Bill Wells of Bill’s Music Shop and Pickin’ Parlor Walk into Bill’s Music Shop and Pickin’ Parlor in West Columbia and you’ll take a trip back in time — and that’s the way Bill Wells likes it.

The décor is quaint, with dozens of guitars, banjos and mandolins lining the walls, black– and–white publicity shots of many of the bluegrass legends who have performed over the years, and, of course, there’s Bill, who, with his Colonel Sanders tie and jaunty cowboy hat, looks like he could have just stepped off the stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

Moving into his 25th year of refurbishing virtually every acoustic stringed instrument known to man, providing lessons to students from six to 70 years old, and hosting top bluegrass and “old country” acts twice a month, Wells couldn’t be more pleased about his position in the world – celebrating the past with traditional music and welcoming future generations to join in the fun.

“We’ve got a lot of young people who come in here for our Friday night open stage and open jam sessions,” he said. “We have a great group of people of all ages who follow us through our music, the store, and our shows.”

Wells doesn’t just book the talent – he is the talent. His band, Bill Wells and the Blue Ridge Mountain Grass, has been going strong for more than 30 years.

Wells, who plays guitar and sings lead vocals, is joined by Lewis Price on the fiddle, Chris Hawther on the banjo, Ben Boatwright on the bass, and Jamie Ford on the mandolin, all of whom harmonize as well. And while their dress may be traditional and their sound classified as “old–timey,” their music is circling the world wide web.

The band and its members have countless videos on YouTube, several websites and listings on both Facebook and MySpace.

“I’m known all over the world in bluegrass circles,” Wells said. “We have played everywhere.”

Wells said, although he came a little late to the music game, he always knew he would get there eventually.

Born in the coal country of West Virginia, Wells joined the Navy when he was 17, serving for 20 years. After that, he worked in the pharmaceutical business for another 12 years but kept returning to his love for music.

“I always had in the back of my mind a place where musicians could come in and congregate,” he said. “I loved playing music, and it was always my first love. All the time was in the Navy and beyond, I was learning to play the guitar. ”

After meeting and marrying his wife, “a Columbia girl who wouldn’t let me go home,” Wells decided to make his dream come true in the Midlands.

In 1985, he opened the first location of the guitar shop/performance venue on State Street in Cayce, but the need for more room drove the move in 1987 to his present location on Meeting Street in West Columbia, where he has a 250–seat auditorium fronted by the guitar shop.

The venue has seen such bluegrass legends as Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, the Del McCoury Band, J.D. Crowe & The New South, as well as Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, who will be appearing for two shows on January 3.

An average of 150 people come to the Friday night jam sessions, that feature an open stage session from 7:30–9 pm and then an open jam session where the music flows until midnight.

But what doesn’t flow at Bill’s Pickin’ Parlor is any kind of alcohol. He has a strict no–drinking, no– smoking policy that stems from years of seeing bad things happen when those two elements are present.

“You always have trouble where there’s drinking,” Wells said. “If you are serious about the music, you don’t need the drinking or the drugs.”

One can purchase, however, cold RC Colas, popcorn and Moon Pies – an old–time treat to enjoy while making beautiful musical memories today.

Bill’s Music Shop and Pickin’ Parlor (796-6477) is located at 710 Meeting Street in West Columbia. The shop is open Tuesday- Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm, Friday from 10 am to midnight, and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Check the website (www.billsmusicshop. com) for upcoming performances.