Bittersweet was formed in September 1991 when Carolyn and Sherri performed at the
Klein Brot Haus restaurant in Brookston, Indiana. A year later, in September 1992, Roger sat
in occasionally with the group, adding his guitar to Carolyn's hammered dulcimer and Sherri's
Appalachian lap dulcimer, guitar, and vocals. Later, in the fall of 1992, Greg Kamer joined
the group, bringing a variety of instruments with him, including; fiddle, whistle and bouzouki,
but left the group in 1998 to pursue other interests. David Moses has been with the group since
its inception, serving as percussionist and sound engineer. Julie Hughes joined the group in 1998. Julie plays mountain dulcimer, whistle, mandolin, and vocals. The group consisted of these five musicians until 2003 when Roger had medical problems which eventually led to his leaving the group. In 2004 Paul and Susan Heasty joined the group, bringing with them a wealth of talent and experience and adding mandolin, banjo-mandolin, tin whistles and vocals.
In the spring of 2001 Bittersweet and Briers became involved with
Conner Prairie, an open-air
living history museum located in Fishers, Indiana. While there, the band recorded their third
CD; A Conner Prairie Christmas.
Other CDs by the band are Wild Mountain Thyme,
a collection of Traditional American and Celtic Folk Music, and
Hard Times -- Songs of the Civil War, songs of
the American Civil War era. The band continues to provide music for special programs on the
Conner Prairie museum grounds, the community, and state, including engagements at the Feast of
the Hunters' Moon in West Lafayette, IN., the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne, IN., the
Fountain Park Chautauqua in Remington, IN., the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, IN., the Apple
Popcorn Festival in Brookston, IN., the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis, IN.,
and several other 18th and 19th century historical reenactments, dances and special events
throughout the state of Indiana. In October of 2004 the band released its fourth CD entitled; Bittersweet and Briers LIVE.
CAROLYN MOSES: Carolyn has been involved with music since she was a teenager, playing
clarinet, piano, and singing. Because she views music as a special gift from God, most of her
music has been shared in a church setting. She sang in, and directed children and adult choirs
for more than forty years. In 1978, her husband, David, built a mountain dulcimer for her to
use as accompaniment for her singing, and that introduced her to folk music. David built another
mountain dulcimer soon after, and also, a hammered dulcimer in 1986. She has been teaching
dulcimer, and giving solo performances since 1978 in addition to playing with Bittersweet and
Briers.
DAVID MOSES: David finds folk instruments easier to build than to play, and spends a lot
of time carrying sound equipment to and from performances. Spoons are his favorite instrument,
but he also plays the bodhran, which was given to him for his birthday a few years ago by his
wife, Carolyn. He is always ready to show children of any age, how to play the spoons.
ROGER WRIGHT: Roger has been surrounded by musical influences throughout his life. As
a child, with siblings gathered around the piano, his mother taught him the basics of music, and
how to sing and harmonize with the 'standard' songs of the 30's and 40's. From there, it was
school and church choirs, and singing along with the popular music of the 50's and 60's. During
the 60's, the folk music revival completely captivated him, and since then he has been in
numerous musical groups in the Lafayette, Indiana area. Roger reluctantly left the band in March of 2003 but still maintains a close relationship with band members. He also keeps the web page up to date on a semi-regular basis and has taken up photography along with working part-time as an historical interpreter at a living history museum.
SHERRI BONHAM: Sherri has been singing since childhood. She learned to play guitar in
high school, to the songs of Carole King and Carly Simon. But, it wasn't until she heard
Traditional American music at a festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in about 1985, that she found
her musical home. The first two performer's recordings she found at the public library were Jean
Ritchie, and the Scottish singer, Archie Fisher. These types of music still define the music she
loves----music of the British Isles, and how it came to America.
JULIE HUGHES: Julie grew up listening to shape note singing in her grandmother's church
in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Although a Jazz saxophone player during high
school, she drifted toward folk music after acquiring a mountain dulcimer at the Feast of the
Hunters' Moon, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Soon after, she added penny whistle and mandolin, and
began playing with Bittersweet and Briers.
SUSAN HEASTY: Susan is a daughter of David and Carolyn Moses. She laments she scorned her mother's piano lessons as a child, and therefore had a delayed musical beginning. This was helped when she met her true love who just happened to be a penny whistle and mandolin player, and a trained teacher as well. Susan wants to especially thank her Father for loving crafting a mandolin-banjo for her to enjoy. Oh, and....Jesus rules!
PAUL HEASTY: In second grade, Paul Heasty's parents started him playing trombone in an effort to correct his buck teeth. Thus began his lifelong love of making music. Paul's musical training occurred almost exclusively around campfires and late night sessions. He has had the honor of being a part of the groups; Bon Jolais, Pair-a-Dice, and Hogeye Naavy. Paul enjoys being home playing around with his musical instruments, his wife, his children and friends, and dwelling on the goodness of Jesus - the Son of Almighty God.
BONNIE WILKINS: Bonnie has loved music since she was a youngster growing up in Kansas. She had formal piano lessons all through her school years and violin lessons beginning at age nine. She "never wants to stop learning", and hopes music will follow her all through her life. At eighteen, she was drawn to folk music as she joined with Kansas friends who played guitar, banjo, mandolin, and penny whistle in the comfort of their living room. The love of those tunes and times spent together served to encourage her to seek similar comforts in other places as she has moved from Kansas to Indiana. Bittersweet and Briers is a present "home" for her to express her love of friends and music as it plays over and again the legacy of the past, joys of the present, and hope for the generations to come.
