Upright bass player Mark “Old Dawg” Davis is credited with getting Old Dawg Bluegrass together for that very first gig. Mark began his musical career playing organ and violin in high school. He played electric keyboard and banjo in the country-rock band, Thunder Road. Soon after, he got the bluegrass bug and learned to play the upright bass, performing with the bluegrass bands - Wind River, The Carroll County Car Strippers, and Thoroughbred. Well versed in gospel, blues, and jazz, Mark provides his impeccable timing and exciting bass dynamics to Old Dawg Bluegrass. Mark is a self-employed master carpenter and lives with his wife, Vanessa, in the Jamestown, New York area.
Mandolin player Steve Strom was born into a western New York family of talented string band musicians, where he developed his love and desire to play bluegrass music. He is formally trained on piano, and also plays guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, bass, pennywhistle, Celtic folk harp, and banjo. In the early 80’s Steve played guitar with several contemporary gospel bands. A veteran of countless jam sessions and bluegrass festivals, Steve has had the privilege and great fortune to play with bluegrass legends Bill Monroe, Charlie Waller, and John Duffey. He has previously played for several years with the bluegrass bands - Backwoods Bluegrass Band and Wind River. Steve brings his instrumental and vocal talents, and many of the traditional and gospel tunes to the stage that Old Dawg Bluegrass performs. Steve is an IT computer specialist and lives with his wife, Marty, in Jamestown, New York.
Banjo and dobro player Bill White, originally comes from the bluegrass rich Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. His musical career began during the folk revival of the 1960’s, when he played guitar with the Bingham Trio, a folk group that has performed up and down the east coast. Later he played guitar with the gospel band, Breakfast. Bill learned to play banjo and dobro and was a member of several bluegrass bands - Thoroughbred, Pine Ridge Review, and Fox Run. Bill plays banjo, dobro, and guitar and also provides many of the traditional bluegrass songs performed by Old Dawg Bluegrass. Bill is a retired English professor from Jamestown Community College, and resides with his wife, Bonnie, in Cassadaga, New York.
Guitarist Steve Eng is originally from Pennsylvania where he began his musical career in the late 60’s as jazz bassist while in college, and also learned to play guitar and banjo during that time. Besides bluegrass music, Steve plays many different musical styles, including jazz, ragtime, country, blues, and rock and roll. He was in a number of bluegrass bands, the most prominent being Whiskey Spring Boys and Sand Creek. He has performed at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Gring’s Mill Music Festival, Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival, and the Jamaica Rock and Blues Jam Fest with countless jams in between. Steve has won several guitar contests with his “Travis style” guitar picking. As a member of Old Dawg, Steve has introduced much of the non-traditional music to the band. Listen for him to throw in a Bee Gees or Beatles tune into the performance. Steve is a registered architect and lives with his wife, Missy, in the Jamestown, New York area.
