Pat Ritchie

Pat spent her childhood listening to the sounds of bluegrass in her Charlottesville, Virginia, home. In the early 1980's, she was the lead singer for an all-female bluegrass band called The Dixie Belles. The late '80's took her into a country/rock band called Detour. After a long hiatus, she returned to the world of bluegrass in 2002 when she joined up as a lead singer with The New Girls Nite Out, an all-female group that toured the Virginia bluegrass festival circuit. In 2003, she ventured out on her own and formed Fall Line, an acoustic variety band. In 2005, she was delighted to discover & join forces with Bill Hensley & Keith Mellinger. Fall Line became The Fall Line Bluegrass Band. Finding herself at home with her music and her new alliances, she ventured into songwriting and co-produced the band's first CD, New Day Dawning. She currently resides in Fredericksburg, Va.

Bill Hensley

Bill was born in Orange County, Virginia. Being a fan of familiar places, he still resides there today! At the age of 10 he learned to play the guitar, but soon found himself looking for a new challenge. The banjo seemed to suit him just fine. Bill worked in various bands throughout his life, including playing electric bass for a country dance band. For 26 years, he worked with Roy Legge in Bill & Roy & The Blue Ridge Travelers. In the 1990's, he met and studied with banjo player Bill Evans, whom he credits for influencing his current work. Most of the '90's were spent with bluegrass gospel bands, including the Kirk Family. Bill's melodic style of playing fits in well with the Fall Line Bluegrass Band sound. Bill was a co-producer on the band's CD project.

Keith Mellinger

Keith Mellinger picked up the guitar after high school in his home town of Lititz, Pa. In the 90s, he played guitar in various bands in Pennsylvania and Delaware, including the acoustic duo Bookends in which he recorded his first album. Keith discovered flatpicking guitar after seeing Norman Blake in the late 90s and has been involved in bluegrass music ever since. He played with various bluegrass bands while living in Chicago, and has been to an innumerable number of workshops giving him the opportunity to jam with some of the greatest flatpickers in the world. His crosspicking techniques are influenced by the likes of Dan Crary and Norman Blake. Keith is a mathematician during the day, working at the University of Mary Washington, and lives with his wife and son in Fredericksburg, Va.