>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

NEW SOUND: Mountain Cross (from left) includes George Rau on fiddle, Ken Kilgore on dobro, Nathan Miller on stand-up bass, Terry Miller on banjo, Jon Clement on mandolin, and Gene Nelson on guitar. The group is based in Baker City. (Submitted photo).

The sounds of gospel bluegrass will come to life in La Grande Sunday evening when Mountain Cross performs at The Olde Meeting House, 901 M Ave.

The concert, free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m.

Mountain Cross was formed in May shortly after Gene Nelson and Jon Clement met at a bluegrass jam at Haines.

The two talked about getting a band together and several musicians came to mind. Nelson and Clement began calling and seeing who was available and wanted to be part of the group, a Mountain Cross spokesman said.

After a couple of weeks, Terry Miller (banjo) and Ken Kilgore (dobro) got together with Nelson and Clement and the four started getting excited about forming a band.

Soon after that, George Rau (fiddle) joined the group.

With Nelson playing guitar and Clement on the mandolin, the lineup was just about complete. All that was needed was a bass player.

After a couple of months, Miller's son, Nathan, joined the group, playing the stand-up bass.

With Nelson, Clement and Miller singing together, the band started to take shape.

Mountain Cross had several opportunities to get its feet wet. It appeared at the annual Durkee Steak Feed and Pioneer Days in Huntington.

It also performed in August during the two-day Son Light Fest at the Union County Fairgrounds and appeared at several smaller events.

As they continued to practice, band members began to develop harmonies and instrumental breaks, as well as add new songs.

Mountain Cross sings and plays a mix of traditional and contemporary gospel bluegrass music.

It is available to play at a variety of events and venues, including picnics, music festivals, fairs, churches and other ministries.

The band does not charge for performances, but any donations will go to benefit charities and Christian ministries.

The Olde Meeting House, located near the La Grande Middle School, is the Friends Church in La Grande.

For information contact Carla Arnold at 663-0776.