INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

The Burnett Sisters.

When Kathleen Burnett is performing, she can’t help but feel this genuine sense of gratitude for being onstage, in front of a live audience she hopes to uplift with her music.

“It’s definitely this feeling of being able to inspire,” Burnett said. “Sometimes after a show, we’ll have children come up to us and ask us about our instruments. And that’s the best feeling — when you can inspire a child to want to play music.”

Kathleen is part of rising bluegrass act The Burnett Sisters Band & Colin Ray, which is based out of Watauga County. Aside from Kathleen (guitar), there’s also Anissa (fiddle), Sophia (bass) and Anneli (mandolin), alongside Ray (guitar) and Jason Alexander (banjo).

“To be honest, it’s never really been difficult to be part of a band with your sisters,” Kathleen said. “We all know our place in the group and we all take suggestions from each other because we want to sound the best that we can. The family dynamic is that we love each other and want to help each other out.”

A budding bluegrass star in his own right, Ray came into the fold of the band a couple of years ago. After crossing paths with Kathleen while both were enrolled in East Tennessee State University, the couple soon started dating and were married just last year.

“After Colin and I got married, we decided to merge our two groups,” Kathleen said. “And now, he’s become such a big part of the show.”

“For me, it’s such a thrilling experience to play music and have that ability to potentially inspire another person,” Ray added. “My hope is that people come in feeling one way and they leave feeling better than they did when

THE BURNETT SISTERS BAND & COLIN RAY

Colin Ray.

they arrived. And, if we can do that, then that’s a success for us as a group.”

Growing up in Boone, the sisters were handed instruments at a very young age. Eventually, their father signed them up for the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program in the community.

“We’ve always loved bluegrass and old-time music,” Kathleen said. “With JAM, we learned many instruments and started several different groups throughout that time. As we got older, my sisters and I realized that we wanted our own group. So, together we started playing churches and festivals around the area.”

For Ray, he picked up the guitar when he was six years old, which soon led to him taking personal lessons from bluegrass superstars Darin & Brooke Aldridge.

“And it was those lessons that really pushed me into the bluegrass and folk scene,” Ray noted. “From there, I just started working on playing the guitar and the banjo, going around to local jam sessions and meeting up with people to play music.”

So, just what is it about the “high, lonesome” sound that calls to these young musicians, this next generation of bluegrass singers and performers?

“I think it’s about being able to put feeling into what you’re singing — that ability to channel anything you’re feeling through this unique style of music,” Ray said.

“For my sisters and I, this music is part of our history” Kathleen said. “We grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’re proud of that and we want to keep this music alive. We want to pass the music along to as many people as we can each time we hit the stage.”