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Ronnie "Termite" Wilbanks |
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One of the newest member of Fontanna Sunset, Ronnie Wilbanks joined the band in January 2004. His first bluegrass band was started in the mountains of South Carolina in the mid 70's, playing banjo with the Carolina Mountain Boys, located in Salem, S.C. After a short stint with them, he moved to Denver, N.C. with work and helped form a new band known as The Plank Road Ramblers, playing festivals around the Statesville and Charlotte NC areas. He stayed with that group until 1979 until moving to Georgia. After a three-year break it didn't take long to decide that his life wasn't complete without Bluegrass music. He then joined a group in 1982 called Rocky Ridge Bluegrass from Jasper, GA and played with them until 1986. It was during this time he first heard the group known then as Indian Summer at Raccoon Creek Bluegrass Festival, with the unforgettable voices of Frances and Mindy, and dreamed some day I would have the opportunity to play with this group.
In 1986 he joined a group in north Ga. called Plain & Kuntry Express playing a host of festivals from South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama till parting 14 years later in 2000. At this time he started playing with a group named Rocky Top Bluegrass (RTB) based out of Rome, Ga., playing in band competitions in Nashville, the Bell Buckle Cafe, Boxcar Pinion Festival and many more, from Nashville, Tennessee to Montgomery, Alabama. During this time he jammed with bands such as Broad River, Stoney Gap, filling in on Banjo and Guitar for a host of bluegrass groups such as The Bluegrass Travelers, Bluegrass Heritage, Cedar Ridge, The Outpost Band and many more. "Finally I got to jam with a group called Fontanna Sunset, a band with some of the members of Indian Summer I had seen some 20 years ago at some of the festivals. After a year or so I found out that a dream-come-true was in the making. Boy Howdy! I became a regular in their camp at the festivals, jamming till the wee hours of the morning and I also got to play on stage with them on a couple of occasions. And finally, after a two-year stay with RTB, Lo and Behold, the unimaginable happened, I was invited to be a member of Fontanna Sunset! After 20 years of picking in the Georgia and Alabama Bluegrass circuit, seeing many changes, growing through these changes, meeting and picking with some of the best talent that either state has to offer, I have the rare privilege of having a dream come true, joining a true dynasty, FONTANNA SUNSET."
You can contact him at wilbanksr@comcast.net