Joe Mullins And The Radio Ramblers On The Bill For The Ninth Annual Bath Bluegrass Jamboree

Warm Springs, Va – The Ninth Annual Bath Bluegrass Jamboree is coming up on Saturday April second and Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers are on the bill. Joe Mullins, who sings and plays banjo, says he’s considered a traditionalist among bluegrass audiences.

“Bluegrass is quite a family affair, always has been” says Mullins. “And I grew up playing the banjo alongside my dad who was a great fiddle player and broadcaster as well. My dad was the late Paul Moon’ Mullins; passed away just two and a half years ago after almost a 50 year career as fiddler first working in the late 50’s for the Stanley Brothers as one of the Clinch Mountain Boys. Grew up doing banjo and broadcasting.”

Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers have a new bluegrass gospel CD. It’s called “Hymns from the Hills”. That’s also the name of Mullins’ gospel radio show that he’s done every day for 20 years.

“I am fortunate to have grown up in a household doing banjo and fiddle music night and day” he says. “There’s a lot of heart and soul in this kind of music that Nashville forgot about years and years ago. When you look at all the different genres of modern music, bluegrass has tripled in popularity every decade the last 30 years because it’s real and it’s rootsy.”

Since the early 1980’s Mullins has combined broadcasting and banjo picking into a career. He operates a network of radio stations in the Dayton Ohio area that features bluegrass, old time country and gospel music.

“Allegheny Mountain Radio is quite similar to what I do except ours is all commercial broadcasting” says Mullins. “And we have a format that combines entertainment and information – local event coverage, community news, agricultural news.”

The Bath Bluegrass Jamboree is Saturday night April second at Bath County High School at 6 o’clock . The Church Sisters and High Ground will also perform. Proceeds benefit community radio station WCHG in Hot Springs. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 13 to 18 and under 12 are free. The Jamboree is part of the new Mountain Strings and Arts Festival. The Festival gets underway on Friday night with a barn dance and continues on Saturday with events all day.

“Well you’ve gotta be there” says Mullins. “Allegheny Mountain Radio is super important to the entire region, and this annual bluegrass jamboree is one we’ve heard about. We were glad to get an invitation and we want the high school packed. As the old timers used to say, We’ll treat you so many ways, you’ll have to like one of em.”

For more information about the Bath Bluegrass Jamboree and the Mountain Strings and Arts Festival, call WCHG at 540-839-5400 or visit Allegheny mountain radio dot org.