Lincoln Hensley to The Price Sisters

Bluegrass fans are quite accustomed to seeing young performers on stage. There’s a special thrill that comes from watching artists at the early stage of their careers providing the sort of musical entertainment you expect from seasoned professionals.

And so it is with Lincoln Hensley, just announced as the new banjo player with The Price Sisters from Ohio. Not yet 21 years old, and a student in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program at ETSU, Lincoln has been impressing people with his firm grasp of bluegrass banjo for several years now. He has been welcomed into the inner circle of the great Sonny Osborne, who serves as a mentor to the young man, and won him the chance to play his banjo with Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press on the Grand Ole Opry.

Twin sisters Lauren Price Napier and Leanna Price are barely older than Hensley at 24, and also learned the professional side of bluegrass in college. Now graduated from Morehead State University, the girls record for Rebel Records and tour widely across the central and southeastern US. Their sound is patterned heavily on the music of Bill Monroe, with Lauren recognized as a talented disciple of the master. She teaches regularly at mandolin camps, including at Bill’s Bean Blossom Festival, and keeps the Monroe style alive into a new generation.

The Sisters have been recognized both for holding on to the old time bluegrass sound from the mid 20th century, and singing in a fashion that used to be known as brother duet style. It seems there is need for a category for sister duets!

Fiddler Leanna says that they are delighted to find someone who loves the music like they do.

“It’s not often you find a player with as much passion and dedication to the music and its history as Lincoln; he’s very talented and we know that his talent, coupled with his abundant creativity, will be a wonderful asset to the group.”

Here’s a recent video of Hensley with the band.

You can learn more about The Price Sisters and check their schedule online.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.