• From Apple Valley, California (born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky).
• 1986, a founding member of Weary Hearts, with Ron Block, Butch Baldassari and Mike Bub. Eric played guitar.
• 1988, formed New Wine, with Ron and Sandra Block and Rob Ickes.
• 1992, formed Copperline, with Janet Beazley, Bud Bierhaus and Marshall Andrews.
• 1997, joined Lost Highway, playing mandolin.
• Owns a recording studio, New Wine Studios.
• 2003, released first solo album.
• 2006, formed a trio with his stepsons Christian and Austin Ward. Released a CD called "The New Road to Jerusalem."
• 2007, he (along with stepsons Christian and Austin Ward) joined Chris Stuart and BackCountry.

DONNA ULISSE

• From Hampton, Virginia
• Name is pronounced "You-liss-ee."
• Began singing at age 3 in her family band.
• Married Rick Stanley, a cousin of Ralph and Carter. Ralph and the Clinch Mountain Boys performed at her wedding reception.
• 1980, moved to Nashville.
• 1991, signed by Atlantic Records. Released country album "Trouble at the Door."
• Appeared on CMT "Hot Country Nights," "Nashville Now," "Hee Haw."
• 2007, released bluegrass album "When I Look Back" featuring her original songs. Produced by Keith Sewell.

• Formed in 1999.
• A traditional roots band featuring K.C. Groves, Abigail Washburn, Rayna Gellert and Kristen Andreasson.
• They sometimes refer to themselves as the g'Earls.
• K.C. Groves has recorded several solo projects of folk, old-time and bluegrass music. She lives in Colorado.
• Banjo player Abigail Washburn also performs and records as a solo artist, specializing a blend of American and Chinese folk music. She lives in Nashville.
• Kristen Andreasson is also a member of the Maryland-based Footworks, a percussive dance group. She lives in Woodstock, NY.
• Rayna Gellert (from North Carolina) is a former member of the Freight Hoppers.
• 2007, released CD "Waterloo, Tennessee" produced by John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin fame).

UNION KUN-TREE

• From Arkansas.
• Began as the Chitlin Switch Road Runners in the mid-1950's (performing on a radio station in El Dorado, Arkansas). They also appeared on the Louisiana Hayride.
• 1980, changed name to Bluegrass Kun-Tree, recorded several albums under that name.
• 2005, re-emerged as Union Kun-Tree.
• Original lead singer Joe Wilson died in 1984. His son Joe Wilson, Jr. took his place in the band, playing banjo.
• Celebrated 50 years as a band in 2005.

• From Cincinnatti, Ohio.
• Formed in 1992.
• Two members of this band, Dwight McCall and Randy Pollard, worked previously with Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass.
• Group disbanded in 1995. McCall left to join the Country Gentlemen.

• From Wheelersburg, Ohio.
• Formed in 1993.
• 1996, won the SPBGMA “International Bluegrass Band Championship.”
• Founder and guitarist Ray Craft formerly worked with Dave Evans, Emma Smith, and Redwing.
• Banjo player John Lewis previously worked with the Lost and Found, Gary Brewer. At age 14 had a group called True Grass with Don Rigsby. He is an attorney.
• Original banjo player: Jack Hicks (a former member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys).
• Mandolin player Shayne Bartley previously worked with Dave Evans, the Lost and Found and the Charlie Sizemore Band.
• Guitarist Scottie Sparks previously worked with Dave Evans, Redwing, and his own band. He also performed on the Grammy-nominated album “The Stanley Tradition.”
• 1997, recorded first album for Doobie Shea Records.
• 2000, disbanded.
• 2008, Bartley and Craft re-formed the group with Bobby Hicks playing fiddle on selected dates.

JOE VAL (AND THE NEW ENGLAND BLUEGRASS BOYS)

• From Boston, Massachusetts.
• An influential mandolin player and tenor singer in the New England area.
• 1950's, performed with the Radio Rangers and the Lilly Brothers.
• 1960's, worked with Bill Keith, Jim Rooney, Breakfast Special, and the Charles River Valley Boys (a group that recorded an album for Elektra called “Beatle Country”—arrangements of songs by the Beatles.)
• 1969, formed his New England Bluegrass Boys and recorded several albums for Rounder.
• Died in 1985.

JIM VAN CLEVE (See also MOUNTAIN HEART)

• Born/raised in Sarasota, Florida. Grew up in Haywood County, North Carolina. Resides in Nashville.
• Began playing fiddle at age 8.
• As a teenager, played with Ric-o-chet, Lou Reid & Carolina, Rambler's Choice, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.
• 1998, joined Mountain Heart.
• An A-list Nashville session musician. Played on Carrie Underwood's hit single "Don't Forget to Remember Me."
• 2006, recorded solo project "No Apologies." First cut, "Nature of the Beast" nominated for Grammy Award ("Best Country Instrumental Performance").

• From the San Francisco Bay area. Lives in Colorado.
• One of the top Dobro™ players in bluegrass.
• Original member of The Good Old Persons.
• 1993, formed her own band.
• 1994, formed the Sally Van Meter/Tammy Fassaert Band (with vocalist Tammy Fassaert).
• One of her recordings was used in the soundtrack of the hit TV series, Northern Exposure.
• Has produced albums by the Yonder Mountain String Band and Open Road.

