The East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Pride Band is comprised of virtuosic and award-winning student performers with many years of musical experience. As one of the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Program’s 30+ bands, the group has performed in seven foreign countries and at noteworthy venues including the Smithsonian National Folklife Festival, NATO Headquarters in Brussels, and the Kennedy Center, and they frequently perform at bluegrass festivals across the country. The 2019 ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band includes Andy Stinnett on bass, Adam Miller on mandolin, Wesley Wolfe on guitar, Jacob Metz on banjo, and Program Director Daniel Boner on fiddle. The group became the first collegiate bluegrass band ever to chart inn 2016 when their original single release, "Did You Hear Me Say Goodbye," reached #12 and #16 on the Bluegrass Today National Airplay Chart. The band appeared on the charts again during Halloween 2017 with "Sam Jocelyn’s Ghost," a spooky ballad penned by ETSU student Holly McIntyre. Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies at East Tennessee State University is the oldest established program of its kind at any four-year institution. Founded in 1982 by Jack Tottle, the program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies as well as an undergraduate minor. Students from around the globe are attracted to ETSU for the chance to study and experience the music and Appalachian culture of East Tennessee.
