Jeni & Billy
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Novelist Lee Smith says, "Jeni and Billy's stunningly original music is as old as the hills, yet brand new at the same time. Jeni is a true poet and a born storyteller, through and through -- many of her songs contain whole novels. " - Lee Smith
Anyone who’s seen Appalachian duo Jeni & Billy live will have been holding their breath for this album. You will be delighted they have released this live collection of their “hits,” complete with Jeni Hankins’ riveting and delightful explanations behind each song. Each and every story will make you laugh or cry, whether it’s the tale of the grave of her moonshining great-grandpa or her Uncle Roy Lee’s beloved pink car. The way she describes cedar trees swaying in the breeze or a young child’s innocence in the face of adult alcoholism is almost as pleasing as listening to her bell-like vocals and Billy Kemp’s deft plucking. This is a lovely album for anyone who yearns for authenticity in their music. – Hazel Davis, Maverick Magazine, 2013 - Maverick Magazine
Duet partners Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp have brought impressive measures of inspiration, artistry, and austerity in this minimalist collection of old-time ballads, heartsongs, and spirituals.
The focus of Jeni & Billy’s fourth CD, as heard on the lovely Sacred Harp classic title tune, is otherworldly affairs. A standout in this category, along with the title song, is their original, “Father Will You Meet Me In Heaven,” a powerful elegy for Johnny Cash’s older brother, Jack, who was killed in a gruesome childhood accident. The duo’s rendition of “On A Hill Lone And Gray,” inspired by Ralph Stanley, is also heartfelt and moving.
Hankins is the soulful wellspring of this collaboration. Born and raised in Virginia coal country, she brings a writer’s and singer’s finely nuanced ear to the cadences and imagery of her native Appalachia. You can hear this gift on “The Ballad Of Sally Kincaid” and “Cecil Roberts’ Hand.” These originals and others stand proud alongside covers of traditionals such as “Single Girl” and “I Saw A Man At The Close Of The Day.”
Kemp, a gifted multi-instrumentalist with an impressive list of studio and road credentials, also does some of the writing. But his major contribution is framing these songs with austere and subtle acoustic arrangements built on various combinations of guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, harmonica, and occasional fiddle from Shad Cobb. (Jewell Ridge Records, 2126 Yank Rd., Mt. Gilead, NC 27306) BA
- Bluegrass Unlimited
I am very impressed with Jeni & Billy. "Jewell Ridge Coal" is quite the concept piece, beautiful to look at and listen to. I haven't been so swept away by any one CD since Gillian Welch's "Revival" came out. - WVBR – Ithaca, NY
Jeni & Billy are the acoustic Buddy & Julie Miller. - Grammy Winning Americana and Bluegrass Artist
I found Jeni & Billy's second album Jewell Ridge Coal to be like Billy Elliot meets the Mamas and the Papas meets Dolly Parton. A little bit bluegrass, a little bit folk, and all original, the music feels simultaneously familiar and completely new. Their combination creates this powerful and unique flavor, and they sound so natural together, it feels calming and clear. Its as if you were there sitting on a back porch in old-timey South and they were right there with you and just stumbled upon some instruments. - Feminist Review
Like the old language of ballads, Jeni and Billy share a special language between them. Jeni’s voice is so alive – carrying babies and earth and thunderstorms in her voice – I’ve never seen someone embody a song like she does. It looks like the music is coursing through her blood, it is her life, her ancestry, her movements and this creates an authentic, powerful voice. It’s very powerful when Billy harmonizes with her, like a shadow on the mountain. I like how his hands hang on the notes, letting go of strings, like a drop of water on the underside of a leaf, like an angel jumping from cloud to cloud.
