Jesse Milnes grew up in the world of West Virginia old-time music, learning from masters like Melvin Wine and Ernie Carpenter as well as his father, Gerry Milnes. Though he is widely known as a fiddle player, Jesse’s first instrument was a guitar and he has developed a personal style of finger-picking, drawing on influences from blues to bluegrass to country.

 

Jesse has played fiddle and guitar with many country, old-time and bluegrass bands over the years, including the Sweetback Sisters, a country band for which he was also a main songwriter. Jesse has won many local and regional fiddle contests, including the WV State Folk Festival in Glenville, WV, and the Ed Haley Fiddle Contest in Ashland, KY. He often plays for square dances and does solo work in addition to performing with his family. 

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Jesse Milnes and Emily Miller perform country and old-time music, singing close harmony with Jesse's unique finger-picked guitar style and a healthy dose of old-time fiddling.  Emily was raised playing and singing old-time and country music. Jesse and Emily live in Elkins, West Virginia. 

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Last, but not least, The Jesse Milnes Band is a five-piece honky-tonk band with fiddle, drums, bass and guitars. The sound is classic country mixed with old-time Appalachian music and just a little rock and roll. They're a bar band and proud of it. In the band: Emily Miller, Tessa Dillon, Rebecca Wudarski, and Nate Druckenmiller. 

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