The McDowell Family Band is no longer performing on a regular basis, but we (Bryan and Emma) are performing as a duet this season.

If you have followed us for very long, you will remember The McDowell Family's web site, www.mcdowellfamilyband.com  . The family site is currently undergoing reconstruction. When finished, not only will it have a new look, but it will contain the history and many memorable photos of The McDowell Family Band.  For the most recent news, schedules, CDs, bios, and pictures, we recommend you use this site, www.BryanandEmmaMcDowell.com. This is a NEW site so you will want to check back often as we continue to expand, revise, and update the content.

Be sure to "Join our mailing list," see box below. You can also email us from our Contact Us page. We'd love to hear from you and will always appreciate your feedback about our new site. And we'd like to invite you to become a member of our new Guestbook on the Contact Us page and look forward to your comments.

Thanks for visiting, and please come back soon!

Bryan and Emma McDowell (now 16 and 19) have been performing in the southeast with their family band, The McDowell Family, for eight years. They began in churches, and were soon invited to play at multiple venues, including bluegrass festivals, state fairs, family theme parks, the well-known Renfro Valley Barndance of Kentucky and Carter Family Fold of Virginia, as well as private weddings, receptions, anniversaries, reunions, and corporate events.

During this time, the siblings were mentored on fiddle by Master Fiddler Arvil Freeman, of Weaverville, NC. Many will remember Arvil as the long running house fiddler with The Marc Pruett Band at the famous Bill Stanley's BBQ in Asheville, NC. From the same era of bluegrass fiddlers, Arvil's style is markedly similar to that of Kenny Baker. And while you hear that strong influence in the fiddlin' of Bryan and Emma, they have both gone on to develop their own separate styles of fiddlin' based on their individual interests and other musical influences. They have also received occasional vocal instruction from Dale Ann Bradley (2007 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year). Bryan and Emma are now award-winning musicians in the field of bluegrass music, and while they have a style and repertiore all their own, they have been likened to such acts as Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nickel Creek, Sonya Isaacs, Bryan Sutton, and Aubrey Haynie.

Now performing as a duet, they have kept their feet planted firmly in the traditional bluegrass music of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but many of their performances include contemporary and progressive bluegrass, traditional jazz, Celtic, folk/Americana, and gospel. While the pair provide live acoustic music for a variety of events, much of their performances are private. Please visit the Schedule page for their public concerts and festival performances. Bryan and Emma offer private music instruction and they provide studio work both on and off site.