Merle Haggard produced their first album. They spent seven years as his opening act. On Sunday, Nov. 1, the Malpass Brothers bring that pedigree to the Calvert Elks Lodge in Prince Frederick, the next stop in Jay Armsworthy’s Southern Maryland Bluegrass concert series.
Chris and Taylor Malpass, brothers from Goldsboro, N.C., play what organizers call a “classic country jukebox” of 1950s, ’60s and ’70s sounds, with plenty of stage humor mixed in. They now have their own show on the RFD-TV network and have appeared on RFD’s Larry’s Country Diner and Country’s Family Reunion.
The act is country first and bluegrass second. They grew up on their grandfather’s records by Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell and Haggard, and cite brother duos such as Jim & Jesse and the Louvin Brothers among their influences. The bluegrass connection is real, though. Their 2015 self-titled album was produced by Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee Doyle Lawson, and Lawson co-produced the 2023 release Lonely Street with Ben Isaacs of The Isaacs.
The Haggard link runs deepest. Haggard produced their 2011 debut, Memory That Bad, on his Hag Records label. The title track reached No. 6 on the CMT Pure Country chart. The brothers made their Grand Ole Opry debut in December 2018 and have returned well over a dozen times. They play more than 150 dates a year.
Organizers list doors at noon, the show at 2 p.m. and tickets at $40. The concert is at the Calvert Elks Lodge #2620, 1015 Dares Beach Road. Ticket and show details are on the series website.
The series has moved around Southern Maryland over the years. By its own account, it began as a monthly winter event at an old Leonardtown theater in the 1990s, spent about 15 years at the American Legion in Hughesville, then moved to the Elks Lodge after the COVID-19 closures, citing a larger room and cushioned seating. Its last concert of the 2025-26 season, on May 3, featured The Kody Norris Show.
Armsworthy has worked in bluegrass for nearly four decades as a performer, promoter and broadcaster. His biography on file with the Maryland State Arts Council says his Bluegrass for Hospice fundraiser raised more than $250,000 for MedStar Hospice of St. Mary’s over 10 years. His radio program, Bluegrass on the Bay, has aired since 1993.
