Great news for north Georgia bluegrass lovers. After 13 years of inactivity, and the passing of one founder, Whitepath has returned to performing with a new lineup alongside two original members.
Founded in 1994 by Darren Ghorley, Dean Ghorley, Patton Wages, and Kyle Standridge, Whitepath was popular in the region, where they were regularly featured at concerts and festivals over the years. They took the name from the historic Cherokee leader, Chief Whitepath, who also lived in the north Georgia mountains.
Together they released four albums, with help from other notable local grassers like Russell Moore and Barry Abernathy, plus top players Jim VanCleve, Gina Britt, and James Jones. Over the years the personnel changed, with now prominent artists like Jeff Partin, Brian Rittenberry, and Eddie Hoyle working with Whitepath over the course of their time as a group.
Bassist Kyle Standridge decided to step away in 2009, and the band stopped performing in 2013. Sadly, original members Patton Wages suffered a stroke in 2021 rendering him unable to play, and Darren Ghorley tragically passed away in 2024.
Last year, Dean and Kyle launched discussions about getting the band back together, though Dean wasn’t sure he was ready so soon after losing his brother.
Now Whitepath is reformed, with a number of new faces.
Members include:
- Justin Ghorley – guitar, lead vocal
- Adam Mcfarland – guitar, vocal
- Judah Buggay – banjo, vocal
- Kyle Standridge – bass
- Dean Ghorley – mandolin, vocal
The current plan is to only perform on a part-time basis, but they have signed on as the host band at the Hoedown in J-Town Bluegrass Festival in Jasper, Georgia next spring. May 28-29, 2027 is the opening salvo for Hoedown in J-Town, put on by Jeremy Mullinax and Backwoods Bluegrass Promotions, his non-profit entity. Jeremy has landed enough sponsorship that all proceeds from the festival can be donated to the Pickens County chapter of Future Farmers of America.
Full festival details can be found online.
We’re sure the band will receive a warm reception there after so long away.
Welcome back, Whitepath!
