Gene Guilliams is a Virginian and “mountain man” through and through. Born in Franklin County, he has lived in southwestern Virginia all his life. Following his retirement from General Electric in Salem, Virginia, he and his wife Elsie purchased a beautiful farm near Oriskany, Virginia and they built a large log home on the banks of Craig Creek. A picturesque swinging bridge crosses the creek right at their front porch. Gene loves hunting, fishing, driving his tractor… and music!

At first, Gene was a closet musician, only playing his guitar and singing for his and Elsie’s enjoyment. But Carol Lewis encouraged him to play and sing in public, and the Oriskany Strings was born. Gene has a prodigious memory for songs and lyrics. He can sing the words to just about any older bluegrass, old-time, or southern gospel song you can name, and his strong voice sounds a lot like Hank Williams. Gene has had a few strokes in the past couple of years, and each time he’s had to re-learn how to play the guitar. His dedication to the music and his perseverence in the face of hardship are truly an inspiration to the rest of the band.

Carol Lewis is an editor and writer by trade, but making music has always been one of her great loves. Her family was always musical, singing hymns on Sundays around the old pump organ in her grandmother’s house. Carol sang duets with her younger brother at age 5 (strongly encouraged by her mother!), and sang in church and school choirs in her childhood hometown of Martinsville, Virginia.

Carol took piano lessons as a youngster, but piano never really took on her. She grew up watching the folk music TV shows like “Hootenanny,” and she bought a guitar when she was 18, and a banjo at 19. At Mary Washington College, she sang and played in a country/folk trio with two other women, performing at coffee houses and other venues. Music was put on a back burner when she pursued an engineering degree at the University of Maryland, and then moved to California in 1985 to work in technical publishing, but she still played and sang with other family members when they got together.

Carol has been playing regularly with the Oriskany Strings since 1997, and she says that it has fulfilled a heartfelt need. “There’s nothing like music,” she said, “to soothe the soul. The simple, foot-tapping gospel music we play always takes me back to a simpler time and refreshes my spirit.”

Rita Parady has always loved music of all types, but gospel is her favorite. She lived all over the states, as well as in Taichung, Taiwan, before settling down in the little mountain village of Oriskany, Virginia with her husband Dick. She and Dick together built a log home on a ridge with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, where they have lived for more than twelve years. She says that's longer than any other place and says she's finally put down some real roots in Virginia.

Rita grew up listening to gospel music on radio programs such as "Jubilee" and going to gospel quartet concerts with her family. As a youngster she joined her sister and two of her four brothers to regularly sing in a quartet in her church in Oklahoma where she grew up. In college she started out as a music major, singing in opera performances and chorale tours, but finished college with a degree in business. No matter where she lived, Rita continued singing in churches and community choirs.

Rita was introduced to old-time and bluegrass music by her husband Dick, who played the clawhammer banjo. When she began singing with Gene, Carol, and Dick, she longed to play an instrument as well as sing. But she had never played a musical instrument before. Dick happened to have an autoharp, so she gave it a try a few years ago and is now a die-hard old-time music fan. Now the combination of her angelic voice and the heavenly sounds of the autoharp make for some mighty fine listening.

Dick Parady decided he wanted to play the banjo back in the 1950's and 60's when folk music was in its heyday. The Kingston Trio, The Weavers, Pete Seeger and a whole host of other popular figures influenced his musical interests. He tried to learn the Earl Scruggs three-finger bluegrass style but says "my fingers just wouldn't cooperate." Eventually he came across some old-time string band music and he was hooked. Unfortunately, there weren't many other teenagers (or anyone else for that matter) in San Diego who shared his enthusiasm. While everyone else was singing "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" and "Kum Ba Yah", Dick was singing "Turkey in the Straw" and "Baldheaded End of a Broom". "Guess I've always been a bit out of the mainstream," he says.

Born in Hawaii and growing up in San Diego, he wanted to be a forest ranger and attended Oregon State University. However, Uncle Sam requested his service in Vietnam, so he joined the Air Force. As he says, "Flying over the jungle seemed like a much better option than walking around in it." His travels around the country as well as the world have given him a rather eclectic taste in music. He still prefers the old-timey stuff epitomized by Grandpa Jones and Charlie Poole, but his record and tape collection also contains early Bob Dylan, Dvorjak, Tom Lehrer, and Ladysmith Black Mambaso.

"Music and my banjo have always been a big part of my life," Dick says. "It's like a dream come true to find a group of talented people who enjoy the same thing. When Carol Lewis talked us into playing together, the group seemed to mesh together very quickly." Dick's old-time clawhammer style fits the simple gospel music and the music fits his spiritual life as well. "Sermons are great at teaching you the word of the Lord," he says, "but nothing can get me more emotionally involved with the Holy Spirit than music." He must be right, because he can really knock out 'I'll Fly Away" or "Gloryland".

Jack Lewis was a military officer and an engineer most of his adult life. He never studied music until he got interested in playing the bass fiddle. Since then he has read several books on music theory and has carefully studied the bass fiddle training videos of the great bass fiddle player, Marshall Wilborn of The Lynn Morris Band. Jack says he was never satisfied with having an orchestral bass fiddle in an old-time band and wanted to learn how to play a washtub bass. But must people told him you really couldn't play music on a washtub bass, "you just thump it." Undaunted, Jack found a washtub bass on the internet that really plays musical notes and now he's become the rhythm section of the band.

James Christian is both a song writer and outstanding vocalist who also plays and sings with The Craig County Boys. He retired from Elizabeth Arden a few years ago. He and Shirley, live in New Castle, Virginia in a home tucked back in the woods, where their back porch looks out over John's Creek. James first played guitar with the Oriskany Strings on their "Mostly Gospel" CD recording session in October 2004. Since then he has appeared with the band at almost every performance. James has been singing and playing for many years and he plays a number of instruments, but banjo and guitar are his favorites. Lately he has been playing mostly guitar. James sings both lead and backup vocals with a clear bluegrass baritone voice that draws any listener into every song he sings. James has composed both lyrics and music for many songs, most unpublished until recently. A bit shy and very modest, he has finally agreed to put his music out for the rest of the world to enjoy. His songs reflect his bluegrass mountain heritage as well as his Christian faith.

Elsie Guilliams, wife of lead vocalist Gene Guilliams, is the band manager, booking agent, and head cheerleader of The Oriskany Strings. She grew up over the mountain from Oriskany, in Daleville, Virginia, attending the Daleville Brethren church as a child. She says that she has no musical ability or background herself, but has always enjoyed listening to string music. Her family had an old Victrola record player that played 78 records. "My brother would order the records through the mail. He loved bluegrass music, and I loved to listen to his records. We also listened to gospel groups like The Chuck Wagon Gang and the Carter Family on the radio. They were really big at that time." Elsie says that she is still surprised that her husband Gene now plays in a band, after so many years of never playing in front of anybody. "I just love the Oriskany Strings's music," she said. "It means a lot to me."

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