Acoustic Endeavors was initially formed in 1992 by Warren Amberson and Kelly Green. The band has been based in Jonesborough and then Nashville, TN but is now headquartered in Roanoke, VA.
Warren had been playing professionally in Germany after finishing his stint in the Army in 1986. He met Kelly at a festival in Iowa in 1991 while he was back in the states on tour with his German bluegrass band, Foreign Affairs. They invited Kelly to Germany to play a few shows which turned into a stay of14 months. The seeds of Acoustic Endeavors were sown.
Warren and Kelly returned to the US in 1992 and settled in Jonesborough, TN where they attended the Bluegrass Music program at East Tennessee State University under the direction of mandolin master, Jack Tottle. Warren and Kelly were student band directors in the program and Acoustic Endeavors got its start here in Jonesborough as they needed to perform to support themselves during school. The initial lineup included Glen Rose on banjo, Tommy Austin on mandolin,Warren on bass and Kelly on guitar. They won 4th place at the SPBGMA band contest with this formation in 1994.
The next edition of Acoustic Endeavors in Jonesborough included: Glen Rose on banjo, Tim Laughlin on mandolin, Amanda Mathis on fiddle, Warren on bass and Kelly on guitar. They won the South Carolina Pizza Hut regional championship in 1995.They recorded and released their first CD of all-original music in 1994 called Coming Of Age. It featured Warren on bass, Kelly on guitar, Tommy Morse on banjo, Tim Laughlin on mandolin, Ernie Power on dobro and Randy Utterback on fiddle, harmonica, guitar and keyboard.
After completing the ETSU program, Warren and Kelly moved to Nashville in 1995 and reformed the band with Greg Honeycutt on bass, John Golden on banjo, Kelly on guitar and Warren on mandolin. They showcased at IBMA that year and in 1996, Greg joined them in Nashville. They report that lean times were in the offing, though they wrote some great songs and played some fabulous music.
In 1997, Warren, Kelly and Greg returned to Roanoke and the band was in a sort of inactive status until Dewey joined later that year. They performed in and around Roanoke and at festivals in VA, WV, NC and TN while recording demos of the new material they were writing and arranging. They did not have a full time banjo player until John joined in early 2000. With a full compliment once again, they set to work recording in earnest with Sneak Preview as the result.
The year 2002 marked the 10th Anniversary of the band and, to celebrate, they reissued the debut release (Coming Of Age) and included two bonus tracks featuring the current band. It was retitled, Coming Of Age... Again, and is available online.
Greg Honeycutt left the group in 2003, Warren switched back to bass, and they brought noted SW VA fiddler Billy Hurt on board. This is the band that recorded the current CD, On A Farm, with both Greg and Warren featured on bass on different tracks.
On A Farm was released in 2005 and was reviewed favorably in Bluegrass Unlimited and was played extensively on XM satellite Radio's Bluegrass Junction and other bluegrass radio shows all over the world.
Mike Mitchell has recently joined us on fiddle and vocals. Glad to have you Mike!
