Bill and the Belles

Bill and the Belles are a traditional country band from Johnson City, TN, whose music is a loving recreation of the Americana roots that reaches back to the period between the 1920s and 1940s. The band consists of an acoustic guitar, a fiddle, a banjo and a double bass, and they bring guest musicians on the clarinet, etc. in the recordings. They do a great job at capturing the spirit of vintage country as well as the vaudeville sound of the period. Although they sound authentic, there is a bit of a modern mold in the way they play so they are certainly not some nostalgic act or a dry ethnographic study. That said, they clearly have a deep affection for the musical style of a particular period. Their songs are typically upbeat, often light-hearted, and project a sense of innocence.