Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 25, 2026

Dixie Flyers

The Dixie Flyers were a Canadian bluegrass band based in London, Ontario, Canada. The band first came together in 1974, and became one of Canada's best known bluegrass bands.

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Jun 25, 2026
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Dixie Flyers (bluegrass band)
OriginLondon, Ontario, Canada
Genresbluegrass
Years active1974 (1974)–present
LabelsBoot, Flat top
Websitedixieflyers.ca

The Dixie Flyers were a Canadian bluegrass band based in London, Ontario, Canada. The band first came together in 1974,1 and became one of Canada's best known bluegrass bands.2

Career

Original members of the band were guitarist Bert Baumbach, mandolinist Ken Palmer, harmonica player Willie P. Bennett, bassist Brian Abbey and Dennis LePage on the banjo.3 Although lead vocalists Baumbach and Palmer have been continuous members, over the years the band has seen a number of changes in the lineup.4 Dixie Flyer band members have included:25

  • Guitar: Bert Baumbach
  • Fiddle: Gordon Stobbe, Peter Robertson (miscredited on at least one Boot Records album as "Peter Robinson"), and John P. Allen.
  • Mandolin: Ken Palmer (died October 30, 2013)6
  • Bass: Brian Abbey, David Zdriluk, Luke Maynard, and Chris Ingram
  • Banjo: Dennis LePage, David Jack, David Talbot, Paul Hurdle, Walter Maynard, and Darin Parise
  • Harmonica: Willie P. Bennett (died February 15, 2008) and Mike Ethelston
  • Dobro: Al Widmeyer, Blair Heddle, Darin Parise

The Dixie Flyers played at the Carlisle Bluegrass Festival in 1975,3 where they met Bill Monroe, and were subsequently invited to play at Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival in Indiana, USA.78 The band also played at the Cambridge Millrace Festival9 and the Blueberry Bluegrass Festival in Stony Plain, Alberta.10 They also played several times at the Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll, Ontario.11 The band performed regularly at the Flint Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Michigan.6

The Flyers recorded seven albums between 1977 and 1987, mostly on Boot Records, followed by one each in the 1990s and 2000s.2 They were the hosts of a television show called Bluegrass Express on CFPL in London in 1985 and also took part in a weekly radio show for seven years.123 The band appeared on the Tommy Hunter Show, and for a time managed the Back 40 Bluegrass Festival at Woodstock, Ont.2

After a last stand with The Flyers at the Elgin County international plowing match in the fall of 2010, Ken Palmer retired due to heart problems.13 The band played on briefly without him before going on indefinite hiatus. On October 30, 2013, Ken Palmer died at the age of 65 after a bout of pneumonia contracted after a heart transplant.14 A few months earlier, in the spring of 2013, the band had been inducted into the London (Ontario) Music Hall of Fame, with both Palmer and Baumbach in attendance.815

Discography

Albums:

Name of Album Label Year
Light, Medium, Heavy Boot Records 1977
For Our Friends Boot Records 1980
Just Pickin' Boot Records 1978
Cheaper to Lease Boot Records 1978
Five by Five Boot Records 1981
New Horizons Stony Plain 1984
Business as Usual Boot Records 1987
Live at the Wellington Tavern Flat Top 1990
Right on Track Flat Top 2005

26

References

References

  1. "Ken Palmer put the 'man' in mandolin –R.I.P." Torontomoon.ca. October 30, 2013.
  2. "The Canadian Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  3. "London Free Press Columnist: Ames Reaney - Flyers mark 30 years of gi…".
  4. "Celebrating 35 years of making music | Londoner". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  5. "Dixie Flyers Right on Track". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  6. Thompson, Richard (November 4, 2013). "Ken Palmer passes". Bluegrasstoday.com. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  7. Adler, Thomas, Bean Blossom: The Brown County Jamboree and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Festivals, p. 160, University of Illinois Press, 2011,
  8. "Jack Richardson music awards". The London Free Press. February 26, 2013.
  9. "Dixie Flyers land in Cambridge for bluegrass concert | guelphmercury".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. "Festival History — Blueberry Bluegrass & Country Music Society Festival". Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Dixie Flyers | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  13. "Ken Palmer has retired from the Dixie Flyers. Last fall. | James' Brand New Blog". Archived from the original on 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
  14. "Ken Palmer dead at 65 after catching pneumonia follow a heart transplant at University Hospital". The London Free Press. October 30, 2013.
  15. "The Dixie Flyers Receive JRMA Hall Of Fame Honours – Country Music Association of Ontario". Cmaontario.ca. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
External links