Born in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, James Kee grew up in a hot bed of great local musicians. At an early age, James expressed a special interest in music, singing in school and church choirs as well as the Chattanooga Boys Choir. It was here that James had his first experiences on stage.
Inspired to play by his banjo-playing grandfather, he grew to love bluegrass music at a local show called the Mountain Opry on Walden's Ridge near his hometown. Starting with the acoustic guitar and working his way to bass, mandolin and banjo, James became competent on several instruments and by age 13 was playing in local bands and at local events.
After establishing a firm reputation as a solid local musician, James began touring at age 18 and was privileged to make music with some of the best in the business where he has traveled to and performed in almost every state in the US. While with the popular Lexington, KY based group Newtown, James’ feature song, Must Have Been Crazy, from the band’s self-titled debut album went all the way to number 2 on the Bluegrass and XM Radio Charts and gave James his first recognition as a lead vocalist.
Aside from being a bluegrass musician, James graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with a BS in Environmental Science, and is an Honorable Kentucky Colonel. He is also a local entrepreneur and serves on the Board of Directors for the Folk School of Chattanooga.
John Boulware’s musical heritage stretches back for generations. His great-great-grandfather Will McWatters played fiddle, as did his grandfather Brice Bagley. John was inspired to take up the instrument at the age of twelve, and has since learned a wide variety of styles ranging from Celtic to bluegrass to old time. He performs regularly at regional festivals and contests, and has been a featured soloist twice with the Murfreesboro Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. John holds a National Beginner Division Country Musician Guitar Championship, 2 consecutive age division titles at the Tennessee State Fiddle Championship, and recently became the 2006 overall State Fiddle Champion for Tennessee. John currently resides in Chattanooga, TN. He performs and teaches guitar and mandolin in addition to fiddle.
Josh grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and in the foothills of Lookout Mountain, Georgia. He was introduced to bluegrass music by his grandfather Fred Hixson as a child but didn't take up the genre until age thirteen when he began playing the guitar. Mandolin soon followed along with the banjo and finally bass. Josh has played in a plethora of different local bands throughout the region including as well as notable groups like the Crowe Brothers and Shannon Slaughter.
Roy Curry began playing guitar at the age of 11. His smooth, seemingly effortless flat picking skills and musical knowledge are a treat to observe. Roy makes his listeners forget the complexity that’s put into producing such amazing sounds on guitar and lets them be drawn in to the pleasing experience of his performances. Known internationally as one of the finest flat pickers in existence, he’s also highly respected locally and enjoys freelancing as well as playing electric guitar. His talent has won him 24 guitars so far, and he’s not done yet.
His column “The Workshop” was a feature in the well known Banjo Newsletter and you can find interviews with Jim in the July 2011 edition of the Banjo Newsletter and the Winter 2006 edition of Banjovia.