THE BAND
Frances Mooney
"Imagine the soul of the North Georgia mountains and the legacy of generations of family and friends who play country and bluegrass music. Put these in the hands of somebody with undying love of bluegrass and vocal talent to match, and you have singer Frances Mooney. Soul and heart, and a commitment that has taken her down bluegrass roads over 41 years, make Frances somebody people stand up and pay attention to, and it happens wherever the band plays. Frances isn't afraid of the emotion that makes a song poignant, lonely, or up beat. For over 40 years she's led Georgia-based groups to regional popularity, and with Fontanna Sunset, Frances wants to shoot toward the moon." Louisa Branscomb
Band Leader Frances Mooney says, "We feel our approach is unique for many reasons, we’re not afraid of challenges, driving rhythm and power vocals. Then too, we aren't afraid to vary the style, and arrange old country and rock & roll to our shows. We add a few of my original songs, (Louisa Branscomb) to every show. They are traditional yet creative, with gorgeous melodies that allow for gripping harmony singing and crowd-pleasing."
Frances is a veteran, having been in music over 41 years. She was a high profile singer and bass player with The Bluegrass Generation in the Louisville bluegrass scene around 1975 in the days when Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill still played bluegrass. Both Ricky and Vince helped on a couple of early Generation albums. Another well-known member of the Bluegrass Generation was Danny Jones who formally played with Bill Monroe, The Bluegrass Alliance and The Goins Brothers just to name a few.
In 1975 The Bluegrass Generation was recognized by the Governor and each received Certificates making them Kentucky Cornels‘. The Bluegrass Generation traveled throughout the US, as far North as Canada and South to Florida. In 1978, back in Georgia, Frances formed "Cherokee Rose", an all female band. At this time all female bluegrass bands were still new to the bluegrass circuit. Cherokee Rose soon began to hit the bluegrass festivals, clubs and other venues. The traveling became very hard for Frances as a single parent raising two small boys, and she chose to leave the band, one of the hardest decisions she has had to make in the music. "But bluegrass is a habit I can't shake," Frances says. "It's too much a part of me, and I had to find a way to do that and be a good mother too."
In 1981, Frances began to put another band together and named it Indian Summer and they performed at various festivals in the northern and southern states. In 1987 Indian Summer won 1st place in the "WPLO" Talent Contest out of 200 entries. Skeeter Davis was one of the judges and presented us with the 1st place award, which took us to Nashville, where they performed at Opyrland and the Station Inn. The highlight of Indian Summer's career was October 1990 to be invited by the China Government to Shanghai, China to perform for the Grand Portman Hotel and represent music of the United States.
In October 1998 Frances formed her current band, Fontanna Sunset. Members included long time friend, Mindy Rakestraw and Brenda Nation. This would be a band with “mostly women”. Brenda left the band around 1999 . Louisa Branscomb, a renowned songwriter joined Fontanna Sunset. After a few years of membership changes and refining the bands sound, we now have what we need to take us down the road to success!
"Frances has been known for her evocative, soulful voice, and her ability to move from the poignancy of a country ballad to the joy of an up-tempo gospel number to traditional bluegrass, always keeping the heart of the audience in her hand.
Some players have the ability to capture and hold your attention. A few others have the magic to put you under a spell. This is singer Frances Mooney," said
Louisa Branscomb, Songwriter
To contact Frances fontannasunset@bellsouth.net
Mark Mundy
Seldom do you find a guitar player so versatile in so many genres of music. Mark has accomplished a career in music that many can only hope for. Some have said every time they perform with Mark or listen to him play there is always a lesson to be learned. Many have said he is the finest guitar player they have ever heard. Mark is accomplished on the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resophonic guitar and vocals.
Mark was born into a family of music but developed his first interest around the age of five years old when the family minister taught him his first song on the guitar. From then on Mark has only strived to improve his musical abilities. Most days you will find Mark practicing or recording for hours.
Mark first performed with his mother, Frances Mundy Mooney and his brother Matthew Mundy in the family church. Mark continued to express his passion for music by performing in his high school band. From there he played in various groups, a local Christian rock band to "Southern Rock" with the Urban Shake Dancers.
He and long time friends Jody Abernathy (songwriter) and Mark Millwood formed another Southern Rock band "Step Daughter". Their shows included original material; cover songs & even traditional bluegrass. When Mark isn’t playing with Fontanna Sunset you can find him performing with Jody and Mark at local venues.
Mark joined Frances Mooney & Fontanna Sunset in early 2004 playing rhythm/lead Guitar and singing lead/harmony vocals. With his experience in different types of music throughout his years in music, he brings to the band his own style and unique song arrangements, always keeping in mind his true feelings to what the music and harmonies should sound like whether it be traditional or progressive bluegrass. Mark is the bands music Director.
April, 2009 Mark and long time songwriting friend, Jody Abernathy traveled to Lyon, France where they performed original songs, cover songs and yes! Even bluegrass.
Contact Mark at: mrmundy@bellsouth.net
Ronnie "Termite" Wilbanks
One of the newest member of Fontanna Sunset, Ronnie Wilbanks joined the band in January 2004. His first bluegrass band was started in the mountains of South Carolina in the mid 70's, playing banjo with the Carolina Mountain Boys, located in Salem, S.C. After a short stint with them, he moved to Denver, N.C. with work and helped form a new band known as The Plank Road Ramblers, playing festivals around the Statesville and Charlotte NC areas. He stayed with that group until 1979 until moving to Georgia. After a three-year break it didn't take long to decide that his life wasn't complete without Bluegrass music. He then joined a group in 1982 called Rocky Ridge Bluegrass from Jasper, GA and played with them until 1986. It was during this time he first heard the group known then as Indian Summer at Raccoon Creek Bluegrass Festival, with the unforgettable voices of Frances and Mindy, and dreamed some day I would have the opportunity to play with this group.
