Bertha and the Belles

About the Band

Bertha and the Belles is an acoustic quartet established in late 2021. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, this band features the powerful singing of Pam Hawley, the remarkable fiddling of Alice Backer, the lovely, rootsy vocals of Annie Trimble, AND some of the best duet and trio vocal harmony around. In addition, the powerful rhythm section of Annie’s guitar, Pam’s banjo uke, and “Bertha” — Richard Gordon’s bass — provides a solid backdrop for an exciting mixture of country, swing, spiritual, old -time and other folk music.

Fiddle & Vocals

Alice Backer

Alice was classically trained in violin, but after she was exposed to country and bluegrass music, her violin suddenly turned into a fiddle, and has remained that way ever since. She has performed with Bluegrass, Scottish, and Children’s Music Bands. She is a versatile harmony singer who enriches any group she sings with.

Vocals and Banjo-uke

Pam Hawley

Pam has been involved with music, theater and dance
throughout her life. She has enjoyed all aspects of music from singing in choirs, acting in community theater and directing musical productions for the "Sassy Senior Performance Group". Her love of folk
and country music skyrocketed when she met her husband Jim at college.

Guitar and Vocals

Annie Trimble

Annie has been playing guitar for over 50 years and
has always loved singing tight vocal harmonies. She has played and recorded with the old-time groups The Boiled Buzzards and the Panther Hollow String Band, and the folk duo South Wind and is a member of the Cajun band, Grand Bon Rien, singing in Cajun French.

Bass (Bertha) and Vocals

Richard Gordon

Richard learned to play guitar, bass, and mandolin by hanging out with all the wrong people in all the wrong places. An award-winning bassist, he has played in a variety of bands since 1987. As “Mandorichard," he hosts a folk, bluegrass, and old-time radio show on WRCT, Pittsburgh.

Instrumentation

Bertha

This is the first band Bertha has headlined. She is an Engelglhardt C1 bass made in Elk Grove, IL in 1986. She was manufactured to conform to the size and specs of an old Kay plywood bass. (Engelhardt bought Kay in 1969.) She was shipped to Baltimore Bluegrass in 1987, where Richard purchased her. Together, they have played in MD, VA, WV, NC, DE, PA, CT, NJ, and MA.