South County Rounders

The South County Rounders are well-known to fans of acoustic folk and bluegrass music in Rhode Island and across southern New England. They perform a mix of traditional bluegrass, swing, authentic old-time fiddle and banjo instrumentals, traditional and contemporary folk music, and originals.

The band members are Phil Smith on guitar (flatpicking and fingerstyle), banjo, dobro, and vocals; Matt Bolles on bass, guitar, and vocals; Judy Bolles on fiddle and vocals; and Chris Heinzmann on fiddle and vocals.

Phil and Matt started the Rounders as a duo in 1984 when they put together a repertoire to cover a gig when the rest of their bluegrass band Special Delivery couldn’t make one of the jobs. After a summer of festivals and a band breakup, they continued as a duo for a number of years, then added Judy to become a trio. 

The current band was formed in 2015 and features Matt’s and Phil’s strong vocal leads and duets, tight three- and four-part harmonies, Phil’s fine picking, and beautiful twin fiddle arrangements.