Wheatland church hosts bluegrass concert

Aug. 29—WHEATLAND — Christian Free Lutheran Church, 407 N. Main St. in Wheatland, will host a bluegrass gospel concert Saturday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m.

The concert will feature award-winning group Bluegrass Express. Admission is free and open to the public. The church will accept donations.

Father and son Gary and Greg Underwood formed Bluegrass Express in 1980, according to a press release from Christian Free Lutheran Church. The band has performed extensively from Michigan to Mississippi, the church said.

Featuring tight harmony and superbly proficient instrumentation, the band has produced more than a dozen studio recordings including 2017's project "Answer to My Prayer" which received critical acclaim throughout bluegrass and gospel circles.

Founding member and band patriarch Gary Underwood grew up in the tiny east central Illinois town of Custer Park. One of his earliest musical influences was his fiddle-playing neighbor Fiddy Crater, according to the band biography.

Gary developed a great interest in the fiddle at a young age but switched to the guitar to handle a large portion of the vocals in the band's early years.

An accomplished song writer, Gary is still featured occasionally on the fiddle and spends time repairing and restoring vintage violins.

Co-founder Greg Underwood s the product of a childhood filled with music, his bio says. By age 12, Greg was playing mandolin and singing on stage. He received Most Promising Male Vocalist and Most Promising Mandolin recognition from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America early in his career

Greg now handles the bass for the group, as well as lead and harmony vocals. He has written many songs performed by the band.

Greg sang and performed with Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin and spent two years playing bass and touring with Grammy winning artists The Cox Family, according to his bio.

Jacob Underwood first took the stage with the group at the age of three, won his first fiddle contest at the age of 10, and became a full-time member of the band at age 11, playing mandolin and fiddle.

Jacob later switched to banjo as his primary instrument and has won numerous contests in banjo, mandolin and fiddle, according to his bio. In 2016, Jacob released a solo instrumental CD, "The Banjo Files," featuring numerous A-list musicians as special guests on the project.

Jacob recently released another solo project, "As Time Goes By," playing all of the instruments in a bluegrass treatment of songs from the 30s, 40s and 50s.

Andrew Hunt began taking violin lessons at the age of seven and soon after picked up the guitar and mandolin. He was surrounded by music from an early age through his parents, according to his bio.

Hunt is a 2015 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University's Recording Industry program, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Music Business. While living near Nashville, Hunt worked as an intern at Compass Records on Music Row where he was hired after graduating from college.

Hunt has recorded with late legendary fiddler Byron Berline and played as a member of the Byron Berline Band, his bio says. He lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma with his wife Shannon.

Jonathan Hunt began his musical journey taking fiddle lessons. He eventually settled on the banjo then the guitar. He is a student not only of bluegrass music but also genres ranging from blues to western swing.

While living in Oklahoma, Jonathan built a relationship with banjo master John Hickman who taught him not only about playing the banjo but also how to build them, his bio says. Jonathan is a luthier, building professional custom banjos.

Jonathan also recorded and toured with Byron Berline. He currently resides in Stillwater, Oklahoma.