About Us

Dozens of musicians been members of The 1937 Flood of Huntington, WV, over the years since it stumbled into existence back in the hippy-dippy mid 1970s.

As writer Dave Lavender of the Herald-Dispatch has noted, "The Flood doesn't rest on its laurels as West Virginia's most eclectic string band. Born in the 1970s when fiddler Joe Dobbs met Dave Peyton and Charlie Bowen, the Flood has played recent gigs with everyone from the Huntington Symphony Orchestra to Marshall University tailgate parties.

The band, which also features Doug Chaffin, Sam St. Clair, Dave Ball and Jacob Scarr, plays everything from folk classics of John Prine and Bob Dylan to the blues of Mississippi John Hurt.

"Throw in some Dixieland jazz, some Irish fiddle tunes, a great sense of humor, some pure mountain melodies from the likes of such state treasured songwriters as Hazel Dickens and yes by God, the best kazoo playing between here and say Kalamazoo, and you got the 1937 Flood," adds Lavender.

 

How the Flood Got Its Name

"Why do you guys call yourself 'The '37 Flood'? Wasn't that a...?"

Yes. Why, yes, it was a disaster, as a matter of fact. So, where did the band get its peculiar name?

Like much about this organization, The 1937 Flood's name came about as a fluke. And thereby hangs a tale.

Picture it: The mid-1970s. Charlie and his wife, Pamela, have just bought a new house in Huntington and are invited to a party by their new neighbors. Throughout the evening, people drop by to say hello to the Bowens and, for some reason, to tell them how high the waters of the 1937 flood (uh, the real one) reached at their particular houses.

Charlie later tells this story to Joe and Dave. Now time passes. The guys are on stage for their first gig somewhere in Kentucky and suddenly realize their group has no name.

Without hesitation, Joe walks to the mike and tells the audience: "They calls us 'The 1937 Flood,' because back in Huntington, they're still talkin' about us!"

The name sticks.

The Players

Joe Dobbs. A founding member of The Flood, Joe is a native of Mississippi who has lived in West Virginia since the late '60s. He owns Fret 'n' Fiddle of St. Albans, W.Va., one of the nation's best known music store for vintage instruments. He was creator and host of the weekly "Music from the Mountains" radio show, which was one of the most popular broadcasts on West Virginia Public Radio for some 20 years . Write to him at joe@fretnfiddle.com.

David Peyton. A West Virginia native -- perhaps the West Virginia native -- David is a newspaper columnist whose work now appears in The Charleston Daily Mail and he is a frequent commentator on West Virginia public television. Dave also a founding member of The Flood, and you can write him there or at dpeyton@davepeyton.com.

Charles Bowen. Born in West Virginia and reared in Kentucky before returning to his homeland in the early '70s, Charlie is a freelance writer, author of books and magazine columns about computers. The Flood's third founding member, Charlie also operates Design by Bowen, which constructs and maintains original Web sites. Write to Bowen at charlesbowen@bowenbooks.com.

Doug Chaffin. Doug has been playing music around here for 40 years. Tri-State Area music lovers may recall The Montereys, the '60s rock and rockabilly band named after a rather nice Mercury automobile. That was Doug on lead guitar. He has played country, rock and swing and he was also a regular on stage with J.P. and late, great Annadeene Fraley throughout their extensive career. He remains close to J.P. In fact, Doug plays bass on the fiddler's latest CD with Betty Vornbrock, called "Side by Side" (Burning Wolf-002). Write Doug at hdc928@aol.com.

Sam St. Clair. Sam brings a much needed reed section to The Flood in the form of his harmonica. (Actually, he's armed with an entire Chinese ammo belt full of harmonicas; we've not gotten up the nerve yet to ask how he got that particular accessory.) Whether it's blues, ballads or swing tunes, Sam's harp usually has something to say. A commercial property manager by day, Sam is a Huntington native who has travelled extensively around the world. He has tales from Brazil to New Zealand. Write to Sam at samstclair@wvdsl.net.

Dave Ball. Retired Huntington firefighter Dave "Bub" Ball was a Flood fan before he became a regulation Floodster. After booking the boys to play a Mardi Gras party in 2003, Bub became a regular at the Wednesday night jam sessions. Bub has opened a catering business with wife Yvonne, called Bon Appetit and is active in a variety of Huntington organizations. You can write to Bub at dave@cookin4u.biz.

Jacob Scarr. Born and being raised in West Virginia, Jacob is our youngest Floodster ever. He started sitting in on Flood jam sessions when he was 15. He spends most his time hiking or biking, and has an interest in computers. He enjoys music such as that by Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart, New Riders of the Purple Sage. Write to Jacob at Rememberthecheese@gmail.com.