Grand Ole Orpy (a skit on the Grand Ole Opry) is a training-orientated session for upbeat Bluegrass and Skiffle style music sponsored by the Orpington Folk & Blues Club, which has a strong culture of encouragement. Orpy provides a great opportunity for collaboration, bringing together those seeking improvement with expertise and experience.
When I first learnt about it I was just moving to Americana, and it's greatly influenced that move with its strongly upbeat approach. It has also exposed me to a wealth of songs and tunes which I might otherwise have taken a long time to discover. All in all it has greatly accelerated my progress and has now become the main focus of my musical development.
The clip shows me leading a rendition of Worried Man Blues from, I think, late 2014. I hadn't realised this was being filmed! AFAIK this constitutes my YouTube début...
