Whiskey Bent Valley

Now these boys will take you through the hills of Ol’ Kentucky, bearing the stories, traditions and liquor that date back a century. This old-time band delivers with an intensity that would knock the socks right off of their forefather’s feet.

Hailing from the backwoods of Pewee Valley, Kentucky, the Whiskey Bent Valley Boys pay homage to their Southern kin -- songs from the tobacco fields to the rivers, iron skillets to moonshine stills. Upbeat and professional, the band possesses the skill to honor history and preserve the instruments, their style and every authentic nuance of the day. With their diverse fashion sense on stage, from overalls to string ties, straw hats to silk vests, along with a turbo-charged performance, their approach breathes fire into this vintage genre.

Blending their instrumental and vocal talents are: JR, on the barnyard fiddle; the band’s founder, Mason Dixon, is behind his unique style of the claw hammer and three-finger style banjo, guitar, harmonica. Standing tall with his doghouse bass is the band’s youngest member, Leroy Jones; and on mandolin and once in a blue moon—spoons, Johnny Whippermule.

Incorporating time-honored treasures from such icons as Roscoe Holcomb, The Stanley Brothers, and fiddle legend Tommy Jarrell, or a roster of original compositions including crowd-pleasers “Whiskey Train” and “Shady River,” the band puts on a timeless, energized show; playing everything from ballads, breakdowns, sea shanties, and swamp stomps. Audiences from children on their parent’s knee, to packed saloons past midnight and finding favor with the older generation as well, makes for a wide range of appeal.

The boys take cues from parents and grandparents who have tapped into folk, country and Bluegrass through festivals, radio and endless collections of vinyl recordings. Band founder Mason Dixon hails from a long line of musicians and will tell you it’s not so much in the whiskey as it is the DNA. Each member’s family performs and enjoys the indigenous music of the Appalachian foothills and pastures of Kentucky.

Appearances on a wide range of radio and TV programs, state fairs, and festivals have brought them an active fan base for this region. Oftentimes the boys bring a delicious yield of their summer crops to gigs in bushel baskets for the taking. Going even more down earth, they are taking their CD packaging “green.” Their upcoming new, full-length CD sleeve is industrial hemp paper and recycled cardboard with environmentally-friendly, vegetable-based inks.

No matter what’s chillin’ in your Mason jar, sour mash or sweet tea, come on out for a live show where the Whiskey Bent Valley Boys will be pounding out the swing dancing, foot stompin, hard-driving tunes that are guaranteed to tickle your innards.