"First Lady of the Banjo" Roni Stoneman in the Times Free Press

Thanks to the Times Free Press for highlighting Sunday's performance by Roni Stoneman at Barking Legs.From the Times Free Press:Roni Stoneman may have earned her fame on “Hee Haw,” but she was country royalty before the musical variety show made her a household name.Born Veronica Loretta Stoneman, she was the 17th child and youngest daughter of the legendary Earnest V. “Pop” Stoneman, who turned his family band into one of the most famous family groups in early country music.The Stonemans won the Country Music Academy’s Vocal Group of the Year award in 1967. When Pop Stoneman died a year later, Roni, already known as a virtuoso banjo player in both country music and bluegrass, pursued a musical career of her own.Joining the cast of “Hee Haw” in the 1970s gave her a national audience for her singing and banjo playing — often with fellow superstars Roy Clark, Grandpa Jones and Stringbean. But it was her comic turn as Ida Lee Nagger, the nagging wife of Laverne Nagger (Gordie Tapp), that made her unforgettable. The character was so popular that Ida Lee spun off into other skits, often as a man-crazy flirt who would chase men around with a net.Stoneman’s talents have earned her the nickname as “The First Lady of the Banjo.” And her ability to switch from sophisticated to funny onstage is still making audiences laugh.Stoneman will be in concert Sunday, Dec. 13, at Barking Legs Theater as part of the Sunday Bluegrass Matinee series presented by Forever Bluegrass and CoPAC.