About the Artist

“Celtic Crossings..the original Hillbilly Highway.”  is a musical tapestry, made up of centuries-old musical history; combining the past with the present.  Rich with stellar vocals, gorgeous fiddle, guitar and mandolin instrumentation, this beautiful and innovative show consists of a two-set musical presentation. With music and some spoken word, it outlines the migration of music from Scotland and Ireland to the U.S., continuing to their settlement into Appalachia and beyond. Set one features traditional Celtic ballads, which made the trip with the Scots-Irish in the 16th and 17th century.  This musical ride will then take the audiences to Appalachia, where the songs are handed down and eventually blended with other migrant influences to produce what has become known as American Folk music.

The second set further continues to pull the audience in to experience the Appalachian influences in Country music from artists like Hank Williams to Steve Earle, through Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss to Little Big Town, Gillian Welch and many others…..all of those exquisite, rich and sentimental influences present in the Country music of today.  The performers present these unique arrangements that are spun by the show’s seasoned and talented musicians.

The core show band is Celtic Country, made up of John Ballantyne on vocals and guitar, Steve Gritman on vocals, fiddle and mandolin, and Heather Moran on vocals.