Bluegrass group the Church Brothers, often billed as the Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers, featured brothers Bill (guitar), Edwin (fiddle), and Ralph (mandolin). The Wilkes County, NC-born siblings began performing together as the Wilkes County Entertainers, after Bill (already an established performer from his time with Roy Hall & His Blue Ridge Entertainers) returned from his duty during World War II. This group also included cousin Ward Eller and neighbor Drake Walsh. After some lineup changes, the group changed names to become the Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers. They made their first recording in 1950 and cut several more songs that remained unissued until Blue Ridge Records' Noah Adams came along; Adams bought the unreleased material and also funded new studio sessions, which featured help from songwriter Drusilla Adams. However, by the middle of the decade, the group was no more. GHP and Rounder have since made efforts to keep the group's recorded legacy in circulation. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
