asked the unnamed trio to perform at her farm. This led to more concerts and, eventually, the "Pretty Little Dog" recording. Scott suggested the trio snag the name of Allegheny Uprising, the title of a John Wayne movie dealing with the Whiskey Rebellion, which seemed to fit the regional base and spirit of the folk-grass trio.

Betty Jo's song in tribute to Sen. Robert C. Byrd merited attention from Democratic party officials in the Panhandle, which in turn led to the band's performance at an early 2006 tribute concert in Martinsburg during which they ran into Barry Bryan of Harpers Ferry, who was playing bass for Steve Warner's Rolling Coyotes. They hit it off immediately and the trio invited Barry to join up.

In the early summer of 2007, Betty Jo and Scott wanted to devote more attention to the material they were working on for Betty Jo's forthcoming recording project. They decided to return to performing as a duo and recording.

Jay and Barry are currently performing as Allegheny Uprising. The story continues...

More about CURRENT MEMBERS:

More about former members:

Allegheny Uprising performed for the dedication ceremony for the B&O Roundhouse, which has been restored and was designated a historic landmark. They performed "Freedom In His Words," a song Betty Jo wrote to honor Sen. Robert C. Byrd, pictured with the band, who received recognition for his role in the Roundhouse restoration, and "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Betty Jo also opened the ceremony by singing the national anthem a capella.

Pictured from left are Jay Votel, Betty Jo Rockwell, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, Barry Bryan and Scott Rockwell.

The following CD's are from the former full

complement of Allegheny Uprising Band

The Whole Group Together

Jay Votel, Barry Bryan, Betty Jo Rockwell and Scott Rockwell

Instrumentals - Short Takes

Allegheny Uprising

Instrumental #1

Instrumental #2

Instrumental #3

Instrumental #4

Click on highlighted titles to play or download full versions of the song.

2003

$10.00

To order this CD, please contact Jay Votel at:

jay.votel@verizon.net

1. Frosty Morning

2. Ice on the River

3. In Love With You Before

4. June Apple

5. Spencer Weaver

6. Dreams

7. Pretty Little Dog

8. Whiskey In The Jar

9. Tater Patch

10. Surrounded

11. Compromise

Betty Jo Rockwell - vocals, guitar, flute

Jay Votel - vocals, mandolin, guitar

Scott Rockwell - banjo, fiddle, bass, vocals

Songs from the Soul

Betty Jo and Scott

2002

from CD Baby

(click on logo)

$10.00

1. The Back of Your Mind

2. In Love With You Before

3. The Coffee Song

4. Voice of Your Soul

5. Love Is a Mystery

6. When You Came to Town

7. Wild Bird

8. Surrounded

9. Dreams

10. Sister Beware

11. Let Myself Be

12. Voice of Your Soul (reprise)

Betty Jo and Scott's Songs from the Soul has been described as "music for a new millennium," Betty Jo's vocals as "ethereal." Songs from the Soul is a mix of folk music with Celtic, rock, and classical influences. Folksongs about love by Betty Jo Rockwell range from the feeling you get when you "think you have met someone before," (In Love with You Before) to a warning for women that the "big bad wolf is alive and well out there," (Sister Beware) to the eternal question, "How deeply can I love without losing myself," (Love Is A Mystery). Vocal layering enhances the "otherworldly" quality of her voice.

Along with Betty Jo's vocal, guitar, and flute tracks, Scott Rockwell demonstrates instrumental versatility and creativity with his arrangements of her songs. Scott performs on guitars, bass guitar, banjo, drums, drum programs, and various percussion. His arrangements give the songs vitality and character.

The songs were written and recorded in West Virginia, and the music of the ancient Celtic lands sings throughout the album. Guest artists Terry Tucker on piano and organ, Jay Votel on mandolin, and Ted Shobe on drums complete the recording with their distinctly original musical offerings, making Songs from the Soul a must hear CD sure to please the listener with an appetite for something different.

..."flawless vocals,"....."another musical masterpiece".....
Randy Cross, Nightlife Digest
April, 2002

About Betty Jo Rockwell:

Betty Jo Rockwell has a varied and extensive musical background which includes vocal and instrumental music. She studied Music at Shepherd College as a flute major with concentrations in instrumental music performance and pedagogy. Betty Jo was greatly influenced by her studies in Music Composition and Form and Analysis. She also learned guitar while at Shepherd.

During this time Betty Jo performed with folk and rock groups in addition to her academic musical pursuits. She began writing songs as well.

After college, Betty Jo continued performing with instrumental chamber groups, church choirs, and in music theater.

She pursued a teaching career in Berkeley County, West Virginia where she taught Music in private and public school classrooms as well as private instrumental instruction settings.

Betty Jo later decided to resume her vocal studies after college at the World of Vocal Music in Hagerstown, Maryland. Here she joined a group of singers who performed cabaret style concerts locally and in New York.

She has performed in an acoustic duo for a number of years with her husband, Scott Rockwell. Betty Jo and Scott released a CD of Betty Jo's original songs, Songs from The Soul, in 2002.

Betty Jo and Scott also have a lovely daughter, Gena who also performs in music, theater and dance.

Betty Jo's most requested song is a tribute to Senator Robert Byrd, "Freedom in His Words," which she completed in the fall of 2005.