The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia. Whitetop, Virginia is an area rich in the old time music tradition; this band has deep roots in mountain music. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region’s style of old time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style. The band originated with Albert Hash in the 1940s, a well-known and beloved fiddler and luthier who had a tremendous impact on the old time and bluegrass scene. Today, the band is carried on by Thornton Spencer (fiddle), Emily Spencer (banjo and vocals) and their daughter, multi-instrumentalist and dancer, Martha Spencer. Jackson Cunningham plays mandolin, guitar, claw-hammer banjo, harmonica and Debbie Bramer plays bass and also dances. Ersel Fletcher, a retired coal-miner from Buchanan County, is the newest member of the band on guitar and vocals. For their first Irish tour, the band will be joined by multi-instrumentalist, Chris Testerman (in place of Thornton Spencer on fiddle). Renowned for their high energy and charisma on stage, Whitetop Mountain Band shows contain everything from fiddle/banjo instrumentals to powerful solos and harmony vocals on blues, classic country, honky-tonk, traditional bluegrass numbers, old timey ballads, originals, four part mountain gospel songs and flat foot dancing. Definitely not to be missed!