There is some special news on the horizon for 2013! The 4th Annual Berkshire Bluegrass WinterFest & Jam will proudly feature a reunion of Bear Acker & Billings Gap!
By some accounts, it may be at least 24 years since some of the boys all played together.
Bear told us that when the band began to break up due to various members wanting to join other bands he decided it would be best not to fill their positions with lesser talent just to keep the band playing occasional jobs. And looking back at where his former band mates have gone, he says he’s proud of his decision but even more proud of the boys he used to play with.
Eddie Goldbetter was the first to leave Billings Gap to play with Federal Express. Bob Dick then went to be with the infamous Front Range Band out of Colorado. Bob’s brother David Dick and Bob Green will also be back to round out the 5 member band.
Bear mentioned that Billings Gap will be headlining the show and, “….that’s not bad for 71, which I’ll be by then.”
Even though the boys all went on to what would become bigger and better bands, they all stayed in touch from time to time with their former band leader, another measure of success Bear feels especially proud to recount.
As for more performances from Billings Gap after this, “…since these boys all play with other acts, this will be a one-time deal,” according to Bear but he also closed his note with, “you never know.”
Here’s a 1992 video of the band in Washington D.C.
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