Sister Sam

Sam Gleaves, 19, is a writer and folksinger from the Blue Ridge mountains, where the matriarchs of his family have lived in Wythe County, Virginia for generations.  In addition to his full time job as a Down Home Diva, Sam plays clawhammer banjo, sings mountain ballads, and writes his own songs.  Sam is studying Folklore with an emphasis in Appalachian music at Berea College and serves on the steering committee for the STAY Project, a youth led organization whose goal is to create a place in Appalachia for its diverse young people.  Sam is actively committed to the fight for LGBT equality and the fight against mountaintop removal mining. 

Sam is the co-creator of the terms, "Fabu-lachia" and "Down Home Diva."  When asked what matters most to him besides his grandmother, Sam replied, "Homemade wine, Hazel Dickens and the Uncloudy Day."  He believes that "God gave Noah the rainbow sign," and he lives his life by the words of

Down Home Diva Minnie Pearl,

"Hooooooooowwwwdy!   I'm just so happy to be hurrrrrreee!" 

Buy Sam's new album, A Little While in the Wilderness or find out more at http://samgleaves.yolasite.com

 

Sister Ethan

Ethan Hamblin, 21, was raised in the mountain oasis of Gays Creek, Kentucky, where his family line of matriarchs continues to thrive.  He is pursuing a degree in Appalachian Studies at Berea College, where he competes with Sam Gleaves for the title of loudest country girl on campus.  He works as a Bonner Scholar at Berea College's CELTS (Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service) and is the founder of the Youth Leadership Philanthropy Initiative, which promotes community service and nonprofit engagement in Ethan's own Perry County, Kentucky.  He is also instrumental to Madison County's chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and is a notoriously outspoken activist. 

Ethan is the co-creator of the terms, "Fabu-lachia" and "Down Home Diva."When asked what mattered most to him besides his grandmother, Ethan replied, "The three F's - food, fun and fellowship." He clings to Jesus, Loretta and the Old Rugged Cross while living by the words of his aunt Robin, "Life should not be a bowl of gravy, it should be a bowl of salsa."

All content (C) Sam Gleaves and Ethan Hamblin 2012.

Unauthorized use prohibited by law, will result in banishment from Fabu-lachia.