Exeter man strums his way into country big time

It’s a long way from Exeter to the Grand Old Opry, but Perley Robert Curtis is glad he made it there.

After a decade as a country musician, Curtis, 33, was hired in February to play Dobro (an acoustic guitar with a built-in metal resonator) and steel guitar in the Holly Dunn Band, a Country Music Association Award winner.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” said Curtis in a phone interview from his Hendersonville, Tenn., home. “It seems so nice. I make sure not to take it for granted. I’ve never been one to do that. I’ve always appreciated what I have.”

Curtis got his start as a musician at age 9 when he sang and played guitar at his uncle’s wedding. Beginning in his early 20s, he played lead guitar, Dobro and steel guitar with several bluegrass and country bands in Maine, including his own, Silk and Steel.

Two years ago, Curtis moved to Nashville where he worked in a steel guitar shop, repairing and building guitars, while playing with the Reno Brothers band.

“I wanted to make more of a career of it, rather than just playing weekends,” he said. “I wanted to break into the shows, not just do club dates.”

Curtis heard about the audition for the Dunn band “through the grapevine.” He went, auditioned and was hired on the spot.

“It’s a whole different business at this level,” he said. “I get paid more for less work. Everything’s so highly organized. Also, I get to work with major artists in package shows.”

Curtis described Dunn’s sound as traditional country, and said the band, like himself, is very versatile.

“The band’s members are frequently switching off instruments,” he said. “We can do quite a range of music.”

The Holly Dunn Band is a headliner, or at least a co-headliner. The group just returned from a 16-day tour in California, and will soon be headed to Texas for another. They also just wrapped up a video for a single off Dunn’s “Heart Full of Love” album.

Curtis hasn’t found the travel hard, especially since he can remember days of riding in crowded vans or station wagons. But he does miss his home state, where the Dunn band has yet to perform.

“I’m doing more traveling than I’ve done before, but in a brand-new Silver Eagle bus,” he said. “There’s more dates, but it’s easier traveling. I don’t like being so far from Maine, because I love it up there. It’s hard to get back, because I’ve been so busy.”

Curtis does make it back to the Pine Tree State through the airwaves, on Nashville Network shows like “On Stage” and “Nashville Now.” He’s also fulfilled a childhood dream by performing twice at the Grand Old Opry.

“This is the first break I’ve had in my career,” Curtis said. “From Stacey’s to the Nashville Network is a big step.”