APRIL VERCH

• From Pembroke, Ontario, Canada.
• Began step-dancing at age three; fiddling at age six.
• As a high school student, recorded two albums.
• Attended Boston's Berklee School of Music.
• Won the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship and Canadian Open Fiddle Championship.
• Worked with Canadian country music star Tommy Hunter.
• 2001, released first Rounder album "Verchuosity."
• 2003, released "From Where I Stand" CD.
• 2006, released "Take Me Back" CD, produced by Dirk Powell.

• From Stockton, California. Originally from Arkansas.
• A duo featuring Vern Williams (mandolin) and Ray Park (guitar). Ray also played fiddle.
• Met in Stockton in 1959, formed a band called the Carroll County Country Boys. Recorded several singles on the Starday label.
• Herb Pederson (also of the Dillards, the Desert Rose Band, the Laurel Canyon Ramblers) played banjo with Vern and Ray.
• Disbanded in 1974. Vern formed The Vern Williams Band with his son Delbert on guitar, Keith Little on banjo.
• Ray Park worked with numerous west coast bluegrass and country bands. Recorded a solo fiddle album called “Fiddletown” in 1982. Died on May 15, 2002.

• From Duncan, Oklahoma. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Started playing banjo at age 13.
• At age 18, landed his first pro job with Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers (one year).
• Age 19, moved to Texas and formed a band with brother Curtis and Russell Moore called Southern Connection.
• 1985, joined Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.
• 1990, formed a group called Livewire.
• 1994, with David Parmley, formed Continental Divide.
• 1996, won IBMA award for Banjo Player of the Year (co-winner with Sammy Shelor).
• 1998-2003, worked with the John Cowan Band.
• Producer of series of annual instrumental albums (The “Bluegrass” series), which won the IBMA award for Recorded Event of the Year in 1996.
• First to popularize the “stealth” banjo: a five-string banjo with a hidden fifth-string tuning peg.
• 2003, joined Rock County. Also performs with Longview and country singer Shawn Camp.
• 2004, joined Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time.
• 2006, joined the Sam Bush Band.

• From Fredericktown, Missouri.
• Originally called “The Gospel Tones.” Formed in 1972 by Harold and Kathy Goad.
• 1985, changed name to the Village Singers.
• Heavily influenced by the style of the Chuck Wagon Gang.
• Harold (banjo and guitar) formerly performed regularly at Silver Dollar City in Branson. Wife Kathy plays mandolin. Their son Warren plays guitar and sings bass.
• Bass player Shirley Vaughn, formerly with a group called Parker Mountain Bluegrass is from Springdale, Arkansas.

• From Kirksville, Missouri.
• Grew up performing with her family band, The Sally Mountain Show.
• 1967, began singing professionally at age five, on her family's weekly television show.
• Began playing mandolin at age five. She can play all the bluegrass instruments.
• Won Missouri state fiddle championship in 1977.
• Recorded eleven albums with the Sally Mountain Show and six solo albums before the age of 30.
• 1985, began performing with Grand Ole Opry Star Jim Ed Brown on the Grand Ole Opry.
• 1992, signed wth Giant Records for two country projects.
• 1998, co-hosted the IBMA awards show with Ricky Skaggs.
• 1998, formed Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. The original Rage was spelled “Raje” for the initials of the band members: Rhonda, Alan (Jones), Joey (Wieneman) and Earl (actually Irl Hees). It was later changed to Rage because it was often mis-pronounced.
• 1999, returned to bluegrass with the release of her album “Back Home Again.”
• Rhonda and her husband Herb own a restaurant in Kirksville, MO called “Bogie’s.”
• Nickname: “Mandolin Mama”
• Is often called upon to sing harmony with other artists on their recordings: Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, many others.
• 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, won IBMA award for Female Vocalist of the Year.
• 2001, won IBMA award for Entertainer of the Year.
• 2002, was inducted into the George D. Hay Country Music Hall of Fame in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas.

THE VIRGINIA RAMBLERS

• From Albermarle County, Virginia.
• Formed in 2004.
• Members: Charles Frazier (guitar, lead vocals), Donnie Shifflet (bass) and Jeff Vogelgesang (mandolin), Zack Deming (banjo)
• Frazier, Shifflet and Vogelgesang performed together for 13 years with banjo player Alvin Breeden as The Virginia Cutups.
• Zack Deming is a former member of King Wilkie.
• 2005, appeared on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion."

• From Virginia.
• Formed in 1983 by Rickie Simpkins (fiddle and mandolin), Ronnie Simpkins (bass), Mark Newton (guitar and lead vocals), and Sammy Shelor (banjo.)
• 1984, voted “Bluegrass Band of the Year” by the Country Music Association of Virginia..
• They had previously worked with another Virginia bluegrass band, The Heights of Grass. Lead singer Mark Newton also previously worked with The Knoxville Grass.
• Broke up in 1989. Occasonally performs “reunions” when the members of the band are together at festivals.
• Mark Newton has his own band and promotes the annual Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Virginia.

• From Blountville, Tennessee.
• Formed by Tim White and Dave Vaught in 1997.
• A bluegrass band that features magic and comedy “to provide a complete entertainment experience.”
• Larry McPeak (of the McPeak Brothers) is also a member of this trio.