Edens Edge photo courtesy of Big Machine Records.

When it comes to making great music, kindred spirits somehow seem to find each other and such is the case with Edens Edge. Three talented young musicians from Arkansas -- Hannah Blaylock, Dean Berner, and Cherrill Green --make their debut on Big Machine Records with a vibrant sound that honors country music’s roots while creatively pushing the envelope with their seasoned musicianship, dazzling harmonies and insightful songwriting.

With one listen to Edens Edge, it’s obvious the trio has forged a unique sound shaped by their individual influences and anchored in their own distinctive gifts. Each grew up in rural Arkansas where farming, faith and family provided a firm foundation and offered a springboard for their musical aspirations.

"I had grown up singing in church and school talent shows," says lead vocalist Hannah. "I’d always known that I wanted to be a singer. I didn’t know exactly how to go about making that happen, but my parents always knew that that was my true passion and they wanted to nurture that as much as possible."

By the time she was in her teens, Hannah was singing in a band with her family and Steve Smith, a local financial planner with a penchant for writing songs. It was Smith who recruited Dean to join the group. "He taught me my first chords on guitar and he was also my soccer coach when I was seven," says Dean, who plays guitar, dobro and contributes harmony vocals. "I grew up listening to a pretty eclectic mix of music from Johnny Cash to Crystal Gayle. My dad was a fan of Crystal and he had her tapes in the car. I also listened to the Beatles and other great songwriters like Billy Joel, Paul Simon and The Eagles. Then I got into rock music when I was a teenager and listened to Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. I was learning to play guitar, so that was a big thing for me just listening to great guitar players. Eric Clapton was also another big influence."

Dean and Cherrill had played music together a few times during their college days, and a month after Dean joined Hannah’s group, they recruited Cherrrill. "We needed another mandolin player and singer so we found Cherrill," says Hannah. "She is just amazing. She’s this incredible instrumentalist and she could follow me like crazy with harmonies because she’d grown up her whole life singing in a family bluegrass band."

Cherrill recalls listening to some classic country and a little Beatles growing up, but her world was dominated by bluegrass. "I listened to Alison Krauss, Tony Rice and Flatt and Scruggs, but then my mom listened to a lot of The Judds, Reba, George Strait, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn," says Cherrill, who sings and plays mandolin, banjo and guitar. "We played a lot of festivals. At bluegrass festivals you just play all the time. We’d jam till really late at night and we were constantly around so many good musicians. When you are at those things, especially as a kid, musicians want to show you stuff so you are constantly learning. It’s basically like taking lessons from professionals all the time."