Julianne Petersen and the Petersens.

Julianne, Matt, Ellen, Katie, Emmett, and Karen

The Petersens are a popular bluegrass band located in Branson, Missouri. The group was founded by Jon Petersen (a retired air force colonel and doctor) and his wife, Karen with the idea of having the family doing something together.  The band's current working lineup features Karen Petersen, four of her children, and Emmett Franz, a non-family member who joined the band in 2017 to play dobro. When the band started Karen played the mandolin, and Jon Petersen played stand-up bass or piano.  However, Jon Petersen rarely plays with band, anymore. He continues to work his day job as a doctor.

All the group play instruments and sing though Karen rarely sings.  Ellen Petersen Haygood plays banjo and is the most prominent lead vocalist (she made it the top 48 on American Idol.) Ellen got married recent to Michael Haygood of the Haygood's (another Branson family band). Katie Petersen sings lead vocals, help arranges the music, writes original material and plays the violin. Matt Petersen plays acoustic guitar, manages live performances and occasionally sing leads.  Emmet Franz plays the dobro, helps arrange the music, and sings occasional leads. More than one article refers to him as a " ringer" because he is so good at dobro. The youngest member of the band, Julianne Petersen, plays mandolin and sings lead vocals. In the early days of the band Julianne would do buck dancing, and sometimes play violin or sing.  The siblings were all taught how to sing first, then they learned piano before specializing in a particular instrument. Karen Petersen has a master in music education, and not only taught her children music but home schooled them. The group is up front about their Baptist faith, but never offends or is pushy with it.

The group has become popular through their residencies at Branson, MO and through exposure on YouTube, and other social media platforms. The group's videos are often filmed live outdoors or in rural buildings by director Aaron Carter who does an excellent job producing the videos.   The group almost invariably takes a bluegrass approach to their music, but their material is primarily pop songs, gospel songs, or original compositions. None of the albums or singles have charted on the Billboard pop charts, so they rely on patrons, live shows and streaming revenue for income.   The group's most popular songs on YouTube are their covers of "Jolene", "When You Say Nothing at All" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads." 

The group's superpower is their ability to do gospel music. Here is their version of "Down to The River to Pray.   The most notable prior version of this song was by Allison Krauss.

The early Petersens performing "Traveling Shoes" back before Emmett Franz joined. 

The group is really solid instrumentally, but the emphasis typically is on the vocals.  

"Prodigal Son" featuring the four Petersens siblings

The group is often at its best when the four Petersen children gather in various combinations in the center microphone and harmonize or trade off vocals.  Instrumentally, Emmett and Katie are the most impressive, while vocally Ellen and Julianne are most likely to awe the audience.  

Julianne Petersen

And now we turn to Julianne Petersen best known for her famous dimple. She was born in 2001 and is the youngest of the  Petersens.  She impressed me from the very first, with her relatively unique vocal style, and youthful good looks.   Like Nanci Griffith or Iris Dement she has a very high, breathy, childlike singing voice, but what makes her unique is the unpredictable vibrato that sometimes comes out when she is singing.  Like her sisters, she occasionally breaks into a country twang while singing, but Julianne also channels Dolores O' Reardon.  When you hear her speaking voice, you begin to wonder where her marvelous singing voice comes from.  Her speaking voice is neither overly high nor twangy.   Julianne also has some charming facial quirks, smiling deeply, or rolling her eyes upwards or to the side.  All of the Petersen siblings smile frequently-and these smiles, along with the rural settings, and modest dresses give off an amazingly peaceful aura in their videos.

Julianne has often had to step back from the band and spent time away from the band as she got her education (apparently, she was home schooled for at least part of this time). She studied English literature at John Brown University where she graduated with honors. At college, she spent a semester at Oxford studying C.S. Lewis.    Julianne hobbies include making YouTube videos of the group's travels and writing.   Both she and her brother, Matt have a very active sense of humor, and that levity often shows up in the travel videos and on stage. Here are four of Julianne's more notable singing performances.

