The Petersens

The Petersens
The Petersens of Branson, Missouri
Background information
Origin	Branson, Missouri, US
Genres	Bluegrass country Christian gospel roots
Years active	2005–present
Members	Katie Petersen Ellen Petersen Haygood Matt Petersen Julianne Petersen Karen Petersen Emmett Franz Jon Petersen
Website	www.petersenband.com

The Petersens are an American bluegrass family band from Branson, Missouri. Since the group's inception, they have been a regular feature on country music and bluegrass television specials. ^[1]

Band history

The Petersen children grew up playing music together and were first heard in 2003, at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. They held their first performance as The Petersens in 2005, at the First Christian Church of Mountain Grove, Missouri, ^[2] their mother's hometown church.

The band was originally composed of siblings Katie (on fiddle), Ellen (on banjo), Matt (on bass), Julianne (vocals and dance), their mother Karen (on mandolin), and their father Jon (on guitar). Over time, Julianne switched to the mandolin, Karen to the bass, and Matt to the guitar, while Jon also took up the piano for some gospel songs. These early performances were mostly held at local festivals, churches, and cafes. ^[3]

In 2010, the band won the CAM Gospel Sing-Off ^[4] competition at the Sight & Sound Theatre in Branson. This performance caught the attention of the IMAX Entertainment Complex, where they were invited to play regularly at the Little Opry Theater for the entertainment of local and state residents.

In 2015, the band received international recognition when Ellen Petersen competed in the singing reality TV show American Idol, placing in the top 48. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]} In 2017, Emmett Franz joined the band as their guitar player. ^[3]

In 2018, the band placed 4th in the International Bluegrass Music Competition in Nashville. ^[10]

Katie Petersen, vocalist, and composer, has composed "California" and "My Ozark Mountain Home". The latter is a tribute to the Ozarks and was named the first official song by the City of Branson in 2023. ^[11]

Julianne Petersen performs buck-dancing whilst playing the violin at the same time. ^[12]

The Petersens also covered songs by other musicians, such as Dolly Parton's "Jolene," which has more than 26 million views on YouTube, and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" which gained more than 51 million views. ^[13]

Touring

Prior to 2019, The Petersens had performed to audiences throughout the continental United States, in Canada, and Ireland. In early 2019, they toured Ireland again, as well as the United Kingdom. ^[14] In late 2019, The Petersens went on additional singing tours to Finland and to Ireland for the group's fourth tour of that country. Social media platforms are often used to document their performances and recordings.

Discography

Albums and music videos

Title	Release date	Label
Travelin’ Shoes - the Petersen Family Band (EP) [15]
Finally Going Home - The Petersens [16]	May 1, 2014
Shenandoah - The Petersens	October 22, 2017	CD Baby [17]
Homesick for a Country	August 9, 2019	The Petersens [18]
Gentle on My Mind - The Petersens (EP)	November 1, 2019	CD Baby
The Petersens - Live Sessions, vol. 01 [19]	August 8, 2020
The Petersens - Live Sessions, vol. 02	October 20, 2020
Christmas with the Petersens	November 6, 2020	CD Baby
The Petersens - Live Sessions, vol. 03	September 15, 2021
The Petersens - Live Sessions, vol. 04	November 19, 2021
My Ozark Mountain Home	November 18, 2022
We Don’t Need Anything This Year	November 10, 2023
The Greenest Grass	August 9, 2024

Several of the group's newer releases, as well as covers of other artists, have been made available on Spotify ^[20] and iTunes. ^[21]

References

1. "The Petersens". Petersen Band.
2. "Meet The Petersens - American Roots Music from Branson". The Petersens. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
3. "Meet the Family Band From Branson". The Petersens. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
4. Gull, O. C. (6 September 2010). "Petersen Family Band wins 2nd Annual Branson CAM Gospel Sing-Off | The Branson Blog by Branson Tourism Center" . Retrieved 2020-09-12.
5. "Banjo Newsletter". Banjo Newsletter. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
6. Groman, Gary (17 February 2015). "Ellen Petersen's amazing faith deeply contributes to her American Idol experience | The Branson Blog by Branson Tourism Center" . Retrieved 2020-09-12.
7. "Ellen Petersen on American Idol StateoftheOzarks". stateoftheozarks.net. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
8. "Meet Ellen Petersen of American Idol Season 14 | Idol Chatter & Voice Views". 16 January 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
9. Rehwald, Jackie. "Branson native, MSU grad sent home on 'American Idol'". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
10. "The Petersens Take Fourth Place At SPBGMA International Band Championship". The Petersens. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
11. "Petersens recording named the first official Branson song". Branson Tri-Lakes News. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
12. "The Petersens Family Blue Grass Band from the USA". The Music Man, London. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
13. "Take Me Home, Country Roads - The Petersens (LIVE) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
14. The Petersens tour the Emerald Isle, Bluegrass Today, Feb. 12, 2019,
15. Produced by Bruce Hoffman with Hoffman Studio Productions
16. "Finally Going Home". The Petersens. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
17. Shenandoah - The Petersens, Album label: CD Baby. (Amazon music), in collaboration with John and Bill Chapman
18. Homesick for a Country - The Petersens, Album label: The Petersens (Amazon music)
19. "The Petersens release new album featuring YouTube songs". The Petersens. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
20. The Petersens
21. "The Petersens on Apple Music". Apple Music (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-01.

External links

• Official website