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.