Nave Blevins
Nave Blevins was born in the Cranberry Creek/Laurel Springs area of Alleghany County, where he was surrounded by music growing up. Both his mother and father played music, and uncles on both sides of his family played as well. “My Uncle Donald showed me the first chord on the guitar,” Blevins remembered.
Blevins started playing guitar at age twelve, but it was not until he sixteen years old that he really got interested. His cousin Odell showed him a lot on the guitar, and he would go out to hear local musicians such as Doc Watson, Howard Joines, Ernest Joines, Cleo Reeves, Junior Maxwell, and Richard Joines. “That helped me more than anything,” said Blevins.
As Blevins got older, his musical tastes broadened, and he experimented with rock-and-roll. “I got a little older and got my first rock band, but I always had bluegrass and traditional music in me,” Blevins said. After a while, he turned back towards his acoustic roots.
In 1975, Blevins started a band with Johnny Shepherd, Jerry Mortz, Gilbert Suits, and Greg Blevins called the Briar Hopper Band. The group played together for several years. Around 1994, Blevins started the Cranberry Creek band with Richard Joines. “We write a lot of our own music,” said Blevins.
Cranberry Creek has performed at a variety of events and venues around the region including barbeques, weddings, and churches. The group played on the Hometown Opry radio program out of Wilkesboro two times a year, and they played at the Silver Dollar Music venue.
Nave Blevins enjoyed songwriting, and he cited Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash as two of his favorites. His bluegrass influences included the Osborne Brothers and Mac Wiseman. But Blevins was also a big fan of the comedy routines associated with bluegrass and early country music. Some of his favorite comedians included Mike Snyder, Ronnie Stoneman, Roy Stevens, Grandpa Jones, and Minnie Pearl. “They had some wonderful comedians back then,” he said. Blevins included comedy in his performances, which he called “a family-oriented show.”
Blevins recorded two CDs, which include several of his original songs.
Nave Blevins passed away on September 27, 2012 at the age of 58.