By Sherrie Norris
Chosen Road, one of the top bluegrass gospel groups in the country, is making a stop in the High Country during its busy summer tour.
Billed as “America’s favorite bluegrass gospel band,” the highly acclaimed group of talented musicians and vocalists will be returning to Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Boone on Sunday, August 5, where its members were well received during an earlier performance several years ago and church members anxiously await their return.
Chosen Road will lead in Sunday morning worship at both the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services, with a full concert scheduled at 6 p.m. that evening.
Since coming together in 2009, close friends who make up Chosen Road have developed a deep love for the music upon which they were raised in West Virginia and Western North Carolina, and share a responsibility of spreading good news through their music with fans near and far.
Those talented musicians include Tyler Robertson on banjo and vocals; Zachary Alvis, mandolin and vocals; Jonathan Buckner, guitar and vocals; Jonathan Campbell, bass and vocals; and Max Silverstein on fiddle.
A spokesman for the group said, “The realization of the saving grace offered by Jesus Christ is what keeps these young men on the road as they now travel full-time, presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ through bluegrass music in churches, fairs and festivals.”
Through these and other venues, Chosen Road performs more than 250 times a year, for the sole reason of bringing glory to Jesus Christ —” a bit of a different approach” than most of their peers in the bluegrass world.
According to the group’s website, their presentation of the gospel though song “is stripped of entertainment value and presented in a genuine heartfelt manner that places the focus on the only one who deserves it — Jesus Christ.”
Through the years, Chosen Road has been blessed to share their message to thousands as they have traveled from the mountains they love —to Bakersfield, Baltimore, Europe and all points in between. The group has just returned from their first international mission trip to Scotland, sharing old-time and bluegrass music “where it all started,” said Buckner, “taking back the gospel music they brought to us so many years ago, and sharing the love of Jesus with a lost and dying world.”
Phil Neighbors, senior pastor at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, Ca., had this to say about the group: “Our church was blessed to host Chosen Road this past year. California is not known as a hotbed for bluegrass music, but this band was a big hit with two sold-out performances. Their talent was as good as it gets, and their message in song was solid gospel. We have hosted numerous Christian artists and gospel groups through the years, but none of them generated an excitement quite like Chosen Road. They were truly a blessing and we are looking forward to having them back sometime in the future. We recommend them without reservation to any and all.”
Chosen Road always looks forward to having the opportunity to share their music with others, including their audience in Boone.
Mark your calendars now for this special event. There is no admission charge, but a love offering will be taken during the evening concert.
Mount Vernon Baptist Church is located at 3505 Bamboo Road in Boone.
For more information, call (828) 266-9700.
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