Canaan's Land & Foggy Mountain- Passing of Kieth Sims banjo, Moccasin Gap Band

Kieth Sims played banjo for Moccasin Gap Bluegrass Band for their 8 July 2008 reunion performance from which these scenes are taken. He had played banjo with Moccasin Gap for a number of years prior. Band leader Eric McMurray wrote on Facebook "he was the best Scruggs-style/clawhammer combination banjo picker I ever picked with". Both styles are shown in this 2008 video. Kieth had to eventually retire from band performances due to diabetes complications but was still playing with Moccasin Gap as late as 2011.
Obituary for Malcolm Kieth Sims from Colonial Funeral Home:
After a lifelong battle with diabetes, Kieth Sims, 58, was called home on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at Holston Valley Hospital. He was preceded in death by his dad Malcolm J. Sims, Jr. and his grandparents Mac and Ethel Sims and Omar and Carrie Freeman. Left to grieve his passing are his beloved wife and angel caregiver Lisa, his son Dustin and wife Katie and his adored grandsons Blaze and Gage, his son Aaron and wife Jessica, his mother Gloria Sims, and his sisters Rita Quillen and her husband Gary, Myra Sims and Greta Sims, niece Kelsey Goodwin and nephew Teague Quillen. He is also survived by many dear and cherished friends, cousins, and his wonderful work family.
Born in Hiltons, VA, Kieth lived most of his adult life in Kingsport. Known for his wonderful sense of humor and quick wit, he was the king of the one-liner. He always had a funny story or a kind word, and was the kind of friend that everyone wants to be and to have. Kieth was an extremely talented musician, playing with local bluegrass group Moccasin Gap for many years, and he also taught music for a long time at Morell’s Music in Bristol. He was a member of the advisory board for the Carter Family Fold.
President and CEO of Price and Ramey Insurance, an independent agency in Kingsport, Kieth was able to achieve his lifelong dream of running his own business at a level beyond his wildest dreams. Under his leadership, the agency prospered and added many agencies to their network: Laws-Troutman Agency in Elizabethton, Jenkins Agency in Dandridge, Gardner Agency in Morristown, Hodge Hardy Agency and Jenkins Agency in Newport, Southern States in Morristown, and most recently, Greene Agency in Tazewell, TN. Kieth also founded the Mountain Empire Agency Alliance, becoming a regional Master Agent/partner of SIAA, expanding its underwriting territory to 118 counties in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and parts of Virginia. For the past 5 years, MEAA has been recognized as a Top Performer in SIAA.
He was a proud member of the Insurers of Tennessee, National Association of Professional Agents of Tennessee, Kingsport Rotary Club and a former member of the Lynn Garden Optimists. He was a faithful member of Lighthouse Church in Kingsport for as long as his health allowed him to attend and provided music for the church playing bass guitar for many years.
Kieth was a very generous person and supported many philanthropic projects, such as several local churches, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, the Wounded Warriors Project and many more. In honoring his memory, the family asks that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to The Boys and Girls Club of Kingsport, 1 Positive Place, Kingsport, TN 37660 or Shades of Grace Ministry, 313 E. Sullivan Street, Kingsport, TN 37660.
The family will receive friends at the Apostolic Lighthouse, 145 Shipp Springs Road, Kingsport, TN from 4-7 pm with the funeral service at 7 pm, on Tuesday, June 16. Burial will be at 10 am on Wednesday morning, June 17, at Oak Hill Cemetery, 800 Truxton Drive, Kingsport, TN; there will be ushers at the gate to direct you. Pallbearers will be Aaron Sims, Dustin Sims, Aaron Hammons, Ben Christian, Gary Quillen, and Jeff Truelove.
Online condolences may be made to the Sims family by visiting our website at www.colonialfhscott.com
COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, Weber City, VA is honored to serve the family of Kieth Sims