Ben Jenkins

As one of the founding members of Southern Skye, Ben is a senior at Bell County High School. At 18, he has been playing the banjo for about five years, and the dobro for about two years. As a part of Southern Skye, Ben has performed at Dollywood, onstage at Renfro Valley, the Ocean Opry in Panama City Beach, Florida, and at the homeplace of Bill Monroe. He has won several competitions in banjo. Ben also played with the Kentucky Opry Junior Pros at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg, KY. His musical influences include J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas and Tony Rice. Ben hopes to make a career in Bluegrass Music.

Alex Leach

At age 18, Alex is a veteran of Bluegrass music. He is a disc jockey at WDVX in Knoxville, Tn, and has won SPBGMA's DJ of the year award in 2003 and 2005. Alex plays mandolin and sings lead and harmony for the band. Alex has played with many great artists as his love for the traditional style takes him to a number of events. He routinely plays at Bill Monroe's homeplace, on the Cumberland Highlanders TV Show, and RFD-TV. His involvement with Southern Skye has enabled him to play such venues as Dollywood, Renfro Valley, and Live at Five on WBIR-TV, among many others. You can listen to Alex on www.wdvx.com, on Tuesday and Saturday nights.

Chris Risner

Chris is a native of Pineville, Ky. and is a college freshman at Eastern Kentucky University. He is one of the upright bass players for Southern Skye. Chris recorded on our CD, Midnight Run. Chris has a strong background in music. He played in his high school marching band, and his ear for notation has been an asset to the group.

Shellaina Ely

Shellaina is the newest member of Southern Skye. She is 16 years old, and is a junior at Cumberland Gap High School. She has been playing and singing for about six years. She sings lead and harmony and plays rhythm guitar for the band. Shellaina also is an avid songwriter, and often performs classic country hits, such as Patsy Cline tunes. She has been trained in dance and ballet, and enjoys clogging to many of the bluegrass tunes.

Nick Liford

Nick plays upright bass for Southern Skye. He is a 19 year old college student from Barbourville, Ky. Nick also plays some lead and rhythm guitar. Because he is a member of the Kentucky National Guard, we are blessed to have a stand-in when he is called to serve. Nick is the only member of the band who has performed on the Grand Ole Opry. He and his first band won a contest, and one of the prizes was to perform on the Opry. If you ask him, Nick will also imitate Johnny Cash.