Big news for lovers of traditional mountain music! Two of the most sincere and evocative vocalists in the genre will be touring together throughout 2019.
Junior Sisk has added Heather Berry-Mabe and her husband, Tony Mabe, to the Junior Sisk Band. All three grew up in the Blue Ridge regions of Virginia and North Carolina, and are steeped in the style of mountain music long associated with this area. Sisk says they have been singing together a good bit this early part of the year and that the sound is gelling very nicely.
They did their first big show over the weekend at MerleFest and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive from the large audience in attendance. At this point, it’s still primarily Junior’s show, doing the many hit numbers he had recorded over the years with Ramblers Choice. But he says that he has worked in a couple songs for Heather and Tony to do as a feature in each set, and will be incorporating more as they go along. Plus he is excited to add more new material – new old songs as he put it – from the deep catalog of early bluegrass and traditional country music.
Heather and Tony had been performing primarily as a duo of late, working mostly within the small church community, and doing work with their personal ministry. But with a new album coming out with Clay Hess and 7Flat Records in the next few weeks, a return to the bluegrass circuit seems like a good idea.
Sisk tells us that he is eager to get this new band in to the studio and capture their sound. In addition to Junior and Heather on guitar, and Tony on banjo, Jonathon Dillon remains on mandolin, as does Gary Creed on bass. For the time being, Jamie Harper is filling in on fiddle until a full-time hire can be made.
Keep an eye on Junior’s web site for a chance to see them live this season.
