Bristol, Tenn.-Va. (January 17, 2022) – Powerhouse gospel quintet The Legendary Ingramettes and Kentucky bluegrass duo The Local Honeys join host Kris Truelsen and his house band Bill and the Belles for another rousing edition of WBCM Radio Bristol‘s Farm and Fun Time live variety show on Thursday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. ET in the performance theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Historic Downtown Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee. Tickets to be part of the studio audience are on sale now for $35.
“February’s show is going to be one for the books,” said Truelsen. “I am a huge fan of both acts and this may be one of the strongest billings we’ve seen on Farm and Fun Time. We’re very blessed to host extraordinary talent on a regular basis, but this one is not to be missed.”
Presented by the nonprofit Birthplace of Country Music organization, Farm and Fun Time tips a hat to the classic program of the same name that aired on WCYB radio in the 1940s and 1950s. The program was fundamental in the development of bluegrass greats The Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and Flatt and Scruggs.
Six decades of music, 65 years of song, and generations tied together through the force of will of a matriarchy of powerful women – this is the story of The Legendary Ingramettes, founded by the late Maggie Ingram as a way to keep her family together through hardship, and taken up by her daughter Almeta Ingram-Miller as a way to continue Maggie’s legacy.
Inspired by the black gospel male quartets of the 1940s and 1950s, The Legendary Ingramettes bring roof-raising harmonies and explosively powerful vocals, all driven by the voices of women. Based for many years out of Richmond, Virginia, they were led by the indomitable will of the woman they called “Mama,” but now that Mama is gone, Take A Look in the Book is the group’s first efforts with Almeta at the head. The album showcases Almeta’s bold new vision and towering vocal abilities, drawing songs from new Appalachian sources like Ola Belle Reed and Bill Withers, and reworking family favorites, some of which date back to old spirituals. Produced by state folklorist Jon Lohman as part of the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities, Take A Look in the Book was recorded over just three days in Richmond, with most songs being cut in one take to keep the power of the group’s incendiary live performances. A live show from The Legendary Ingramettes is a house-rocking affair, with audiences literally getting whipped to a gospel fervor, and the recording seeks to capture the electrifying nature of the group’s performances.
The Local Honeys’ specific sound of Appalachian music has steadily grown, along with a fan base of music enthusiasts, since touring with Colter Wall across the United States and Europe, and later with Tyler Childers following the release of their controversial album The Gospel. The Kentucky duo has set a standard for the preservation of old-time, hillbilly music and the contemporary influences that inspire their songwriting. Despite a pandemic-deadened 2020 tour schedule that included shows at major folk festivals, The Local Honeys signed with songwriter haven La Honda Records, home to country and Western heavy hitters Vincent Neil Emerson and Colter Wall. The duo has also appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Based in Johnson City, Tennessee, Bill and the Belles is known for combining a stringband format with their signature harmonies, candid songwriting, and pop sensibilities. Composed of Truelsen on guitar, fiddler Kalia Yeagle, banjo/banjo-uke player Aidan Van Suetendael, and bassist Andrew Small, the group has a knack for saying sad things with a bit of an ironic smirk and revels in the in-between. Deeply engaged with the stringband tradition and eager to stretch those influences to a contemporary setting, the band’s latest album Happy Again is full of life, humor, and tongue-in-cheek explorations of love and loss.
Farm and Fun Time broadcasts live before a studio audience and can be accessed in its entirety on WBCM Radio Bristol’s Facebook page live. You may also tune in to the program on the air at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area, through the station’s free mobile app or online at ListenRadioBristol.org.
Farm and Fun Time is syndicated on Blue Ridge PBS, East Tennessee PBS, and PBS North Carolina. Viewers in these markets should check local listings for program scheduling.
For tickets and more information, click here.