Album Notes

Pathway, a bluegrass and gospel band originating from Mount Airy North Carolina, also known as Mayberry, birthplace of Andy Griffith and Snappy Lunch.

Pathway consists of three brothers, Mitchell Freeman, Mark Freeman & Scott Freeman; Mark’s son, Justin Freeman; and two good friends of the family, Jake Long and Cayce Byrd.

Mitchell and Mark started playing in 1977 with Barry and Kenneth Berrier in a band called Interstate Exchange. After a couple of years, Kenneth moved on and Eric Silver who was 16 at the time joined the band. Eric played about a year and then moved to Nashville and became a studio musician and eventually wrote some great songs for Diamond Rio, Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride and Shania Twain. Other notables who played with the brothers include, Alan Bibey (IIIrd Time Out, Blueridge & Grasstown) and Sammy Shelor (Virginia Squires & Lonesome River Band). The brothers played a while longer and then took time off to raise families.

In 2007, with families grown, Mitchell and Mark started playing again and were joined by Justin, then Jake and Casey. The group writes many of the songs that they perform and their shows include both traditional bluegrass, old time songs and bluegrass gospel; they are both exciting and inspirational.

Mitchell Freeman - Bass & Vocals. Mitch has been playing bass and singing for over twenty years. He also writes or co-writes most of the group’s songs.

Mark Freeman - Guitar, Banjo & Vocals. Mark is one of the finest 5-string banjo players around and also writes many of the groups songs. Mark has won many awards for his banjo playing.

Scott Freeman - Mandolin, Fiddle & Vocals. He plays, arranges and writes songs, which have been recorded by some of the top touring bands in bluegrass music. He has recorded three solo projects, “Southern Souvenirs”, “Friends For The Journey”, and “Carolina Welcomes You”, each showcasing his varied musical tastes. Scott spends his time now teaching fiddle and mandolin.

Justin Freeman - Lead & Rhythm Guitar and also contributes vocals to the group.

Jake Long - Mandolin & Guitar. He is currently studying to at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Casey Byrd - Dobro, Guitar & Vocals. Casey joined the band in December 2007 and also writes songs for the group.

Karl Cooler of Mountain Roads Recordings say, "We extremely excited to have this talented group on the MRR label. As with all of our artists, Pathway brings a unique sound to the table, complements our other artists and helps us achieve our goal of bringing deserving talent to bluegrass and old-time fans".