Jeni & Billy

Jeni & Billy will be making their second appearance in our series. They put out a new double CD recording last year, Sweet Song Coming 'Round, which consists of live recordings from their western tour the year before. Though they write many of their own songs, this is American roots music at its best.

Jeni hails from Jewell Ridge, Virginia, coal country in Appalachia, where she was influenced by church singing and family sing-alongs. She's also a storyteller and writer who earned a Masters degree in literature and studied under Irish writer, Paul Muldoon.

Billy grew up in Baltimore and fell in love with country music, eventually heading to Nashville and touring the U.S. and beyond. He went on to become a music instructor and producer of various roots music projects.

Together, Jeni & Billy give us wonderful singing and harmonies, backed by guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and bass. Their music is straigtforward and pure. It is difficult to tell the original songs from the traditional ones. We dare you not to smile as you listen to their song, "If I Ever Get Ten Dollars." One listener commented, "This is either the most sophisticated simple music or the simplest sophisticated music I've ever heard."