In 1986 he joined a group in north Ga. called Plain & Kuntry Express playing a host of festivals from South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama till parting 14 years later in 2000. At this time he started playing with a group named Rocky Top Bluegrass (RTB) based out of Rome, Ga., playing in band competitions in Nashville, the Bell Buckle Cafe, Boxcar Pinion Festival and many more, from Nashville, Tennessee to Montgomery, Alabama. During this time he jammed with bands such as Broad River, Stoney Gap, filling in on Banjo and Guitar for a host of bluegrass groups such as The Bluegrass Travelers, Bluegrass Heritage, Cedar Ridge, The Outpost Band and many more. "Finally I got to jam with a group called Fontanna Sunset, a band with some of the members of Indian Summer I had seen some 20 years ago at some of the festivals. After a year or so I found out that a dream-come-true was in the making. Boy Howdy! I became a regular in their camp at the festivals, jamming till the wee hours of the morning and I also got to play on stage with them on a couple of occasions. And finally, after a two-year stay with RTB, Lo and Behold, the unimaginable happened, I was invited to be a member of Fontanna Sunset! After 20 years of picking in the Georgia and Alabama Bluegrass circuit, seeing many changes, growing through these changes, meeting and picking with some of the best talent that either state has to offer, I have the rare privilege of having a dream come true, joining a true dynasty, FONTANNA SUNSET."
To contact Ronnie wilbanksr@comcast.net
Steve Sosebee
Name a type of music; Steve's done it. All this feeds into bluegrass drive and sensitivity that adds just the right compliment to both the driving and the sweet songs that the band does. He's the instrumental tie-down, always on top of an arrangement and any spot that needs an instrumental touch.
With a long history of band roles in Georgia, his professionalism is topped only by his wit on stage, which keeps the band going in repartee that ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime. "The main thing I have learned to do is listen; to compliment the incredible singing in this group. I am always evolving, just as our band and our sound is. The band never gets old for me. Every set is an opportunity to see what I can do, and I come off stage grateful first time we've played." Steve adds bass singing on the gospel, sings baritone and lead, and keeps the band on track with lead singing on fresh traditional tunes the band revives from bluegrass roots.
Steve Sosebee plays Mandolin, Fiddle, sings lead, baritone and bass vocals with "Fontanna Sunset". No less important, he's the good humor man on stage, never missing a chance to fill any spot of dead air with a joke or story. (Sometimes it's questionable whether the dead air comes alive with his jokes but that doesn't stop Steve... just kidding, of course!)
Steve also has a playing history with Frances that goes back 24 years. He sings the more traditional bluegrass songs and bass on gospel songs. Steve was one of the original members of "Indian Summer" along with Frances and is a long-term player in the regional Bluegrass community. His musical tastes are informed by a love of all music, and Steve can change all the way to the other side of music and play lead electric guitar and sing "Good Woman's Love", which his wife really enjoys.
Steve keeps audiences laughing with his jokes, which, needless to say, include back and forth teasing members of Fontanna Sunset.
Steve sees his role as to compliment Fontanna Sunset (in the music too!) and to give the band versatile, sensitive lead playing that truly fits with the song. "You're not out on your own when you are a lead player," Steve says. "You are actually more tied to what is going on in the band than if you play rhythm, which must set the foundation on it's own, by itself. Lead, on the other hand, needs to be the voice that comes in in between the vocal lines and verses. This is an area I'm still growing. I try to feel the real message of the song and play in a way that supports the singing. Our material stretches me a lot. I also love being in front of an audience, and to relate to the audience while on stage, through the music and M.C. work. We do a lot of joking as a band, because we want to share the fun we have as a group, and that brings the audience into the band, as if they're with you in the living room. It's a kind of intimacy we try to create with the audience, no matter how big the venue is."
"This band is a dream for me. The talent keeps me awed and on my toes and growing a lot. Come see a show and I’ll tell you a banjo joke….
Contact Steve fontannasunset@bellsouth.net
Jimmy Ross
click here for a high res version
Jimmy has shared the stage with Frances for almost 40 years. Their travels have taken them through many eastern United States and Canada. Jimmy along with Frances and their first band of the 70's, "The Bluegrass Generation", released four recordings on the "Atteiram" and “Polydor” labels. The later was released in Japan. Ricky Skaggs helped produce the last two albums, adding vocal and fiddle to some cuts. Vince Gill was also on the last LP adding vocals, guitar, electric bass and pedal steel to some of the songs and Steve Goetzman, of Exile, on drums. Around 1975, while living in Louisville, KY, each member of “The Bluegrass Generation” was honored to become a "Kentucky Colonel".
Around 1976 Jimmy found his way back to Georgia where a few years later again, he joined with Frances and Steve in the Indian Summer Band. The highlight of his career with Indian Summer was a trip to perform bluegrass music in Shanghi, China.
In the fall of 2007, at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) convention in Nashville, he approached Tim Scheerhorn and Randy Kohrs about producing and recording a tribute CD to Tim, his instruments and the players who use them titled, “Hornography”. It was released in December of 2008 on the “Left of Center” label and is getting air play worldwide. Check it out in the Store section of this site and see the image below for more information.
Jimmy adds his superb baritone vocal to certain songs throughout the show. He's sometime called "Mr. Excitement” on the Stage!!!
Jimmy is proud to use Scheerhorn & Gresham guitars, Travel Lite cases, Ron Tipton bars, GHS TS1600 strings, Poffmaker straps, Cherub tuners, Zookie thumb picks and Dunlop finger picks.
Contact Jimmy via EMAIL
Check out Frances Mooney & Fontanna Sunset at MySpace