Lonesome Meadow
We're the Jacksons - Anne Marie, John, Gary and Dad - and we play traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel. We're from Westerville, Ohio (near Columbus) and Dad is originally from Pineville, Kentucky and Mom was raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia. We've played all around the midwest and keep branching out. We've written our own songs - all of us - and we keep working on new material. Gary proudly endorses Bishline Banjos. We've got 3 CDs available and you can find them as well as hats and t-shirts at our store.
Anne Marie is 18 and has been playing fiddle for about 7 years. She enjoys waltzes and fast tunes - particularly Orange Blossom Special. Aubrey Haynie and Bobby Hicks are her favorite fiddlers. She's been playing mandolin for 5 years and has become even more interested since a luthier gaver her a custom mandolin as a gift in 2008. She's a high school senior and has been very busy looking at colleges while she keeps up with a busy honors senior schedule at school. She hasn't decided what she wants to major in yet - it changes every week. Currently, her interests lie in biomedical engineering. She volunteers at the hospital when she can. When she manages to find some free time, she's usually buried in books, though she does enjoy speedskating and video games occasionally.
John is 16 and has been playing guitar for about 6 years. He had been greatly influenced by Tony Rice and Steve Kaufman. He's a driving force in arranging the songs we perform, coming up with creative ways to open and close songs. He seems to be able to play an infinite number of breaks and improvises just about anything. He provides a lot of the music for the band's original tunes. He's a sophomore at the local high school and maintains an honors schedule and enjoys jazz band at school. As with the guitar, his finger fly on the video controller, making him a force to be reckoned with... He also enjoys short-track speedskating in his spare time.
Gary is 14 and has been playing banjo for about 6 years now. He started when he was 7 on a Gold Tone Traveler until he could reach the end of the headstock - then we got him his first full-sized banjo. He picked a Stelling Red Fox Deluxe (his pride and joy) which he played until December 2008 when Bishline Banjos sponsored him and made him a custom Midnight Moon. You'll see the Midnight Moon in pictures for our 4th CD. He's currently in 8th grade at the public schools and enjoys Taekwondo, reading and video games in his spare time.
Dad plays bass - upright, electric upright and bass guitar (though anymore you never see him with the bass guitar). He has the bluegrass roots of the family. He grew up in northwestern Ohio but his extended family is from Pineville, Ky where his dad and uncles all play bluegrass. He started playing bass when he was 40 so he could spell his dad on the bass and let his dad play other instruments. When the kids showed some interest in playing, his bass playing turned out to be a good fit. He is excited to be playing with his kids - its the experience of a lifetime. The rest of the band calls him Dad but you can call him Mark.