The story of Jeni & Billy's music reflects a deep connection with a sense of home, place, family . . . I want to hold my breath while I listen to them sing, so that I don’t disturb the sacred magic of their harmony. They both sit hunched over their guitars, cradling them, leaning into the music like holding a baby or a cup of tea. It’s fun to watch two people play with words, with music, and truly have fun and enjoy the process. Jeni is all smiles and cheekbones, and a little yelp of glee and joy. You can tell that hearing Billy sing and play brings her great joy. Watching them perform together is pure bliss. - San Diego Freelance Journalist
Discovery of the month (or maybe the year) is Jeni & Billy, whose release Jewell Ridge Coal arrived a few days ago. I finally got it in the player yesterday, and have been totally captivated by it. The songs are
great and Jeni’s voice makes the hairs stand up on my neck — a pure mountain voice that is beautiful
. . . I will play it extensively on my radio show. - WFHB, Bloomington, Indiana
Jeni and Billy's visit to my graduate class on ballads, followed by their wonderful concert later that evening, was a highlight of the summer. Their combination of enormous musical talent with an obvious delight in literary discussion makes them especially effective within such an educational setting. - faculty member, the Bread Loaf School of English, Asheville campus. August, 2008
We enjoyed having you here so much--I heard lots of positive feedback about the tone you set for the event--very warm and laid back. We like to have an intimate gathering with music that connects to the audience and yours certainly did. I listened to your CD and I was struck by it--there's a vocal blend there that calls to mind Gillian Welch. - Board Member of the Tazewell Fiddler’s Convention, Director of the Historic Crab Orchard Museum and
Discovery of the month (or maybe the year) is Jeni & Billy, whose release Jewell Ridge Coal arrived a few days ago. I finally got it in the player yesterday, and have been totally captivated by it. The songs are
great and Jeni’s voice makes the hairs stand up on my neck — a pure mountain voice that is beautiful
. . . I will play it extensively on my radio show. - WFHB, Bloomington, Indiana
being a natural cynic, whenever i meet people like jeni and billy (i.e. old fashioned good people who aren't mollified by shiny objects and hung up newfangled technology and worried about record labels and the next deal etc.) i unfortunately recoil back and cock my head and say "are you for real?"
it's a sad commentary on the times (or perhaps my circle of friends) but i can honestly say that jeni and billy are definitely "for real". their music is like a great undiscovered carter family cd that was buried in a vault for 70 years without the crackling and tape hiss. their new cd jewel ridge coal tell stories of real rural blue collar in a simple and honest way without clutter and over the top headbashing (like montgomery gentry without montgomery or gentry). being from appalachia myself, perhaps
these sounds are in my dna, but i believe that anyone with an open mind will love this disc. with guest appearances by shad cobb and jim lauderdale, it should open up jeni and billy to new ears.
i am usually put off by modern artists trying to recreate the great and honest music of the past, but jeni and billy do it so convincingly that i don't even think that recreating an older genre was the intention-i believe that it is just what comes out when they sing so here's to them doing much more of that- - Performing Songwriter, Producer & former frontman of the New Dylans
being a natural cynic, whenever i meet people like jeni and billy (i.e. old fashioned good people who aren't mollified by shiny objects and hung up newfangled technology and worried about record labels and the next deal etc.) i unfortunately recoil back and cock my head and say "are you for real?"
it's a sad commentary on the times (or perhaps my circle of friends) but i can honestly say that jeni and billy are definitely "for real". their music is like a great undiscovered carter family cd that was buried in a vault for 70 years without the crackling and tape hiss. their new cd jewel ridge coal tell stories of real rural blue collar in a simple and honest way without clutter and over the top headbashing (like montgomery gentry without montgomery or gentry). being from appalachia myself, perhaps
these sounds are in my dna, but i believe that anyone with an open mind will love this disc. with guest appearances by shad cobb and jim lauderdale, it should open up jeni and billy to new ears.
i am usually put off by modern artists trying to recreate the great and honest music of the past, but jeni and billy do it so convincingly that i don't even think that recreating an older genre was the intention-i believe that it is just what comes out when they sing so here's to them doing much more of that- - Performing Songwriter, Producer & former frontman of the New Dylans
Jeni & Billy provide acoustic music lovingly dressed with graceful phrasing and old-time charm. It's soothing, relaxing, heartfelt, and richly steeped in the traditions of old-time country and bluegrass. - Bristol Herald Courier
Jeni & Billy provide acoustic music lovingly dressed with graceful phrasing and old-time charm. It's soothing, relaxing, heartfelt, and richly steeped in the traditions of old-time country and bluegrass. - Bristol Herald Courier
"A sweet and surprising high point [of the Beverley Folk Festival] was the Appalachian duo Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp. Singing songs from the Southwest Virginia coal mines, the pair melted hearts with songs like Tazewell Beauty Queen and Back Then, a heartbreaking tale of tragic love. Jeni Hankins' smile-infused Mother Maybelle voice was perfect." - Maverick Magazine, UK
"A sweet and surprising high point [of the Beverley Folk Festival] was the Appalachian duo Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp. Singing songs from the Southwest Virginia coal mines, the pair melted hearts with songs like Tazewell Beauty Queen and Back Then, a heartbreaking tale of tragic love. Jeni Hankins' smile-infused Mother Maybelle voice was perfect." - Maverick Magazine, UK
Last year at Beverley Folk Festival I fell in love.