Julianne's most successful video with the group so far, has been this excellent bluegrass rendition of Sting's "Fields of Gold." The group was inspired by Eva Cassidy's famous cover to do this song.

  

 

The performance that best shows off many of Julianne's vocal quirks is the Christmas song-"God Rest Ye Mary Gentlemen".

"Today" is Julianne's perhaps most perfect vocal. It was sung at the wedding of her sister. She is joined by Matt and Katie. 

Julianne has made a few solo video's notably this cover of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

Visit here for a  complete playlist of  songs Julianne sings lead vocals on.  Julianne Petersen of the Petersens - YouTube

 

An article written by Julianne ...

https://www.reuleauxjournal.com/post/broken-voices-church-tradition-deconstruction-and-a-lonely-mandolin

Originally published June 2023 by J.C.Bernhardt.

Songs That the Beatles Switched instruments on.

Lennon played Bass?  Songs the Beatles switched instruments on. 

The Beatles were a four-man rock combo.  George Harrison played Lead Guitar, John Lennon played Rhythm Guitar, Paul McCartney played Electric Bass Guitar and Ringo Starr played Drums. In 1962-1964 this lineup was seldom deviated from. Keyboards (if needed) on early Beatles records were usually played by producer George Martin. However, by 1965 other instruments were more often required.  From 1965-keyboards were   most often handled by Paul McCartney but John Lennon and George Martin often played keyboards and non-members   such as Mal Evans, Billy Preston or Nicky Hopkins also occasionally played keyboards.  

Additional percussion instruments were usually played by Ringo Starr but were also played by Harrison, Lennon and McCartney on a few tracks-especially if they had nothing else to do.  On many occasions from 1965 and  onward The Beatles brought in classical musicians to play various orchestral parts or horn solos. Almost all the orchestral arrangements were scored and conducted by George Martin.  

All lead vocals were handled by the group and most backing vocals were by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. On a few occasions between 1966 and 1968 outsiders were brought in to provide party style backing vocals or female vocals.  On only one occasion was an outside guitarist brought in to play on a Beatles record. That would be Eric Clapton who played lead guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.   George Harrison brought in Clapton partly to encourage the other Beatles to be on their best behavior. 

Here are the times that Beatles members played instruments outside their specialty.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney was perhaps the greatest melodist of his generation and has a unparalleled gift for adding musical colors to songs-so George Martin and the group often let him get away from just playing bass and allowed him to play guitar, keyboards and other instruments.  However, this soured McCartney's relationship with George Harrison to a degree since it sent the message that Macca often wouldn't trust Harrison to play the guitar on songs. 

In the early (pre-record making) days of the Beatles -Macca was the third guitarist-but switched to bass when Stu Sutcliffe left the band. But Macca often returned to play guitar.  It is most noticeable on acoustic songs where he is the only guitarist. 

Songs that McCartney played acoustic guitar on include:

'"I'll Follow the Sun", "I've Just Seen a Face", "You've Got to Hide Your ", "Yesterday"   "Michelle", "I'm Looking Through You", "All Together Now", " Two of Us", "Maggie Mae", "I Will" "Your Majesty", "Rocky Racoon ". 

McCartney also played lead electric guitar or rhythm electric guitar on "The Night Before", " Ticket to Ride" "Another Girl", "Drive My Car", "Taxman"," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Fixing a Hole", "Helter Skelter", "Oh Darling, and "You Never Give Me Your Money".  Notice that with exception of three songs-all these songs that Macca played guitar on were songs that predominately written by Paul McCartney. 

Songs that McCartney played Drums on:  McCartney filled in on drums for two songs - “Back in the USSR” and “Dear Prudence” when Ringo left the group temporarily in 1968.  McCartney also played drums on “Ballad of John and Yoko” in 1969 because Harrison and Starr were not available when the song was recorded.   McCartney was nearly a one-man band on “Why Don’t We Do It on the Road, and "Wild Honey Pie" on the White album. (Although Ringo did play drums on "Why Don't We Do it on the Road"). 

