I was born into a family that loved country music. All the Hanks, Johnnys, Louvin Brothers, Carter Sisters, Mary Robbins, Ernie Tubbs and others were played at full volume on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Fish fries and beer were the excuse to bring your guitar over to Cully’s, Bob’s or Chuck’s house and sing your heart out. It was a big deal for a fiddle, mandolin or steel guitar player to join in the festivities. The harmonies swirled and joy was the obvious outcome of the evening. I feel that these family and friend jam sessions steeped my soul in country & bluegrass. “Mission Belle” is my version of a 3-chord country song (only with more than 3 chords…I tried, really I did) but the song kept evolving. Melissa’s harmonies are reflective of our Mom harmonizing with Dad. In the studio she harmonized twice on every line and it was very tempting to just push all the rich harmonies forward on the mix. Like I remember listening to growing up…

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