Easter Brothers mix gospel and bluegrass

The Easter Brothers formed in the 1950s and became famous worldwide. Today, only one brother is still living. James is home in Mount Airy and continues to perform and feel blessed.
Posted 9/30/2021, 10:56:47 PM Updated 9/30/2021, 10:59:08 PM

the wide open bluegrass festival is this weekend in Raleigh

and tonight our target will Traveler mixes bluegrass music with

gospel

We find scott mason and Mount Airy home of the

legendary easter brothers

I know my life will never be saying what a

life it's been for the last of the Easter brothers

They began playing Gospel music together in the 1950s and

became famous for doing so

My journey for more than 60 years

They traveled the world

Ed James and Russell Brothers from Mount Airy we didn't

have electric lights no running water

Those childhood years were especially tough for James and started

drinking when I was Nine years old

He went to prison at 16

So we called it bar in the car stealing cars

and other crimes

Hard labor on the chain gang for five years where

I said I was fixing to escape the prison

He had it all planned out and then came word

unexpectedly of his parole the night before you were due

to escape

One night before he escaped

Wow I have been running the rest of my life

He had his eye on me all my life that

Lord Help me to get away from here

James joined up with his brothers and began to turn

his life around 1958 59 we had done got a

big name

They they impressed another big name

So every suppress the about our first single and Elvis

told a national magazine

It was his favorite record

Well when that magazine was released to the streets they

put a salo in Scotland Ireland

England to china stuff like that

God began to open doors for the easter brothers and

that no man could close

There's going to be a gospel scene

The Easter brothers routinely performed on national tv

They also won major awards

What a life you've had

God opened it up for me

I know that he's had his hand on my life

all my life today

It's a life without his two brothers

Ed died in 2019

Russell in 2020 And I know my life will never

be the same

James's 89 and still traveling and performing and operating Mayberry's

music center where people from all over the country come

to visit

James calls it his church

It sits across the street from the mural of the

legendary Easterbrook I've had the greatest life anybody could have

Yes I thank you Lord for your blessing me

Yeah mm

James Easter also has a well known son Jeff Easter

and his wife Sherry performed gospel music nationwide

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