Dentist leads Pickin’ and Grinnin’ bluegrass jam on his lunch break
STORY AND PHOTOS by Sara Schafer
On the first Wednesday of each month, Sam Zimmer knows how he’ll spend his lunch break. The family dentist takes off his plastic gloves and specialized glasses, grabs his mandolin and heads next door. Soon he’s surrounded by a few dozen of his best friends, each holding an instrument and ready to jam.
Musicians of all ages and backgrounds sit in a large circle, and the session starts with a prayer. A microphone appears in front of a guitar player, who calls out a chord and a song title. The group launches into the tune — melodies rise and voices blend. Outside the circle, an audience of 30 tap their heels, claps their hands and sings along.
From hymns such as “I’ll Fly Away” to humorous classics such as “Five Pounds of Possum” to a rollicking sea shanty, the music creates fellowship and fun. Welcome to Pickin’ and Grinnin’, the monthly bluegrass jam Sam and his wife, Faith, host in Rogersville.
Strike a Chord
Sam is a Rogersville native, by way of Minnesota. About 20 years ago his family moved south and he quickly fell in love with the weather, people and Ozarks culture. His neighbor was a bluegrass fan and introduced Sam to the high-energy genre that would shape his life.
After attending Missouri State University, Sam headed to Kansas City to earn his dental degree. To fill the time between studying and class, he began learning how to play the mandolin. On summer break, he went back home to Rogersville and was invited to his first bluegrass jam at the feed store.
“I showed up to that bluegrass jam with these good old boys, and no one had any sheet music,” Sam recalls. “I didn’t really know anything about the mandolin yet, but I had some basic chords written down on a piece of paper. They taught me how to play by ear, which is really freeing. They started showing me this conversation that takes place in a bluegrass jam.”
Sam, a member of Webster Electric Cooperative, was hooked. He moved back to Rogersville and became an associate at a nearby dental practice. By day, he cleaned teeth and built a customer base; by night, he found local bluegrass jams.
“Before I met my wife, I’d go to these local bluegrass jams, and there just happened to be a lot of good food there, too,” Sam recalls. “Strafford was Monday, Fair Grove was Tuesday and cowboy church was Wednesday. It was just such a blessing to participate in all those jams and be reminded of the more important things in life.”
Unbroken Circle
One of Sam’s good friends, Hub Hubbard, was a fellow musician at many of these jams. He was also the glue that held several of these circles together. After Hub died, Sam felt called to make sure his community still featured these musical events. That was the beginning of Pickin’ and Grinnin’ — four years ago.
A fellow musician, Faith is the perfect co-host of the monthly events. She grew up playing piano and singing opera. She is now a composer for First and Calvary Church in Springfield and does freelance choir commissions — in addition to being the bookkeeper for the dental practice.
“When Sam and I met, I’d been researching all these old folk songs because I was making choral arrangements of them,” Faith says. “He knew them all; he’s like a folk song library. So, he inspired me to play guitar and join the bluegrass world.”
Smiles Meet Strings
The group started with just a handful of musicians. They would gather under the awning near the front door of the dental office. Before long, they outgrew that space. The group transitioned to meeting in the sanctuary of Story Church, which is just a few doors down from the office.
“We just try to keep it consistent, and so if I can’t make it, there are a few guys who will keep it going,” Sam says. “I don’t know how to get in touch with everyone and tell them we can’t do it. So, the show must go on.”
Harmonica player Jim Skinner drives to Rogersville from Springfield. He’s been playing music since he was 12 and loves the challenge of not knowing which songs the group will cover.
“We play songs I’ve never heard before,” he says. “I’m 67 years old, so I’ve heard a lot of songs. I’m retired, so I wake up every day and ask, ‘What am I going to do today?’ The first Wednesday of every month I come here and I play.”
From 90 year olds who have played the fiddle for decades to pre-teens who are just learning the violin, these events bring people from all walks of life. “You’ve got some guy who’s been a horse trader his whole life playing next to a neurologist who’s just started playing the banjo since he retired,” Sam says. “I can sit down next to a 15-year-old, and he can just smoke me on this mandolin. It’s wonderful that we can all gather with one another.”
“One day Sam asked me to come and sit in,” adds Mark Queen, a retired teacher from Rogersville. “It’s just wonderful to be around such talented musicians. Everybody just enjoys the opportunity to play together, praise the Lord and just have a good time.”
A good chunk of the musicians are Sam’s dental patients at Rogersville Family Dental. He sings and hums tunes throughout his patient exams, and the background music on the speakers commonly features fiddle tunes.
“One of our patients was getting a root canal, and Sam was playing bluegrass music in the office,” Faith says. “When he came out, he said ‘that was the most fun root canal I’ve ever had. I felt like I was at Silver Dollar City.’ ”
Lunch Break Like No Other
Back at the jam, the microphone has made its way around the circle. To round out the hour, a musician leads the group in a final prayer. Everyone packs up their instruments and Sam heads back to the dental practice.
“When we finish that jam up and I go back to seeing patients, I am just singing the rest of the day,” Sam says. “It’s still such a rush to have that much fun packed into an hour. For the rest of the afternoon, I’m just on Cloud 9.”
To learn more about Sam Zimmer and the monthly jam sessions, follow Rogersville Family Dental on Facebook.
Email Sara Schafer at sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop.