• country:
  USA
• style(s):
  Country
• label:
  Jewel Ridge
• type:
  Band
• instrumentation:
  instrumental, vocal
• artist submitted by:
  Adastra

Jeni & Billy


With their sparse sound and absorbing lyrics, Jeni & Billy have caught the attention of Americana greats Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller. Their New Old Music brings together Traditional Country, Appalachian, Old-time, Country Blues, Bluegrass and Folk music to create a truly unique sound. Songwriter and Activist Si Kahn calls their new record Jewell Ridge Coal "The best CD by new folk/edge of bluegrass artists I've heard in a long time. Jeni's singing sounds to me like a cross between the young Hazel Dickens and the young Iris DeMent. The songs . . . range from raw and powerful to sweet and funny. The instrumental work . . . is excellent; the harmony singing is just what you'd want it to be."

Jeni comes by her mournful, lonesome voice honestly. Born in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia, her singing has been compared to that of Mother Maybelle Carter. A born storyteller, she has been a writer almost since she could put pen to paper, a vocation inherited from her journalist father and grandfather.

Billy comes to the duo with a long history of music-making. He has been everywhere from Germany to the Grand Ole Opry playing his guitar and singing. He has played numerous bluegrass festivals sharing stages with Jim & Jesse and Jimmy Martin. Billy has also performed solo at nationally known venues such as the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, the Lonestar Café in New York, the Kennedy Center and the Birchmere, opening for Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Kathy Mattea, Janis Ian, and Joe Ely among others. He has leant his talents to the shows of many folk luminaries including Oscar Brand, Christine Lavin and Tom Paxton.

Together, Jeni & Billy will draw you into captivating narratives of heartache and hard living, of true life blues and unexpected grace. Images of coal & crowns, trash & trailers, and glass and gasoline recur, and Jesus and the Great Speckled Bird are never far off.

"A sweet and surprising high point of the Beverley Folk Festival was the Appalachian duo of Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp. Singing songs from the Southwest Virginia coal mines, the pair melted hearts with songs like 'Tazwell Beauty Queen' and 'Back Then', a heartbreaking tale of tragic love. Jeni Hankins' smile-infused Mother Maybelle voice was perfect."

Hazel Davis, Maverick Magazine


"These guys understand the magic of understatement and the pure, unadulterated simplicity that flows through all great American roots music. Their songs tell stories, simply and with a minimum of fuss, and the result is one of the albums of the year so far."

Ralph McLean, BBC Northern Ireland




100 word

With their sparse sound and absorbing lyrics, Jeni & Billy have caught the attention of Americana greats Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller. Their New Old Music brings together Traditional Country, Appalachian, Old-time, Country Blues, Bluegrass and Folk music to create a truly unique sound. Songwriter and Activist Si Kahn calls their new record Jewell Ridge Coal "The best CD by new folk/edge of bluegrass artists I've heard in a long time. Jeni's singing sounds to me like a cross between the young Hazel Dickens and the young Iris DeMent. The songs . . . range from raw and powerful to sweet and funny. The instrumental work . . . is excellent; the harmony singing is just what you'd want it to be."