Shenandoah Valley bluegrass band has been entertaining for 45 years
May 2025
From left, D.G. “Dell” Purkey, Steve Spence, Jimmy Drummond and Jamie Thomas (courtesy Five of a Kind)
by Laura Emery, Staff Writer
When you’ve been in one of the Shenandoah Valley’s most popular bluegrass bands — Five of a Kind — for 45 years, it’s inevitable that people will approach you to ask things like, “Do you remember when you played at that party for me 30 years ago?”
Jimmy Drummond, the band’s leader and a founding member, says with a laugh, “When people say those things, I usually think to myself, ‘I can’t even remember what I did yesterday!’”
The band started in 1980 when a group of friends started having “jam sessions” in a garage in Strasburg, Va. Drummond played guitar, Doug Arthur played bass, Charlie Nicholson played banjo, Gene Stokes played mandolin and Richard Kleese played resonator guitar.
“Word got out, and soon people were asking us to play at birthday parties, reunions and other small events,” Drummond, the group’s guitarist and lead vocalist, explains. But, he notes, the group wasn’t “official” until they were chosen to play during Winchester’s Apple Blossom Parade.
“At that point, we didn’t even have a name for the band,” he says. The group decided to call themselves Five of a Kind. “It was the 80s,” Drummond says. “The bluegrass bands were always dressed alike, so we made sure to do the same. We were Five of a Kind — and we wanted to look the part!”
The band’s popularity grew quickly. Drummond says, “I always say that we went from back doors to front porches. It snowballed quickly.”
Members of the bluegrass band Five of a Kind pose for a photo in 1980. (courtesy Five of a Kind)
Spend five minutes talking to the other members of Five of a Kind — Steve Spence, Jamie Thomas and D.G. “Del” Purkey — and you’ll soon discover that Drummond is the band’s “anchor.” “Our success and longevity is due, in large part, to Jimmy’s perseverance,” says Spence, the band’s bass player since 2021.
Drummond has forged on with the band as other members have come and gone, quite simply, because music runs in his blood. He picked up his first guitar at 7 years old after watching his father create beautiful music, singing and strumming rhythm on his guitar.
“I’ve always liked bluegrass music. My favorite band is The Country Gentlemen. They not only played music, but they entertained,” Drummond says. “And that’s what we try to do.”
“When we get in front of a crowd, we try to entertain the crowd. It makes it fun for us when the crowd is smiling and singing along with us,” says Purkey, the band’s banjo player since 2022. Purkey lives in Alexandria, and has a second home in Woodstock, where he receives electric service from Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative. He says, “When I get the Cooperative Living magazine, I read it from cover to cover.
It was mere hours after he retired from a 45-year career as a pipe fitter when Purkey got the call. “It was Steve [Spence] and the first thing he said was, ‘Wanna play the banjo? Our banjo player left and I told the rest of the band that I know a guy,’” Purkey recalls.
But Purkey is not just any player. He’s followed in the footsteps of his father, Bob Purkey, who played on live radio with former Grand Ole Opry performers at the age of 15. In 1970, also at the age of 15, Purkey played the banjo in his first live radio show.
In addition to having “a leader as good as Jimmy,” Purkey explains that it’s important to have dedicated band members.
The band plays at county fairs, bluegrass festivals, club dates, car shows, summer municipality events and more. Spence estimates that the band played 23 performances in 2024.
“We perform traditional bluegrass songs that people know, but we also do songs that are older and not a lot of people have done,” explains Spence, a retired contractor.
Five of a Kind performs in the studio. The band plays at fairs, festivals, clubs, car shows and other events. (courtesy Five of a Kind)
Spence lives in Strasburg and is also a member of SVEC. He started playing the banjo at 12 years old as a part of his family’s band, The Grass Reflection. The family quartet performed at bluegrass festivals all across the commonwealth.
The Five of a Kind players are “like extended family,” according to Spence. He describes rehearsals where the wives chat or prepare a meal, and the men practice their sets. “Then we all sit down and eat and socialize together,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Jamie Thomas, the band’s fiddler since 2016, says with a laugh, “I look at the guys I’m playing with and I’m still wondering how I got here.” Thomas has always had an ear for music — he can actually play by ear — and an affinity for all kinds of musical instruments.
Thomas got an early start making music when he was a teenager and discovered an old fiddle that his aunt had given him. After performing with a band from West Virginia during the summer of 1981, he stopped playing.
Thirty-five years later, in 2016, Thomas dusted off his fiddle and did a few on-the-spot performances. His talent caught the attention of Drummond. Thomas says, “Jimmy called me and said, ‘You can consider yourself one of Five of a Kind.’ And I’ve been with the band ever since!”
Drummond is proud this summer to be reaching the milestone of 45 years of entertaining audiences throughout the Shenandoah Valley. The band is grateful to have such a loyal fan base. He says, “We have people who have been following us for 20 or 30 years. It makes us feel good.”
With a laugh, he adds, “And, hopefully, it means we’re doing something right!”
For more information, visit fiveofakindbluegrass.com.