Sitting in the Saturday afternoon American Party, whisky in hand, buddy by my side I witnessed the force (though force is a far too aggressive word for it) of Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp (Jeni and Billy).
Jeni and Billy are a too-good-to-be-true duo from Virginia and Baltimore respectively. Except – squeak – they are true (I know because I followed them around for the rest of the afternoon muttering “pleasebereal, pleasebereal, pleasebereal” under my breath). During an afternoon of tongue-in-cheek old Americana from dear Curtis Eller and the amazing Gandalf Murphy, their authenticity shone through like a holy light.
Modest and funny, the duo had the crowd in the palm of their hand with their simple songs of love, poverty and mountain homes. Jeni Hankins has a voice that nobody would describe as perfect but soaked in Godliness and dripping with emotion and Billy is her perfect, unassuming accompaniment.
Their latest album – Longing For Heaven – plopping on my doormat this morning has given me more joy than I can express and if I seem hyperbolic it’s because That’s What They Do To You.
Featuring a number of traditional songs from the Appalachians, some hymns and a couple of original numbers, the record was made “in the mountains of Western North Carolina in the dead of winter.” It’s exactly what this fan needed after I’d bored my household rigid with their debut Sweet And Toxic.
It doesn’t disappoint, from the gorgeous 50s fabric-and-Americana CD artwork (by Jeni, naturally) to the saccharine essay on heaven at the end which, from anyone else would be unbearable but from her is just fine. “Heaven, I imagine,” she says, “will be full of people I love. Not only are there walls of jasper and streets of gold, as they promise in the old hymns, but everyone you ever loved will be waiting for you there.” Sniff.
The original tracks, such as the deliriously catchy If I Ever Get Ten Dollars and While I Stay At Home And Weep (replete with my new favourite word “prayhaps”) blend effortlessly with the traditional numbers (their arrangement of the hymn Longing For Heaven is just gorgeous), feeling like old favourites within about one listen.
This pair does what nostalgia fetishists try and fail at doing and they manage effortlessly simply because they are the real deal.
I have owned this album for less than a day and already I am willing to throw most of my others out (apart from the Springsteen, obviously).
Hazel Davis - folkingcool.com
Last year at Beverley Folk Festival I fell in love.
Sitting in the Saturday afternoon American Party, whisky in hand, buddy by my side I witnessed the force (though force is a far too aggressive word for it) of Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp (Jeni and Billy).
Jeni and Billy are a too-good-to-be-true duo from Virginia and Baltimore respectively. Except – squeak – they are true (I know because I followed them around for the rest of the afternoon muttering “pleasebereal, pleasebereal, pleasebereal” under my breath). During an afternoon of tongue-in-cheek old Americana from dear Curtis Eller and the amazing Gandalf Murphy, their authenticity shone through like a holy light.
Modest and funny, the duo had the crowd in the palm of their hand with their simple songs of love, poverty and mountain homes. Jeni Hankins has a voice that nobody would describe as perfect but soaked in Godliness and dripping with emotion and Billy is her perfect, unassuming accompaniment.
Their latest album – Longing For Heaven – plopping on my doormat this morning has given me more joy than I can express and if I seem hyperbolic it’s because That’s What They Do To You.
Featuring a number of traditional songs from the Appalachians, some hymns and a couple of original numbers, the record was made “in the mountains of Western North Carolina in the dead of winter.” It’s exactly what this fan needed after I’d bored my household rigid with their debut Sweet And Toxic.
