Genres: Non-Fiction / Memoir / Cookbook
By the time Hannah was in the 11th
grade and Caroline was in the 7th grade, the Melby sisters were
touring the country in bluegrass bands, with Hannah on fiddle and Caroline on
mandolin. Today the sisters are the front persons of a very popular
Nashville-based country music touring band named HanaLena.
Do they ever have some great
stories to tell about coming of age on the concert trail!
Recipes and Road Stories blends touching and rollicking road stories with an assortment of tasty
recipes, and then tops everything off with plenty of exciting photographs.
Also contributing recipes are
friends they made on the road, including Rhonda Vincent, a 5-time Grammy
nominee who has been called the "Queen of Bluegrass," and Claire
Lynch, who is the reigning Female Vocalist of the Year for the International
Bluegrass Association.
The sisters, who grew up in
Starkville, Mississippi, performed from an early age—Hannah is now 28, Caroline
is 24—evolving from bluegrass to progressive country as they perfected their
songwriting and performance skills out on the road. In 2008 they won the
“Best New Act in Country Music” competition at the Colgate Showdown in the
Ryman Auditorium in Nashville—and took home a check for a cool $100,000
presented by country music star LeAnn Rimes.
In their off-hours, the sisters
focused on the business end of music, with Hannah receiving a degree in public
relations from Mississippi State University and Caroline receiving a degree in
music business from Belmont University in Nashville.
“Hannah and Caroline remind me so much of the Dixie Chicks,”
says SLG president James L. Dickerson, whose biography Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage, was the first in-depth analysis
of that group’s road to success. “Their musicianship is superb—and they have
the grit, vision and good humor to make it to the top.”
A High Lonesome Cowboy Wedding Never
to Forget
This is one of our
favorite stories. It is dear to our hearts, but it is a hard story to tell
for reasons that soon will become apparent.
It was a hot summer
day in Mississippi. We drove for hours from Nashville, down to Sallis,
Mississippi, located outside of the “big city” of Kosciusko. Once we
arrived in Sallis, we turned down a winding, gravel road that led us to an old
high school gym.
We unpacked our gear
for what we thought would be a typical wedding. What we didn’t know was
this would be anything but a typical wedding, and it would probably change all
of our lives a little, even if we didn’t know it at the time.
We were greeted
by a handful of handsome boys dressed in heavily starched white shirts and
jeans. They had matching tan cowboy hats to top off the outfit.
They helped us carry our sound equipment into the small, but inviting gym
that had been transformed into a beautiful wedding venue.
The groom stepped up
and introduced himself with a firm, good ole boy handshake that made you feel
like the world would be in good hands with him. The bride was a beautiful
mother of five with a smile as wide and bright as if she had won the lottery.
We set up for the
ceremony and got ready to perform. But before the wedding began we all
gathered around to say a prayer. It was a well-spoken and beautiful prayer, the
kind that made you feel like God was watching over the couple at that very
moment.
When the wedding
began, we played "Ashokan Farewell" as the doors opened and the bride
began her long walk to meet her husband at the altar. As she began that
journey, she was accompanied by one of her sons who walked at her side. Then
after a few steps they paused long enough for another child to replace the
first child—and so it went, the bride alternating her children so that each of
them ended up walking her closer to her soon-to-be husband.
Something about the
togetherness of that moment touched every heart in the room. The bride finally
reached the spot where she would change her last name and hopefully her entire
life. On either side of the couple were a line of finely dressed boys and
girls, each of whom was one of their kids. I say "their kids"
because I have never seen a family as close as they were on that day.
They didn’t point out whose children were their biological ones.
They were a family. That is all they needed.
After the “I dos” and
the every so anticipated kiss, they turned and walked down the aisle a second
time, but now as husband and wife. We played the reception soon after.
They cleared the chairs and got ready for a good ole time! They had
their first dance. They looked at each other was with such compassion and
adoration. They somehow knew they were supposed to be there together at
that very moment.
The bride and groom
each danced with the children, one by one. During one song, the bride’s
youngest boy walked on stage and pulled on my dress like you would expect any
small child to do when he wants to ask a question. I bent down to listen
to his request. It was the sweetest and saddest question I have ever heard.
“Would you play a song
for my mommy and me?" he asked. "I haven’t danced with her yet and I
am afraid she has forgotten about me.”
I hugged him and said
you bet!
I'm not sure, but I
might have stopped the song we were playing half way through to honor his
request. I was so touched by his innocence and his need to have a dance
with his mom. As I watched with awe, the bride came over and grabbed her
youngest boy from the stage and held him close while she danced with him.
After the last song
was played and the last dance was danced, we loaded our instruments into the
car and were ready to head home. The boys in starch all came up and gave
us their going away present; I believe it was almonds tied up in a red bandana.
We had the best time. Before we left we got a big hug from the
bride and groom. They told us "thank you" as most people do.
But, they decided to tell us why this wedding was so special to them.
We knew a little background about them, but nothing prepared us for the
story they told.
The bride had lost her
husband a little while back. She was left with five kids. She was
doing all she could to hold the family together, but it never seemed like
enough. One day she was praying for the Lord to send her a man that would
love her and all of her children, and it wouldn’t hurt if he was tall, dark,
and handsome. She told God that the man would have to come to her,
because she didn’t have any time to go out and search for him.
While she was on her
knees praying, one of her daughters came looking for her and told her someone
was at the door. She got up with tears in her eyes and opened the door.
There stood a man. He was tall, he had dark hair, and he was handsome.
He asked her if her husband was there. He had known him a while
back and heard he lived here. She invited him in and told him of her late
husband’s passing. They talked for hours. His wife had passed away
as well.
Shortly after that
meeting, they fell in love and got married. God had answered her prayers.
He had sent her a tall, dark, and handsome man that loved her and all of
her children, and she loved his children as well.
We left the old
country place with tears in our eyes and a new-found appreciation for love and
an acceptance of the mysterious way God works. We traveled home in
silence, reflecting on the life changing day we had experienced.
I wish my story stopped there.
A few months after their wedding, the mother of
her five children and of his three, answered a knock at her door. A man
was standing there. With a pained look upon his face, he removed his
hat. She knew something was wrong before any words were spoken. He
told her he regretted to inform her that her husband's train had derailed, and
that he had not survived the train wreck.
For the second time, her world fell apart.
She had to put aside her pain. She had eight children to take care of
now, so for the second time, she was forced to become strong.—Hannah
SAMPLE
RECIPE
Deep Fried Oreos
Cleek Farms, Kingsport, Tennessee
Host of annual Cleek Farm Corn Maze
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar (sift for best
results)
8 cups vegetable oil for frying
Mix first 6
ingredients. Heat oil. A deep fryer works great, but you don't have to use one.
Dip the Oreo in the batter, place in fryer until golden brown. Remove, cool
slightly, and apply sifted powdered sugar. This is a simple funnel cake mix.
