WMMT’s Bluegrass Express Live will present Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Thursday, June 12 during Appalshop’s 22nd Annual Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival. The performance will take place in the Appalshop Theater in downtown Whitesburg. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the performance will start at 7:00 pm. The Theater is located at 91 Madison Ave.

Jesse McReynolds has enjoyed a sixty-year career in bluegrass music, the majority of which was spent performing with his brother, Jim. Grand Ole Opry members since 1965, Jim & Jesse recorded for labels such as Columbia, Rounder, and Epic. Originally from the small community of Carfax, Virginia, Jim and Jesse toured all 50 states with the exception of Alaska, as well as other locations across the globe. In 1960, their first single for Columbia, "The Flame of Love", spent weeks climbing the top 100 national charts. In 2002, Jim McReynolds passed away, ending the longest active professional brother duet in country music history. Today, Jesse continues to play throughout the world with the duo's band, the Virginia Boys. His is a mandolin stylist known for his musical wizardry, songwriting, singing, and arranging. Jesse created the intricate and hard to duplicate, “cross-picking” and “split string” styles. His virtuosity is on a plane with Paganini’s impossible violin style.

Numerous awards include induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor, Grammy nominations, and the National Heritage Fellowship Award. Jesse McReynolds is currently celebrating his 60th Anniversary in music. The beautiful music that originated from the brothers in the mountains of southwest Virginia back in 1947 is as timeless as ever.

Interesting facts:
Played mandolin on the Doors’ The Soft Parade album. Toured and recorded as a member of The Masters, a quartet of "super pickers" that included fiddler Kenny Baker, dobroist Josh Graves and banjoist/guitarist Eddie Adcock. Performed and recorded with the Glenville State College Percussion Ensemble.

Instruments: Mandolin, Guitar, Fiddle lead and harmony vocals.
Jesse is an innovator who also created the Mandolobro, a combination of the mandolin and dobro.

Tickets are $15 for adults. Tickets may be purchased on-site at Appalshop, 91 Madison Ave., by calling 1-800-838-3006, or on the web at www.appalshop.org/seedtime. Advance tickets now available. Please note, reservations will not be taken for this show. For questions, please contact Debbie Sutton at 606-633-0108 or email wmmtfm@appalshop.org.