Bluegrass in the Barn

Meet the Band

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The Good Old Boys and One Good Old Girl Bluegrass Band have been together for over 20 years through various incarnations and "staff" changes. Right now the band has four permanent members:

Billy Terrill, lead guitar, vocals

Big Don Hill, fiddle and vocals
Esther Hembree, bass
Ken Malhoit, banjo

For booking information, see the Contact page.

If you would like to leave the band a note or just say hello, you are welcome to do so at the Message page.

(Cat is not band member.)

Band Photos

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The band plays quite a bit in the Middle Tennessee area during the year with the largest concentration of gigs during the warmer months. Why? Because many performances are outside, and it's hard to pick and grin in 30 degree Tennessee weather.

Sometimes they do not have a stage. The following 2 photos were taken at the Monteagle Assembly Grounds where the band was hired to play a multi-state family reunion in 2008.

Sometimes they do have a stage. The next photo was taken at 2008's "Fire on the Mountain", a benefit for the Fire Department in Orme, TN.

The next photo was taken at the Monteagle Inn when the band was playing at a 2008 rehearsal dinner.

During the cold months, the band practices indoors:

But when it's warmer outside, they sometimes hold their practice sessions in the barn. It's a lot safer now that Esther doesn't keep guineas that like to roost in the rafters.

For more about each band member:

Billy Terrill, lead guitar, vocals
Big Don Hill, fiddle and vocals
Esther Hembree, bass
Ken Malhoit, banjo

Big Don Hill

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Don Hill, aka Big Don, plays the fiddle and resides in Beersheba Springs, TN. He's a partially retired merchant who still owns a country store. At age 69, music has become his greatest hobby.

Big Don plays regularly as his church and with the Good Old Boys and One Good Old Girl band. Big Don also has "author" on his resume with his book "Almost, But Not Quite Hardly." He welcomes friends and visitors at his store any time.

Leave the Band a Note!

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Love bluegrass music? Live in the middle Tennessee area? Just passing through? Share your words and thoughts with the band in the comments area below! Please be aware that comments are welcome but will be moderated.

Contact and Booking Information

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To contact the band via email, use mom (at) meankitty.com. This is Esther's email address.

To contact the band via telephone, particularly for booking purposes, call 1-931-924-2787. This is Billy's business number, and he is their primary booking agent.

The band is most active in the spring, summer and fall months but sometimes they do have openings on the schedule. They have played holiday parties, graduation parties, 4th of July parties, jamborees, birthdays, weddings, etc. The band most frequently plays in Franklin, Marion and Grundy Counties in middle Tennessee.

If you would like to leave the band a note or just say hello, you are welcome to do so at the Message page. Please do not ask for booking information via the message page...it's just for social chit chat, not business!

Esther Hembree, Bass

2009-01-25T00:21:00.000-06:00

Esther Hembree is the female component of the band and she plays the bass fiddle. She was born in 1941 in West Virginia but has lived in Tennessee since 1963.

Her instrument of choice is an 1940's Kay Bass by the name of Abraham. Her favorite type of music is classic bluegrass but she also enjoys folk and mountain music. Her hobbies, besides bluegrass music, include cleaning the shed, feeding stray cats and reading.

Esther's barn and the site of the band practice is in Grundy County, Tennessee.

You can contact Esther at mom (at) meankitty.com

Ken Malhoit, Banjo

2009-01-25T00:20:00.000-06:00

Ken Malhoit is the band's banjo player. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1945. In addition to being a banjo player, he graduated from UT Knoxville in 1968, taught junior high (English, Band) from 1968-1970, graduated from UT Memphis's College of Dentistry in 1974, and is currently a dentist.

Ken has been a resident of Monteagle, Tennessee, since 1976.

Billy Terrill, Guitar, Vocals

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Billy Terrill, the band's leader, plays lead guitar and vocals. He was born on December 6, 1943, in Sewanee, Tennessee. In the mid-60's, he was a member of the US Army Military Police but married and moved to Monteagle, Tennessee, in 1967, where he has lived ever since.

Billy's hobbies include hunting, fishing, playing golf, and most of all bluegrass music. He plays and owns: a 1986 Custom Martin D-45 Rosewood; a 1979 Custom Martin D-35 Rosewood; a 2004 Custom Martin HD28V Brazilian Rosewood; a 1964 Black Ovation Custom Legend Acoustic Electric; and a 1976 Alvarez Yairi D476 12 String Rosewood.

For booking, call: 1-931-924-2787