It doesn’t disappoint, from the gorgeous 50s fabric-and-Americana CD artwork (by Jeni, naturally) to the saccharine essay on heaven at the end which, from anyone else would be unbearable but from her is just fine. “Heaven, I imagine,” she says, “will be full of people I love. Not only are there walls of jasper and streets of gold, as they promise in the old hymns, but everyone you ever loved will be waiting for you there.” Sniff.
The original tracks, such as the deliriously catchy If I Ever Get Ten Dollars and While I Stay At Home And Weep (replete with my new favourite word “prayhaps”) blend effortlessly with the traditional numbers (their arrangement of the hymn Longing For Heaven is just gorgeous), feeling like old favourites within about one listen.
This pair does what nostalgia fetishists try and fail at doing and they manage effortlessly simply because they are the real deal.
I have owned this album for less than a day and already I am willing to throw most of my others out (apart from the Springsteen, obviously).
Hazel Davis - folkingcool.com
Hard on the heels of their previous release Jewell Ridge Coal (reviewed here), Jeni and Billy have just released another precious mountain jewel, a new collection of original and traditional music titled Longing for Heaven (Jewell Ridge Records 005).
On Longing for Heaven, Jeni and Billy have hit their stride. With its hand-drawn lettering, family photo album and quilt fabrics, the album packaging suggests what’s inside: ten down-home, honest songs that reflect Jeni’s family history in southwest Virginia. Their intertwining two-part harmonies and impeccable picking on guitar and banjo form the perfect backdrop for stories of love and longing, small-town tragedy and the redemption of Jesus. Walk with them, down a coal-littered railroad grade, with gritty union miners on strike, and into a tiny white chapel with a cross on its steeple. Jeni and Billy will take you on a gentle ride back to the green rolling hills of home.
The CD includes three music videos of songs from the record that add to the down-home mood that permeates Longing for Heaven. Shad Cobb contributes his lonesome fiddle on two tracks. Fiddlefreak recommended! - Fiddlefreak Folk Music Blog
Hard on the heels of their previous release Jewell Ridge Coal (reviewed here), Jeni and Billy have just released another precious mountain jewel, a new collection of original and traditional music titled Longing for Heaven (Jewell Ridge Records 005).
On Longing for Heaven, Jeni and Billy have hit their stride. With its hand-drawn lettering, family photo album and quilt fabrics, the album packaging suggests what’s inside: ten down-home, honest songs that reflect Jeni’s family history in southwest Virginia. Their intertwining two-part harmonies and impeccable picking on guitar and banjo form the perfect backdrop for stories of love and longing, small-town tragedy and the redemption of Jesus. Walk with them, down a coal-littered railroad grade, with gritty union miners on strike, and into a tiny white chapel with a cross on its steeple. Jeni and Billy will take you on a gentle ride back to the green rolling hills of home.
The CD includes three music videos of songs from the record that add to the down-home mood that permeates Longing for Heaven. Shad Cobb contributes his lonesome fiddle on two tracks. Fiddlefreak recommended! - Fiddlefreak Folk Music Blog
Since the Richmond Folk Music Society is primarily dedicated to traditional folk music, we rarely book singer/songwriters for our concert series. We made a exception for Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp, and we're glad we did.
Jeni's songs spring from the true vine. Steeped in a sense of place and community, her lyrics reflect the hardships,trials and sorrows of people whose lives have not been easy, yet they also resonate with humor, spirit and a deep and abiding faith and dignity.
Jeni was raised in Tazewell County, Virginia, in the heart of coal mining country, and she draws the audience into the lives of the miners, their families and the little community of Jewel Ridge. She has an old fashioned, old style country voice that perfectly fits the songs she chooses.
Billy is the perfect partner, skillfully accompanying Jeni with guitar, banjo and harmonies.
They chat with the audience, tell stories, and leave the audience feeling like they've just had a visit with old friends. When they perform traditional songs, such as "Pretty Fair Miss" or "Single Girl, Married Girl" they do a cracking job of it.
These two are tradition bearers - the next generation of traditional music.
