**See our photos of the 2006 Texas State Flatpicking Championship**
The headliner band: Blue Highway
Blue Highway's awesome guitarist Tim Stafford playing a CA Bluegrass Performer model guitar
Blue Highway's mandolin player Shawn Lane and bass player Wayne Taylor
Blue Highway's resophonic guitar player IBMA award winner Rob Ickes
Blue Highway's banjo player Jason Burleson and mandolin player Shawn Lane
Another headliner band: Cadillac Sky
If you get the chance to see this band live you must do yourself a favor and go see them! They are all amazingly talented writers, singers and musicians. Their music has unbelievable drive and virtuosity. Ricky Skaggs recognized their talent and has signed them on to his label. They performed a wonderfully beautiful song named "Homesick Angel" which will be on their new CD with Skaggs' Family Records that is one of the most powerful things we've ever heard. We believe they will be winning several IBMA awards soon.
The guitar player for Cadillac Sky: Mike Jump is a very good flatpicker and has a great voice, plus the Santa Cruz guitar he plays sounds awesome
The mandolin player for Cadillac Sky: Bryan Simpson, he does most of the songwriting and has great stage presence. He's like a new Tim O'Brien - stunningly talented singer, songwriter and player.
The banjo player for Cadillac Sky: Matt Menefee, Winfield national banjo competition winner and Texas State banjo competition winner
The fiddle player for Cadillac Sky: Ross Holmes, another top notch addition to the group.
Another headliner: TVA
The guitar player for TVA: Keith Kimbell was featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine a while back. He's got a lot of Clarence White and Tony Rice influences in his playing. His guitar sounds great and he gets great tone.
The guitar player for the Lonestar Bluegrass Band: Chris Bagley who won the 2006 Texas State Flatpicking Championship and has a paid entry to compete in the National Flatpick Guitar Championship at Winfield, Kansas this coming September. Congratulations Chris!
Classical Grass with guitar player Chuck Gunn who was featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine a few issues back
Hickory Hill: Check out John Early's cool old Mossman guitar! These guys do some spectacular harmony singing.
Bluegrass Solution performed several wonderful original songs most of which were written by the mandolin player. The Gibson Advanced Jumbo guitar you see in the photo has Brazilian rosewood back and sides and is awesome sounding! The man playing that guitar is named Mike Fuller and he is the owner of Fuller's Vintage Guitar in Houston, Texas which donated a Gibson Advanced Jumbo as the first prize in the Texas State Flatpicking Championship this year.
No Strings Attached has great vocal harmonies and Jim Moratto the banjo player has some really cool melodic ideas in his picking.
Aubrey Skeen: guitar player for No Strings Attached. That's a "lawsuit" Takamine he's playing.
Huck's Acoustic Revue
**See our photos of the 2006 Texas State Flatpicking Championship**