The Ozark Alliance
The Ozark Alliance is a family bluegrass band that hails from the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. They are also the Vaughn family and they live on a family farm nestled in the Ozark hills 17 miles from the nearest town of Salem. The band consists of Jenny, age 15, who plays mandolin & fiddle and sings lead & tenor; Alex, age 17, who plays lead & rhythm guitar, bass, and mandolin, and sings lead, tenor, & baritone; Robin (the mom) who plays upright acoustic bass and sings lead, baritone, & tenor; and Dennis (the dad) who plays 5-string banjo & guitar and sings lead & bass. The newest member is Allison, age 4, who is learning to play fiddle & mandolin and takes part in the singing on her favorite songs.
The Ozark Alliance was formed in 2002 and began their musical adventure playing local bluegrass festivals and gospel events. They soon gained the confidence and ability to compete in and win national bluegrass band competitions. In August of 2003 they entered the band contest at the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and took 2nd place out of over 25 adult bands from across the country. The next month they won 1st place in the "Youth In Bluegrass" national competition at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Since that time The Ozark Alliance has performed at bluegrass and gospel events from western Kansas to eastern Kentucky, and they have opened for or shared the stage with some of the biggest names in bluegrass (The Dillards, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, The Seldom Scene, Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Marty Stuart, Audie Blaylock & Redline, Ronnie Reno, Larry Stephenson, David Grier, Albert E. Brumley, Jr., etc.).
In March of 2007 they were chosen to tape a segment of "The Old Country Church" TV show, which is produced by and airs on BlueHighwaysTV, a venture of Ronnie Reno & Stan Hitchcock. BlueHighwaysTV produces programs such as "Reno's Old Time Music Festival" and "Gospel Sampler", which have aired on RFD-TV. In August of 2007 they were honored to be chosen as the exclusive entertainment for Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's annual picnic at the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City, MO.
Their shows are a tasteful combination of traditional and contemporary bluegrass and bluegrass-gospel, featuring original songs written by the band and original arrangements of songs from other genres. For more information about the band, visit their website at www.OzarkAlliance.com
