Valerie Smith Music

Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike love to play music. It is just that simple....each member has performed for audiences across the United States, Canada, UK, Europe and on cruise ships

Jack Dunlap / Guitar / Mandolin / Vocals

“Jack Dunlap, one of the fastest guns on mandolin (and guitar) in the greater Washington, D.C. area…” -Bluegrass Unlimited

A skilled mandolin and guitar player, Jack is well-known nationwide, currently holding the guitar spot with Grammy-nominated and IBMA-awarded bluegrass band Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. Though his roots are in bluegrass, he’s an artist with wide-ranging influences, including jazz, swing, blues, rock, country, and even Eastern Indian folk. As a Virginia Folklife Program apprentice, he trained under mandolin legend Danny Knicely, with whom he recorded Chop, Shred & Split - A Mandolin Player’s Apprenticeship, an album awarded Best Bluegrass Album of the Year by the Washington Area Music Awards. Jack discovered the mandolin at age 12 and soon added guitar to his musical repertoire. His real education came from attending jam sessions and festivals across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, where he soaked up every bit of music he could find. At 19, Jack co-founded Bud’s Collective, where his fiery mandolin solos quickly made him a standout. Fans eagerly awaited each time Bud’s Collective rolled into town, drawn by Jack’s captivating performances.

In January 2018, he launched the Jack Dunlap Band, teaming up with longtime collaborator Jacob Bly and powerhouse drummer Randall Witherspoon. By September, the group performed at Watermelon Park Fest in Berryville, VA, joined by saxophonist Justin Eller, who soon became a permanent band member. When the 2020 shutdowns hit, Jack turned the downtime into a creative period, crafting a solo album titled The Isolation Sessions. This project featured only mandolin, bass, and vocals, including five original pieces, three Bud’s Collective revivals, and two traditional folk songs. By May, The Isolation Sessions had reached No. 1 on the Airplay Direct Charts.

In 2021, Jack formed the band Dunlap & Mabe, stepping into the spotlight as both lead vocalist and guitarist, achieving several appearances on Bluegrass Today’s “Grassicana” chart. In 2024, Jack achieved a longtime dream by joining one of his favorite bands, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen. This new venture has also allowed him to delve deeper into his solo work, continuing to evolve his unique musical style and passion.

Vince May’s love for bluegrass music blossomed in the scenic hills of Ruckersville, Virginia in the shadow of the blue ridge mountains. Surrounded by the rhythmic sounds of festivals in the '70s and '80s, With the iconic Spottswood Lounge just a short drive from his home and a close friendship with owner T.I. Gilbert, Vince was immersed in the vibrant bluegrass scene from an early age.

His military service in the Army, spanning 26 remarkable years, provided him with unforgettable experiences including weekly shows by The Seldom Scene while he was stationed at Ft. Belvoir. It was there that Vince discovered Mike Auldridge, the dobro legend who inspired him to pick up the instrument in 1988. Since then, the dobro and the spirit of bluegrass have been his steadfast companions. Vince brings a strong, vibrant lead and tenor voice to Valerie's line-up.

Over the years, Vince has played with several bands, including The Guard, which has proudly maintained a weekly Wednesday night show at The Coffee Pot in Roanoke for over 27 years. He's also a key member of The Rose River Ramblers, a group born from jam sessions at the Graves Mountain bluegrass festival, based in Powhatan, Virginia. Most recently, Vince has joined Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, a collaboration that has him excited about the future of his music and theirs. With a deep connection to the roots of bluegrass and a passion for sharing it with others, Vince May is a name to watch in the world of bluegrass. Join him on this musical journey and experience the heartfelt sounds that only a true bluegrass lover can deliver! 

Upright Bass / Vocals

Bassist Stephen Hu has played bluegrass, Americana, jazz, and musical theater for 25 years. He has played bluegrass with The Believers and The Wellions in the Fredericksburg area and helped host the bluegrass Sunday night at The Sunken Well Tavern. He currently plays in the duo Swing N Strings with pedal steel player Gary Lee Gimble, and occasionally with the pit orchestra at The Riverside Center For the Performing Arts.

Banjo/Guitar 

Joe Zauner was born in Washington, DC and now lives in Maryland.  He has been playing bluegrass banjo and guitar since 1973.  Joe played in local DC area bands during college and law school, including the very popular “Stars & Bars” band which featured now 8-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year  Missy Raines among its regular members.  Stars & Bars performed at all the major bluegrass music venues in and near Washington, DC and at bluegrass festivals in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.  Joe currently works with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, was a member of the Patent Pending bluegrass band from 2014 to 2019, and did a two-year stint with the Jeanette and Johnny Williams Band.  He has also performed in various musical configurations alongside 4-time Grammy-winning composer Louisa Branscomb.  Joe was selected to appear on the “Patuxent Banjo Project”, a two-volume recording of tunes by well-known banjo players in the Washington, DC area.  His cut “Angelina  Baker” has received airplay on a number of bluegrass radio shows around  the country. 

While a full-time trial attorney, Joe has had the opportunity to appear on stage with many well-known bluegrass music performers including Jerry Douglas, Buck, Sharon, and Cheryl White, Eddie & Martha Adcock, Roland White, Larry Stephenson, Pam Gadd, Randy Waller, Gene Johnson, Dudley Connell, Phil Rosenthal and the Dixie Beeliners.   From 2005 to 2012 Joe worked as stage manager for the IBMA World of Bluegrass Fanfest main stage in Nashville. 

Joe, a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Maryland School of Law, is a collector of vintage bluegrass musical instruments and vintage American and English woodworking hand-tools, clocks and pocketwatches.  In college he wrote the score for a two-act musical comedy performed at Georgetown University in Spring 1976, and also conducted the drama department pit orchestra during his college years.