Event

Dismembered Tennesseans

It was back in 1945 that a group of McCallie students got together and began singing and playing a brand of Bluegrass music that has gone on now for more than 65 years. The name "Dismembered Tennesseans" seemed good enough a name for a bunch of teenagers who had no long range plans, and they sang their way through school.

But somehow the music never stopped, and the band stayed together for the next 65 years, singing and laughing their way across the country - from Florida to Washington to Ohio and Colorado and points between. They played for every local civic group in existence, every charity, and most of the conventions in town looking for cheap entertainment. They have also played at the Annual Chattanooga Riverbend Festival and at Kennedy Center.

The 3 Sisters Festival Bluegrass on the River is held annually in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is a free concert presented by Chattanooga Presents which brings in big-name Bluegrass artists mixed with local talent.

The group has appeared on stage with many of the top bluegrass music stars and has performed in concert with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and the Chattanooga Boys Choir, and more recently the Chattanooga Ballet. They have appeared on a segment of ABC-TV's Peter Jennings Nightly News and were featured on the NBC Sunday Today Show. Their audiences have been composed of such celebrities as Chuck Yeager, Sam Nunn, Gerald Ford, Jack Kemp, and three Tennessee governors. Easily one of the most popular bands in hometown Chattanooga, they have made their mark singing bluegrass music for people who don't particularly like country music.