Skip Gorman and Bill Thibodeau to be inducted, Rock Hearts to perform
Influential members of the southern New England bluegrass community will be inducted into the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance (RIBA) Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 13th in a ceremony at the Elks Lodge in West Greenwich, RI. Musicians Skip Gorman and Bill Thibodeau will be the 2025 inductees for their lifetime achievements.
RIBA will also honor three Bluegrass Pioneers: Dave “Tex” Orlomoski, and Dick and Nancy Hutchings. This designation recognizes performing artists, bands, and industry professionals who were actively involved in bluegrass music at least 40 years ago.
“Southern New England is home to a vibrant bluegrass community, yet many people are unaware that local musicians and people in the music business, like Billy Thibodeau and Skip Gorman, as well our Bluegrass Pioneers, have had an impact on bluegrass music both locally and nationally,” said RIBA President Sal Sauco. “In 2016, three years after RIBA was formed, we started the RIBA Hall of Fame to honor people who have made significant contributions to bluegrass in the region,” said Sauco.
The 2025 RIBA Hall of Fame will be held on Sunday, April 13th starting at 5:00 pm at the Elks Lodge #2285, 42 Nooseneck Hill Rd, West Greenwich, RI 02817. Hors d'oeuvres, dessert and coffee will be served. A cash bar will be available.
The Rock Hearts bluegrass band, of which Bill Thibodeau is a member, will perform from 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm. The induction ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm. Celebratory jamming will follow the speaking program.
Tickets are $26 for RIBA members and $30 for non-members. There is no charge for children 15 years old or younger. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ribluegrass.org or at the door.
About the 2025 inductees
Skip Gorman
Skip Gorman has enjoyed singing, playing and performing traditional American and Celtic folk music for over half a century. As an accomplished singer, guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist, Gorman has completed over 19 recordings of fiddle, mandolin, bluegrass and cowboy songs, been featured on 30 others, and established his own record label, Old West Recordings.
Growing up in Rhode Island in the early 1960s, Skip was exposed to an array of roots musicians at the Newport Folk Festival, including Doc Watson, Maybelle Carter, Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and many more.
At the age of 12, Skip took up the mandolin after meeting Bill Monroe in Newport. In 1965, he traveled to Fincastle, Virginia to the first ever Bluegrass Festival. By 1968, Skip was performing at the Berryville Bluegrass Festival in Virginia, playing mandolin in workshops with Monroe, as well as on the main stage with Rhode Island bandmates Stephen Fensterer, John Kornhauser, Kit Lutman and Don Myerberg.
While a student at Brown University, Skip started playing the old-time fiddle style of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers and soon put together an old-time string band with college pals Tom Carter, Hal Cannon, Ted Hilliard, Richard Graham and David Harris appropriately named the Rhode Island Mudflaps.
In 1982, Skip joined forces with guitar picker, Rick Starkey and acoustic bassist Bob Dick to record the Late Night Feast album and Skip’s first mandolin album The Old Style Mandolin. Later, he and Starkey formed the Northwind Bluegrass band with RIBA Hall of Fame inductee Bill Hall and RIBA Bluegrass Pioneer J.R. Smith.
Skip’s recordings have earned awards and have been selected as a top 10 folk pick of the year by Amazon.com. Filmmaker Ken Burns used Skip’s original music on five of his documentaries and soundtracks. He has appeared on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, toured with the U.S. Embassy in Chile, Argentina and Paraguay, performed at World Fiddle Day in Co. Kerry, Ireland, done two tours of Australia and taught at numerous music camps in America and the British Isles.
Bill Thibodeau
Bill Thibodeau boasts an undeniable bluegrass pedigree. He brings his high tenor and lead vocals, along with his fastidious mandolin and splendiferous guitar playing to The 615 Hideaway Records Recording band Rock Hearts. A multi-instrumentalist, Bill started playing mandolin at the age of five and had his first paid performance at the age of eight at Colby College in Waterville Maine, performing with his dad and brother. Bill continued to perform throughout high school. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, he played with several New England bands including Bluegrass Supply Company, Kennebec Valley Boys, Stan Tyminski & Blue Diamond, and currently with the Rock Hearts.
Rock Hearts recorded three albums and two have been released on The 615 Hideaway Record Label. The first one, self-produced, “Starry Southern Nights” was released in October 2020 and received many accolades. Four songs made the Bluegrass Today charts. This attention produced an invitation to perform at the annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass event in 2021. There, the band met Sammy Passamano III of The 615 Hideaway Record Label. They signed with him in July 2022 and released their first album “Wanderlust” and recently released “Unfinished Bridges.” They have two cuts in rotation on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction station. Bill has played on over 25 recordings.
A member of the IBMA Leadership class of 2017, Bill currently teaches music and works at Rick’s Music in Cumberland, RI. A Cumberland resident, Bill continues to teach at various music camps and festivals throughout the northeast. Bill is one of the founders of the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance (RIBA) and is still on the board of directors.
About the 2025 Bluegrass Pioneers
Dave Orlomoski has been playing bluegrass music since the early 1980’s. Already playing guitar, in 1982 Dave was taking banjo lessons from Mike Kropp at his music store in Norwich. Kropp asked him to join Bluegrass Special on bass, an instrument he just happened to have in his store. 1989 found Dave with Nick Anderson’s Shady Creek and moved to western CT to work for Ovation in 1993. Dave played with Grass Roots and formed the Bear Bridge Band. He still plays with The Seth Sawyer Band, and the Redwood Hill Band played our OSBF a few years ago. Dave has made traditional bluegrass music a passion for almost 50 years, and we recognize him for his dedication and contribution to RI bluegrass.
Nancy and Dick Hutchings started playing music in the 1970’s, not long after they met. First a duo, a trio, then a band, The Rocky Hollow Bluegrass Band, formed in 1981 with Nancy on guitar, Dick on banjo, and who would become a complement of fine local musicians. The alumni list is long (hopefully Dick and Nancy will mention some) and includes many who still play bluegrass music today in RI. They played at local venues throughout the 80’s and 90’s and later. We recognize their contributions to years of entertainment and good bluegrass music in Rhode Island.
About RIBA
The Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance's mission is to promote the appreciation of bluegrass music and serve as a resource to fans, students, teachers, musicians and venues in Rhode Island and the surrounding area. In addition to the RIBA Bluegrass Hall of Fame, the organization also sponsors youth and adult musical education programs and hosts the annual Ocean State Bluegrass Festival.
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