Appalachian folk duo to play at Winster Village Hall

Jeni Hankins spent every summer of her childhood in the Southwest Virginia homes of her grandmothers — and every summer Sunday in the pews of the Friendly Chapel Church.

“My grandmother’s church was Pentecostal," Jeni says. “They sang loudly and passionately.

“Their singing got under my skin because it wasn’t for prettiness or show -- they were hollering their story up to God with every ounce of their being.

“To me this is singing and this is songwriting -- to shout the story of life as an urgent message to the beyond.”

Billy Kemp's schooling in the traditions of mountain music took place in the mill village of Ellicott City, Maryland, among Appalachian migrants who had come to escape the mines and work in the mills, bringing their fiddles and banjos with them.

Billy listened and learned, becoming a versatile instrumentalist who can soar in any style from Rockabilly to Indian ragas, and earning a place in the Nashville Hall of Fame.

That Southwest Virginia catch in Jeni’s voice blends perfectly with Billy's finely tuned vocal harmonies. Jeni’s solid rhythmic playing provides a solid bed for Billy's syncopated and gorgeously melodic guitar and banjo solos and fills.

To reserve a place call 015394-43687 or email anne.hawson@virgin.net.