Tony Mabe
Tony Mabe Jr. resides with his wife Heather in his hometown of Walnut Cove, North Carolina. He has been playing music since the age of six, when he pecked out his first hymn on the piano with no instruction whatsoever. Since that time he's mastered many instruments including the piano, bluegrass and clawhammer style banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, bass, and trumpet. Over the years he's played with several well known bluegrass bands including, The James King Band, The Jeanette Williams Band, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Bobby Atkins & The Countrymen, and Travers Chandler & Avery County. He has won and placed numerous times at fiddlers conventions with his banjo, including his second place prize at the Allegheny Fiddlers Convention in the clawhammer category in 2010, and third place at the Galax Fiddlers Convention on bluegrass banjo in 2011. His musicianship is exceptional and first class and his vocals are soulful and pure.
Heather Berry Mabe
Heather Berry-Mabe, born and raised in Sherando, Virginia at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, grew up playing and singing bluegrass, folk, country, and gospel music. Over the years she has recorded several albums including two for Tom T. & the late Miss Dixie Hall's label, Blue Circle Records. She has sang all over the country at many different venues including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. A two time IBMA award winner for her work with the Daughters of Bluegrass, and a two time SPBGMA female vocalist of the year nominee, Heather has been gifted with a "mountain clear voice," to quote Miss Dixie Hall. The late Miss Dixie also stated "Tom T. and I have had Heather pegged for some time now as being as awesome as Allison, of the caliber of Emmylou and unassumingly sharing the legendary quality of Maybelle." Peter Cooper, Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, had this to say of Heather: “In the music business, we spend a lot of time talking about purity, beauty, tone, pitch and heart. Then Heather Berry sings and we just shut up and listen.”
Johnathan Dillon
Johnathan Dillon from Wirtz, VA began playing music at the age of seven. Jon started with mandolin then later moved on to banjo, guitar, and bass. He began playing local shows with his band The Johnathan Dillon Band for about five years. Later he spent three years as a member of Michelle Nixon & Drive where he recorded one album, "A Place I Belong." In August of 2013 he began touring as a member of Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice. Johnathan lists some of his mandolin influences as Dempsey Young, Adam Steffey, Doyle Lawson, Herschel Sizemore and Dan Tyminski, just to name a few. Jon is in his tenth year with The Junior Sisk Band. He is a talented young man, playing and singing at the very top level. He also has driven the bus for the band more miles than can be counted. He is a stellar bus mechanic and driver. Johnathan is a valuable part of the band and a genuine friend as well. “John has always been there for me in every way. He’s my right hand man; I couldn’t do this job without him, and wouldn’t want to!” Junior Sisk
Junior Sisk
Junior Sisk stands as one of today’s most admired voices in bluegrass music. A proud son of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Sisk brings raw emotion, timeless authenticity, and a deep respect for tradition to every performance. With roots planted firmly in the sounds of the Stanley Brothers, Larry Sparks, Dave Evans and the Johnson Mountain Boys, his music echoes the heart of classic bluegrass while continuing to push it forward.
Sisk first made his mark as a songwriter in the early 1990s, crafting fan favorites like “The Game I Can’t Win” and “Tears Are Blinding Me” for the Lonesome River Band. He soon moved into the spotlight as a performer with groups like Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz, Blueridge, and his own band, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice. His 2011 album Heart of a Song was a breakthrough moment, earning IBMA Album of the Year and launching a string of awards, including IBMA Song of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.
Known for his unmistakable voice and hard-driving sound, Sisk has remained a consistent force in bluegrass, with his 2020 album Load the Wagon spending six months at #1 on national charts and drawing critical acclaim. The project earned multiple IBMA nominations and solidified his reputation as a leading figure in the genre.
Now signed to Turnberry Records, Sisk is embracing a new chapter with his latest album, It’s All Fun and Games. Already producing two very successful singles, “Sweeter Than Tupelo Honey” and “Where Love Goes to Die”, this new project offers a fresh dose of high-octane bluegrass that proves tradition never goes out of style.
Curt Love
Curt Love was 3 years old when he heard bluegrass for the first time. It was at a IIIrd Tyme Out concert and until then, he didn’t really care for music. But that soon changed and he fell in love with bluegrass. At 8 years old, Curt got a mandolin from his great uncle and tried to learn to play it although he says, he was never very good. One of Bill Monroe’s former banjo players, Bill Simpson, helped him learn a great deal on it and gave him some pointers when he decided to start learning the banjo later on. Thirteen year old Love, bought his first banjo and played it all the time. Eventually he started getting out playing with other musicians and went to a local jam where he met Gary and Sandy Hatley. Incidentally, Gary later became Curt’s electronics instructor in college. Gary and Sandy also took him to his first bluegrass festival, the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver bluegrass festival in Denton, NC. Through the years they have immersed Curt in bluegrass taking him along to festivals, shows, fiddlers conventions, and even Nashville a few times. They have a family band, The Hatley Family, and they have all been very kind and generous in helping Curt along his musical journey. Curt even played his first official gig with them. Over time, Love picked up on playing bass and guitar as well, and another talented, multi-instrumentalist from North Carolina was born. Curt Love has played banjo in a few local and done some fill in work for bands playing bass, but The Junior Sisk Band will be his first full time bass gig.
“I’ve been a fan of Junior Sisk’s music from the first time I heard his band play, but I never would’ve thought I’d get the chance to play with him. I’m excited to be a part of his newest configuration and I can’t wait to start picking and traveling with all of them!”