John Lennon

Lennon usually played rhythm electric guitar but occasionally played lead guitar or acoustic guitar but that of course was normal for his job.  On at least one occasion he is only instrumentalist on a song that would be “Julia”.  He plays the acoustic guitar on that ballad.

As stated before, Lennon played keyboards on numerous songs-one of the most notable was introduction to "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". 

What was unusual was for Lennon to play bass. He played bass on  "Rocky Racoon”, “Helter Skelter”, "Dig It', “Let It Be” (on the Anthology 3 version) and on “The Long and Winding Road”.  Lennon did this because McCartney was occupied on another instrument.  Sometimes ,Lennon or Harrison played bass on a early take of a song, only to have McCartney do a later overdub.  One of the many reasons that there is sometimes disputes on who played what.

Neither John Lennon or George Harrison ever completely filled in for Ringo on drums on a finished recording. But Lennon did play a snare drum while Ringo tapped on a guitar and played cowbell, on ¨I Need You¨.  It is also said that Lennon and Harrison may have played some of the drum parts on "Back in the USSR". 

George Harrison usually stuck to lead electric guitar -and he wasn’t any more prominent on lead acoustic guitar then Lennon or McCartney were. However-the famous classical guitar work on “And I Love Her” is by him.   And songs like "Here Come the Sun" features his acoustic guitar.

Harrison famously played Sitar on “Norwegian Wood”, "Tomorrow Never Knows”, Within You, Without You ", and "Across the Universe".

George Harrison played Tambura on "Getting Better" and on "Within You Without You".

George Harrison played organ on his 1967 songs-"Only a Northern Song", "Its All Too Much",

and "Blue Jay Way" 

George Harrison played bass on "Birthday", on "Golden Slumbers" , "Oh Darling", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". "Carry That Weight" and a "bassy" guitar on "You Never Give Me Your Money".

Harrison also played synthesizer on some songs on the Abbey Road album.

 

Harrison left the group temporarily during the Let It Be sessions, but no final recordings were made during that time.

Ringo Starr played piano on “Don’t Pass Me By” and Organ on “I’m Looking Through You”.

Ringo, despite being a competent lead vocalist-was rarely used as a backing vocalist-however is known to have sung as a backing vocalist on: “Yellow Submarine” “Bungalow Bill”, Carry That Weight” and “Flying.”

Other 

There are a few other instances of members of the group playing Harmonica or other novelty instruments.  For example, Paul McCartney is said to play recorder on “Fool on the Hill”, John Lennon is said to have played sax on “Helter Skelter". George Harrison played a Ukelele on "Free As A Bird".  Mal Evans played the alarm clock on "A Day in the Life". And Ringo played the anvil on the final version of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". 

Written June 2019 by J.C.Bernhardt.

Also, on Felpin's Pond: Classic Rock Acts That You Can Name All the Members of

More about Beatles instrument switching....
Rolling Stone article about Beatles instrument switching...

Early Meghan Trainor Videos

Some  Early Meghan Trainor videos.  Revised 2020

Meghan Trainor is the  singer/songwriter from Nantucket who hit it big with "All About that Bass". Before "All About the Bass" she recorded two independent solo albums and worked as a songwriter.

In 2013 Meghan   performed on a song called "Fall Back"  with her  friend Emmy Palmer.

The original video of this was removed from Youtube and the universe in general, but here is  a link to the audio version..

Emmy Palmer (featuring Meghan Trainor)

"Fall Back" is also featured briefly in this compilation video above that shows bits numerous songs from Meghan Trainor's career.

Here is the first live version of "All About The Bass' from 2014. The guy on the guitar is the song's  producer/co-writer,Kevin Kadish. 

A solo performance  of "Waterfall" showing off her ballad side from 2012, and interview with her inside a vehicle. 

"Can't Blame the Girl For Trying" , 2012 from the Durango Songwriters's conference.

"Nervous"  2011 from the Durango songwriter's conference.

Originallt published January 16, 2020. Updated March 2023.