Growing up in and around the coalfields of Southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, the band has the deepest respect for the traditional bluegrass sounds that have been a mainstay in our region of the country. The high lonesome sounds of Bill Monroe

14 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Bluegrass, COUNTRY: Traditional Country



Details:
In 1999, Eddie Marrs from Princeton, West Virginia, brought together three other guys from the Bluefield-Princeton area. In what started out as just getting together to have some fun, the bluegrass band "Black Diamond" was formed.

Growing up in and around the coalfields of Southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, the band has the deepest respect for the traditional bluegrass sounds that have been a mainstay in our region of the country. The high lonesome sounds of Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys and Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys have a very special place in our hearts, and we include these sounds throughout our programs.

During the year of 2000, the band started to experiment with new songs. Some country ballads and some old rock & roll tunes were put to the 'bluegrass beat' and soon we knew we had the right music mix! Some for the older crowd, and some for the younger. but all done in the 'bluegrass way'.

In the fall of 2000, we released our first CD entitled Black Diamond Coal. The Title cut, "Black Diamond Coal", was written by Eddie Marrs. He has written many tunes for the band in recent years.

2001 saw the release of our second CD, entitled Home is Just Ahead. This all gospel CD has twelve songs that we all hold dear to our hearts. Once again, Eddie Marrs shows his song writing ability with three 'Black Diamond' originals.

We also became members of the Appalachian Highlands Music Association, won first place at the Tazewell County Fair Bluegrass Band Competion, and were ribbon winners at the 66th Annual Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia.


2002 was a big year for us. We started out in March by being a showcase band at the 2002 Cabin Fever Festival in Hampton, Virginia. In May, we performed two shows at the Amelia Family Bluegrass Festival in Amelia, Virginia ... and performed at the 3rd Annual Snowshoe Mountain Music Festival in Snowshoe, West Virginia for a great 4th of July celebration weekend.

Later in July 2002, we performed for the National Council for the Traditional Arts, (sponsored by our Federal Government), at the new outdoor amphi-theater located on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Fancy Gap, Virginia.

Another frequently visited venue was at Highwall Park, located just outside of Bramwell, West Virginia. This mountian campground is run by Dave Kennedy and Doug Blankenship ... and we always love playing for those guys!

More recently, we were invited to perform at Tamarack, near Flat Top, West Virginia ... what an honor it is to be associated with the great heritage of West Virginia.

After a short break, 2004 brings us back to the studio for yet a third release by the band and we hope to bring a fresh new feel to the music we all love.

We'd like to thank our loyal fans over the years and our new fans for supporting us through the years.

We greatly appreciate you and May God Bless You!

See you down the road.

Black Diamond