Jonathan Moody
- Denver, CO
- Singing Guitarist
- 44 Verified Bookings
Laura H. said “They were on time, they took many requests, and their music was fantastic. We will hire Jonathan and his band again!”
Your list is empty.
Save musicians, entertainers, speakers, and services, and they’ll appear here.
We play bluegrass adding in some jazz and classical and really good traditional bluegrass musicians that I have compiled are some of the absolute best in the Northeast
We hired Steve and his band to play for my husband's 40th Birthday party in July of 2019. With record breaking temps pushing over 100 degrees we were worried about our outdoor party being ruined by the heat. But the band showed up and provided a magical afternoon of incredible music. My husband was extremely impressed that I was able to find such talent. Wonderful personalities who put on a one of a kind show. Would hire them again in an instant!
Response from Appalachian Uprising:
Megan thank you so much we had a very good time the music and the food and hospitality was so good didn’t notice the heat thanks again to you and your husband
Steve and his band showed up and played a fantastic 2 hour bluegrass set for us on our wedding Day. The band showed up promptly, and had all of our guests raving about them by the time the cocktail hour was over. Our wedding was on a farm and they were the perfect fit to start the evening. We wish we had more time allotted for them to play because they were that good! Would highly recommend!
-Pat Browne
Price Range: Contact for rates
“Steve Lutke is the Heifetz of the Banjo. His technique is dazzling. Lutke plays from within and brings
to his performances a beautiful sense of line and musicianship.”
David Dworkin
— Clarinetist, Metropolitan Opera American Symphony-retired
Conductor-Manhattan School of Music-Retired Conductor-Philharmonic on Hudson-Retired
Creator of “Conductorcise®” A SOUND workout For Mind, body and Soul
Steve’s first solo album entitled “Kentucky Roots” was well received in the bluegrass community — “Steve can hammer a banjo with that elusive syncopation that few posses”- Bluegrass Unlimited, 1985.
Steve is descended from a family that has made a significant mark on the music industry. In the late 1940s and into the 1950s. The Dinning Sisters were a very popular trio vocal group which personified the swinging, close harmony sounds of the era. Sister Lucille, nicknamed “Lou,” born in 1922 in Kentucky, joined forces with her twin sisters Virginia, nicknamed “Ginger” (VIRGINIA IS STEVE LUTKE’s MOTHER), and Jean, both born in 1924 in Oklahoma. There were five daughters and four sons total in the musical family, and all sang in the church choir.
The young girls then moved West to Hollywood, where they were well received. They appeared with Ozzie Nelson’s Band in the film “Strictly in the Groove.” They were in two Walt Disney films, “Fun and Fancy Free” and “Melody Time,” where they sang the tune “Blame it on the Samba” with famous organist Ethel Smith, and Disney favorite Donald Duck. The song was narrated by Bing Crosby.
The sisters quickly signed with Capitol Records, and recorded several hits: “My Adobe Hacienda,” “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now,” “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance,” “Beg Your Pardon,” “Where or When,” and the big selling smash hit “Buttons and Bows.” “Buttons and Bows” was later featured in the Bob Hope film “Paleface” also starring Jane Russell and Roy Rogers.
However, another member of the Dinning family was poised to take center stage…
The girls’ brother Mark Dinning was born in 1933, the youngest of the Dinning family, in Oklahoma. He grew up on a farm near Nashville, TN. He started singing country music, and was signed by music legend Wesley Rose in 1957 to a recording contract. He possessed a voice with a vocal range similar to the great Roy Orbison. His recordings met with limited success until 1960. His sister Jean, of the Dinning Sisters, and her husband Red Surrey wrote a ballad about a young teenage girl’s early death in a car crash. “Teen Angel” soared to number one on the Billboard Charts. Mark became a major teen idol after the release of this tune.
Steve mastered the banjo, and joined several New Jersey bluegrass bands to hone his craft. His latest CD recording was titled "Appalachian Uprising", and that is the name Steve adopted for his preforming group. They are very popular in the New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont areas.
Steve has toured with Peter Rowan and Vassar Clements as part of an "Old and in the Way" reunion project. An recently he performed with Roland White (Clarence White's brother) in a "New Kentucky Colonels" reunion project.
October 18, 2019 • 5:00pm - 9:00pm | Wedding Reception |
June 14, 2019 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm | Dinner Party |
Laura H. said “They were on time, they took many requests, and their music was fantastic. We will hire Jonathan and his band again!”
Nicholas W. said “I kept getting people coming up to me saying "I love the band!" They were a really nice sound for our outdoor wedding, and kicked it up into…”
Dan C. said “These guys have tons of talent. As the guy who gets complaints if the band isn't great it was nice to see people at the party stop in their tracks…”
Andrew D. said “They were perfect as a jazz / New Orleans style band for a wedding cocktail hour!”