Rain Check is the assimilation of 4 musicians who during their childhood probably told their parents that they really wanted to do things their own way.  Never at home in the “tried and true” path suggested by others, each member of this acoustic quartet has traveled their own musical journey that, somehow, brings them together today. 

Allen Conrad, guitar and vocals, and Jack Steelman on upright bass, the founding members of Rain Check, trace their histories back to a high school friendship beginning in the late ‘60’s.  Allen was focused at the time on his family folk music group, The Conrad Trio; while Jack was playing brass instruments in a variety of classical, big band, and beach music groups including the Platters.  

Dennis Severt on mandolin and vocals grew up in the Severt family band and went on from there to star with Lou Reid and Jimmy Haley in the internationally reknown group, Southound.   

John Boulding, banjo, dobro, and vocals, performed with the Severets in his early years, later to become a founding member of Wyatt Rice and Santa Cruz, more recently touring with the Shady Grove Band. By day, John is recognized as one of the most talented lutihiers in the Carolinas, trained at an early age by his father. 

From reflective ballads that lay you back in your seat, to rollicking covers and original songs that get you on your feet, the music of Rain Check is a new breed in America’s acoustic music scene.  With the combination of urban and rural influences, some call it “urbal” music, while others call it Americana, or folk rock.

We just like to call it fun.  

 

For Allen (aka: Aldo) Conrad, it started around 1962 when his parents got him a Silvertone 6 string classical guitar (the neck on that baby was as wide as a 2X4). The Kingston Trio/folk music/hootenanny era was in full swing and Aldo fell right into it. His older brothers, Fred and Tom Dawson, formed a folk band that won many regional contests. Aldo tagged along with them, learning all their material, eventually joining them in 1968 for a summer long engagement at Tweetsie Railroad in Boone,N.C.

While at Elon College, Aldo formed a bluegrass band called Hot Dipped. Bluegrass has remained his music of choice since that time. Aldo likes to incorporate the music from Lightfoot, Prine, Van Morrison, and Browne with the style of Tony Rice, Seldom Scene, Del McCoury and others of the like, to form that RAIN CHECK sound.

"It is my pleasure and honor to play music with Jack, Hersie and Flash. They are incredible musicians but even more important, incredible friends. Finally, none of this would be possible for me without the love and support I receive from my family. Thank you Mary, Cooper & Summer, Anna & Adam & Leah."

1953 was a special year in the musically gifted family life of Walter and Willie Mae McMillian, with the birth their new son Hersie. Fifty five years later, accustomed to picking with older folks, it’s of no surprise that Hersie is again the youngest member of his band... this time with Rain Check.

Hersie’s musical journey began playing mandolin at age 10 with Walter and Willie Mae in the McMillian Family gospel band. Church goers throughout the Stokes County region of North Carolina knew they were listening to something special and to someone that, like a fine wine, was going to become extremely good with age.

Venturing out from the family band, Hersie soon started playing bluegrass music with the Country Boys, Johnny Vipperman, and the Brown Mountain Boys. This was followed by his first step into the professional level, this time playing banjo as he helped form, and name, the band Southbound with the likes of neighbors Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid, Dennis Severt, and others. Following Southbound, Hersie played and recorded with Greg Wilson and Arnie Soloman, winning the Galax Fiddler’s Convention in 1993. 

Continuing to hone his powerful banjo style, Hersie went on to play with Wes Golding and Surefire, the Nunn Brothers, the Not Brothers, and did a solo recording project with David George entitled George McMillian.

It was through that relationship with David George, an original member of Rain Check, that Hersie met Jack Steelman and Allen Conrad. Inspired by the less less than traditional approach to acoustic music of those two, Hersie connected them with his old Southbound protégé Dennis Severt and, together, the four of them make up Rain Check today.

Continuing to value and to be encouraged by his family, including his lovely and lively wife Judy, sons Christopher and William, daughters Catie and Kelly, Hersie says, “life is very good. Not always easy, but I treasure my family and my music.”

Dennis began his musical career singing with his siblings under the loving guidance of his mother and father. The Jewel Tones traveled Ashe County and beyond to share their love of the Lord through this blessing. In 1963, the Severts moved to Winston-Salem where they met Larry Campbell. Dennis was elected to fill the slot of mandolin player, while his father and brother David joined The Country Playboys bluegrass group as well. Yes, this is when Dennis learned to play the mandolin!

Encouraged and strongly influenced by his brother, Dennis continued to hone his talents at numerous contests and fiddlers conventions where ribbons and trophies came regularly and were modestly welcomed. Herb Lambert, John Duffey, Sam Bush, and David Grisman had quite an influence on Dennis, over the years, as he developed his unique style of pickin’ he is still recognized for today.

In 1974, Dennis began playing music with Hersie Macmillan, Jimmy Haley, Lou Reed, and Doug Campbell. South Bound delivered their hard driving style of bluegrass up and down the east coast even crossing the pond to tour Switzerland in 1976 and 1978. The group relocated to South Carolina in 1978. The Rebel Record recording artists disbanded in 1979. During the next ten years, Dennis organized several groups and then joined the band Dakota.

Returning home to the Winston-Salem area in 1989, allowed Dennis and David to continue their musical journey with The Severts and Little Cedar until 2005. Hersie invited Dennis to check out a couple of musician friends in a group called Rain Check. The rest is history. The variety, talents, and brotherhood of Rain Check is truly magic!

Jack Steelman began playing trumpet, at his father’s guidance, somewhere between the age of 6 and 7. Upon reaching the ripe old age of 10, he was playing solos with the elementary school concert band. By the end of high school, he was in North Carolina All State concert and symphonic bands, had become deeply engrossed in big band music, and was travelling on weekends and summers with his own ten piece band, backing up the Platters up and down the east coast.

Then it happened. After college, new friends introduced him to bluegrass music and he’s never been the same. Horns were replaced with an upright bass, Tom Gray took the place of Bach, and a new musical journey began. After a decade of playing bluegrass in the eastern part of North Carolina, where his quartet String Fever stole second place in the East Coast Country and Bluegrass Music competition at King’s Dominion in Richmond, Va, Jack finally came back home to Winston-Salem, ran into an old high school pal, Allen Conrad, and the two of them began today what is known as Rain Check.

Musically, Jack’s number one love is for bluegrass gospel music, though he’s never lost the appreciation for hard driving rhythms, soul searching ballads, and anything in between that leaves an audience happier than they were when they got there. “The Seldom Scene really got me in to this stuff,” he said, “and I hope I never find a way out. To me, it’s all about the acoustic ensemble sound or, as Earl Scruggs put it, the music between the notes.”