Mountain Highway Preserves Bluegrass Traditions by Claudia Johnson Monroe, Stanley and Flatt & Scruggs

Home , Anita Carter, Carter Family Fold, Kentucky Thunder, Lester Flatt, Traditional bluegrass

- Page 8 Page 8 www.cfrvideos.com October 20199 Mountain Highway Preserves Bluegrass Traditions By Claudia Johnson Monroe, Stanley and Flatt & Scruggs. Mountain Highway is a family In fact, the band’s goal stated on the band that is preserving traditional inside of the CD cover is “to perform bluegrass with performances through- traditional bluegrass music that trans- out the country and a newly-released ports people back to a time and place CD. that they once knew and loved.” The group includes Victoria, 18, “We’ve been honored to have on banjo; Jack, 17, on guitar; Emily, people tell us – some with chill 15, on mandolin; Rebekah, 13, on fid- bumps on their arms and tears in their dle; and their dad, Joe, on upright eyes – that our music accomplished bass. Jack is the lead singer on most just that!” Victoria said. songs, but the girls each have a song In some instances, they’ve con- or two in which they sing lead during verted listeners to bluegrass. each performance. All four children “There’ve been many occasions sing harmony. when people have said they didn’t The teenagers are first generation like bluegrass music, but our show musicians because neither Joe or their made them think maybe they actually mom, Trish, played an instrument. Mountain Highway playing at Herbstock, the annual Labor Day party at do,” Jack said. “That’s humbling, and “Growing up, we heard lots of the home of Lorrie Davis Bennett, daughter of Anita Carter. it excites us to know we can open bluegrass music, because that’s all instruction and other musicians on ment,” said Victoria. “Lately, I’ve people’s hearts to the music that we our dad ever played on the radio,” YouTube with some help from sea- also been vocally influenced by love so much.” said Victoria. “But our musical jour- soned musicians at bluegrass jams in Alison Krauss. Of course, I can’t The CD called “Tradition” is a ney really began when our parents their region. For a while, they had the leave out my most favorite banjo tribute to the pioneers of bluegrass. took us to see Ricky Skaggs and help of a classically trained vocal player of all time, Earl Scruggs.” The first single released from the CD Kentucky Thunder at a bluegrass fes- coach who taught them breathing Like her siblings, Rebekah also is the Stanley Brothers tune “Think of tival in Pigeon Forge a little over a techniques and dynamics. cites the Cherryholmes as major What You’ve Done.” It’s currently decade ago. After that, we were “That experience took the fun of influences on her music. available to broadcasters through hooked on live bluegrass and began singing to a whole new level,” Jack “For as far back as I AirPlay Direct. traveling often as a family to concerts said. can remember, I loved and festivals.” As a band, the Mountain watching BJ and Molly The family most enjoyed attend- Highway members say they have Cherryholmes of the ing concerts by the Cherryholmes been influenced most by the music of Cherryholmes family family band and Dailey & Vincent. pioneers like Bill Monroe, Ralph and band and Andy Leftwich Later, they “devoured” YouTube Carter Stanley and Lester Flatt and of Kentucky Thunder videos of early bluegrass performed Earl Scruggs. The present-day musi- play fiddle,” said by musicians like Bill Monroe and cians that have had the greatest Rebekah. “Today, I also the Bluegrass Boys. impact on them are Ricky Skaggs, the enjoy watching videos “It was Skip Cherryholmes who Cherryholmes family, Dailey & of the great Paul first made me want to play the gui- Vincent and Alison Krauss and Union Warren with Flatt and tar,” Jack recalled. “When I finally Station. Scruggs.” did start playing, my greatest influ- Joe and the chil- ence then became Tony Rice. “The first bluegrass concert we dren may be the only Vocally, I’ve been greatly influenced attended as a family was Ricky family members who by Lester Flatt.” Skaggs,” said Emily. “I was really lit- perform, but mom A few years ago, while attending tle! I grew up listening to the man- Trish has the vital role a music festival called “Houstonfest” dolin picking of Ricky and Bill of mixing sound at live performances. in Galax, Virginia, the children Monroe, and they now influence my “That’s pretty important because Mountain Highway included one picked up instruments for the first mandolin playing a great deal.” nobody knows how to mix our live of their favorite instrumentals written time in an “instrument petting zoo.” Joe said his greatest influence music like she does, and she does it by Monroe called “Southern Flavor,” Within a few weeks, they owned a vocally is Briscoe Darling. He’s jok- well,” said Rebekah. “She’s got an along with one of his best bluegrass couple of guitars and began learning ing, of course, as fans of the Andy ear for each of our voices and knows gospel numbers “A Voice From on chords and choosing harmony parts to Griffith Show know Briscoe never how to blend them when we’re High.” A second gospel song on the sing. Eventually, they all learned to sang. Instrumentally, Joe said his singing harmony.” CD is a Stanley tune called “Are You play an instrument, as did their father. children influenced him more than Along with Victoria, Trish also Afraid to Die?” Some other favorites “We think the years we spent any other musicians, because he never maintains the group’s social media included in the volume are “Your together attending bluegrass festivals had ambitions of learning to play an platforms, which has garnered 40,000 Love is Like a Flower,” “Going to gave us a love for the music and a instrument until his kids started play- followers. That means taking a lot of Georgia,” “Down the Road” and passion for passing that experience on ing and teaching him how to play, photos to create fresh content. “Man of Constant Sorrow.” Physical to others,” Joe said. “None of us ever too. “You've heard of the paparazzi copies of the CD can be ordered planned or expected any of this to “Growing up listening to the who follow musicians around taking online at mountainhighway.com, happen, although we’re really grateful Cherryholmes, I always enjoyed hear- their pictures?” Emily asked. “Well, while digital downloads are available to God that it did.” ing their banjo player Cia sing, so I we call our mom the “mama-razzi,” on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Most of what they learned about also gravitated toward the banjo when because she follows us around and iTunes and Spotify. playing instruments came from video it came to choosing my own instru- takes our pictures.” Mountain Highway is on tour per- Because of their heavy perform- forming music found on the ance schedule, the homeschooled “Tradition” CD in about a hundred children admit they have to work hard venues in 10 states from Pennsylvania to keep from getting behind. to Tennessee and Kentucky to “Doing our school work year- Virginia. The children say they hold round helps, but the ‘grind’ of travel- aspirations to play on stages like the ing to perform is actually our favorite Ryman Auditorium, the Lincoln part of each week,” said Emily. Theater, the Carter Family Fold and “We’ve had a blast traveling, meeting others significant to the history of new people, and spending time with bluegrass and Country music. friends wherever we go. We enjoy “Our ultimate goal is to perform our time at home, too, having the on the Grand Ole Opry, which is per- chance to relax, recharge and catch up haps the greatest stage on which any on our studies.” musician can perform,” said Victoria. Mountain Highway has released a “Of course, we would love to play on CD that will appeal to those who ANY stage with our favorite musi- grew up watching “Hee Haw” and cian, Ricky Skaggs.” “The Grand Ole Opry” and listened to \Left to right, Jack, Victoria, Emily, Rebekah, Trish, and Joe Glover