Rhonda's country Kitchen 

The first segment recorded for Our Mountains was a cooking segment featuring Rhonda preparing one of her favorite traditional recipes, Shucky Beans! This dried green bean has been a staple of Appalachian and southern kitchens for generations and Rhonda's take is gives a little bit of a modern twist. 

A Constant on the show 

One thing viewers can be assured of is that every episode, Rhonda will be in the Kitchen sharing a new recipe! From Col. Sanders' tomato casserole to creole shrimp, Rhonda will always have something delicious to share with the folks at home. We've even featured guests sharing their recipes as well! 

ClassiC Folk and Americana 

In addition to her time in the kitchen, Rhonda will often sit down behind a microphone and grab either her guitar, or maybe a dulcimer or even a saltery to play and sing some of her favorite songs. We've featured Rhonda singing everything from Jean Ritchie to CCR and so much more! Rhonda loves to sing as much as she loves to cook and we feature her music as much as we can. 

Click Here to hear Rhonda sing one of her favorite Bluegrass Gospel songs. This is Robe of White! 

A FAmily Tradition

Since he began his music career in 1980, Dean has been continuing the Osborne family tradition of Bluegrass. Being a cousin to the world renowned Osborne Brothers, Dean adopted aspects from both of his talented kin and made them his own. Dean is an accomplished banjo picker like his cousin Sonny and like Bobby, Dean sings that high-lonesome sound. 

Picking & Promoting

Not only is Dean an accomplished musician, he is a well respected festival promoter as well. Dean organized the first Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival in Hyden, KY in 1994 and has produced the event every year since. Today, this wonderful festival has become one of the premiere events in Bluegrass Music.

Teaching the next generation 

Dean is also the Director of the Hazard Community and Technical College's Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music, the only accredited 2 year Bluegrass school in the nation! Here, he has a hand in training the next generation of Bluegrass Superstars in not only musicianship, but the business and technical aspects of the craft as well. Students work in ensembles to learn and grow as musicians during their time at the school. Dean is very hands on in their training, pulling from his years of experience as a touring musician and a promoter, giving them priceless knowledge that will help them as they enter their careers. 

See Dean in Action 

Click here to see Dean and Scott Napier perform a great Bluegrass Hit! This is Shady Grove! 

A Storyteller by Nature 

Joel has been telling stories in one form or another for almost 20 years now. He studied acting for the stage and screen at Georgetown College before working for the Lexington Children's Theatre as a professional actor. From there, Joel spent 8 years at WYMT-TV in Hazard, KY working both in front of and behind the scenes as a producer, director, writer and camera operator. There, he created the series "From These Hills" along with countless other commercials productions, specials and broadcasts. 

Head of the Class 

While at WYMT, Joel was asked to take on teaching the Film Production classes for the Rogers Scholars program. Joel had such a wonderful time working with students from across our region that he left television to spend three years in the classroom at Leslie County High School. Here, he taught Senior English and Mass Media.  After three years at LCHS, Joel left the school to take the position of Community Outreach & Business Development Officer at Hyden Citizens Bank. 

I've Got a Question for You! 

Joel's favorite part of working on Our Mountains is getting to travel the region to interview the fascinating folks he meets along the way. From musicians and artists to politicians and philanthropists, Joel loves to hear these stories and share them with the viewers at home. 

Click here to see one of Joel's favorite stories from Our Mountains!