Mary Smith
Director, Richmond Folk Music Society
- Mary Smith, Director, Richmond Folk Music Society
Since the Richmond Folk Music Society is primarily dedicated to traditional folk music, we rarely book singer/songwriters for our concert series. We made a exception for Jeni Hankins and Billy Kemp, and we're glad we did.
Jeni's songs spring from the true vine. Steeped in a sense of place and community, her lyrics reflect the hardships,trials and sorrows of people whose lives have not been easy, yet they also resonate with humor, spirit and a deep and abiding faith and dignity.
Jeni was raised in Tazewell County, Virginia, in the heart of coal mining country, and she draws the audience into the lives of the miners, their families and the little community of Jewel Ridge. She has an old fashioned, old style country voice that perfectly fits the songs she chooses.
Billy is the perfect partner, skillfully accompanying Jeni with guitar, banjo and harmonies.
They chat with the audience, tell stories, and leave the audience feeling like they've just had a visit with old friends. When they perform traditional songs, such as "Pretty Fair Miss" or "Single Girl, Married Girl" they do a cracking job of it.
These two are tradition bearers - the next generation of traditional music.
Mary Smith
Director, Richmond Folk Music Society
- Mary Smith, Director, Richmond Folk Music Society
Discography
The Old Hotel (forthcoming, late winter 2013, produced by three time Grammy-winner Dave Way at the Waystation)
Sweet Song Coming Round (LIVE in Concert, Double Disc)
Pretty Fair Miss (EP)
Longing For Heaven
Jewell Ridge Coal
Sweet & Toxic
Awake My Soul/Help Me to Sing, appearance with Jim Lauderdale on this two CD tribute to Sacred Harp Music
Photos
Bio
You have to watch where you sit at a Jeni & Billy concert, because that ordinary-looking folding chair might just turn into the back seat of a big ole Buick hurtling down the switchback of a coal truck road.
That barstool might turn out to be the rock-hard sinners pew of a white-washed mountain church. That couch might be a marble stoop on a gritty street in Baltimore, and that velvet theater cushion could just be the well-worn driver's seat of a wagon headed across the windswept Texas plains.
The high twang of a banjo starts it off or the mournful lilt of the mandolin. Then, a train comes barreling down the reeds of a harmonica. The guitar catches fire and lifts two voices into the high lonesome harmonies of the Appalachian mountains, painting pictures of miners and millworkers, roustabouts and revival preachers, Buicks and beauty queens.
New York Times Bestselling novelist Lee Smith says, "Jeni and Billy's stunningly original music is as old as the hills, yet brand new at the same time. Jeni is a true poet and a born storyteller, through and through -- many of her songs contain whole novels. "
"Jeni's songs spring from the true vine. Billy is the perfect partner, skillfully accompanying Jeni with guitar, banjo and harmonies. These two are tradition bearers -- the next generation of traditional music," according to Mary Smith, Director of the Richmond (VA) Folk Music Society.
Jeni & Billy bring to their work distinct musical backgrounds that draw from the deep well of Appalachian roots music.
Jeni Hankins traces her vocal style to Virginia Lowe, the blind music minister of the Friendly Chapel Church on Smith Ridge, the Appalachian community in which Jeni spent her childhood summers. A natural storyteller and prolific writer since childhood, Jeni trained formally with Pulitzer-Prize-winning Northern Irish poet, Paul Muldoon, and earned a Masters in English Literature. While her singing has been compared to the lonesome voices of Maybelle Carter and Iris Dement, her writing has been likened to that of Southerners Carson McCullers, Flannery O’Connor, and Lee Smith.
Billy Kemp, a Baltimore native, embraced the sound of country music in the nearby community of Oella, the home of Appalachian migrants who came to the city looking for work in the mills. Fired on by dreams of the Grand Ole Opry and his passion for the sound of Flatt & Scruggs, Billy headed to Nashville and toured with country bands all over the US, Canada, Germany, and right onto the stage of the Opry. He honed and shared his skills as both student and instructor at the University of Maryland, and built a producing career working with roots artists.
Mountain roads and mountain churches, moonshine and oxycodone, snake handlers and sherbet cake -- you get to know them all at a Jeni & Billy concert. You might arrive a stranger, but you'll leave a member of the family.
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