GRATIOT — The Evangelical Free Church of Gratiot is excited to welcome the great Illinois and Oklahoma based band Bluegrass Express to the Gratiot Community Park for a wonderful evening of bluegrass Gospel music on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. Gratiot Community Park is located just off Wis. 11 in Downtown Gratiot. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. A free will offering will be received.
Bluegrass Express was formed in 1980 by the father-son team of Gary and Greg Underwood and has performed extensively ever since, from Michigan to Mississippi and all points in between. Featuring tight harmony that can only be found in a family band along with superbly proficient instrumentation, a live performance is certain to delight audiences of all ages. Collectively, they have over a dozen studio recordings to their credit. In 2024, the band’s single “Don’t say goodbye if you love me” from their “Tribute to Jim & Jesse” project reached No. 8 on the Mountain Bluegrass top 12 and No. 13 on the Hooked on Bluegrass top 50.
Founding member and band patriarch Gary Underwood (guitar) grew up in the tiny east central Illinois town of Custer Park. One of his earliest musical influences was the fiddle playing neighbor “Fiddy” Crater. Gary developed a great interest in the fiddle at a young age and was hooked from then on. In the early stages of the band, Gary switched to the guitar to handle a large portion of the vocals. An accomplished song writer, he is still featured on occasion on the fiddle and spends time repairing and restoring vintage violins.
Co-founder Greg Underwood (bass) is the product of a childhood filled with music. By age 12, he was playing mandolin and singing on stage. Greg received “Most Promising Male Vocalist” and “Most Promising Mandolin” from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) early in his career. Greg now handles the bass chores for the group along with lead and harmony vocals. He has written many songs performed by the band. Among his many credits, 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.”
The Underwoods all hail from northwestern Illinois. Go to http://www.jacobunderwoodmusic.com for more information.
Jacob Underwood (banjo/mandolin/fiddle) first took the stage with the group at the age of three, won his first fiddle contest at the age of ten, 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. In 2016, Jacob released a solo instrumental CD “The Banjo Files” featuring numerous A list musicians as special guests on the project. He released a “true” solo project “As Time Goes By,” playing all of the instruments with a bluegrass treatment on songs of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, and was joined in vocal collaboration by Norway’s “Attitunes” vocal group on two selections. In the spring of 2022, Jacob’s single “Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus” from his all gospel CD reached No. 8 on Bluegrass Today’s Gospel Weekly airplay chart, and “My Hope is in the Lord” reached No. 4 on the Singin News Gospel chart.
Andrew Hunt (Fiddle/Mandolin) began taking violin lessons at the age of seven and soon thereafter picked up the guitar and mandolin. He was surrounded by music from an early age through his parents. He 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, Tenn., he had the opportunity to work at Compass Records on Music Row where he was hired after graduating from college. Andrew currently resides in Guthrie, Oklahoma with his wife and family, and has recorded with late legendary fiddler Byron Berline and played as a member of the Byron Berline Band.
Jonathan Hunt (Banjo/Guitar) began his musical journey taking fiddle lessons. He eventually settled on the banjo then the guitar. His mature sound and pro grade banjo picking bring solidity, sparkle and polish to the table. His flatpick guitar chops are among the best you will find in Bluegrass today. 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. Jonathan is a luthier — building professional custom banjos and components complete with hand cut inlays and has done banjo set up work for Steve Bush (The Cleverlys) and Alison Brown. Jonathan also recorded and toured with Byron Berline and currently resides with his wife in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
