By Mario Tarradell
Three women—modern, creative and talented—are stretching the boundaries of old-time country and Western swing music. The best part? They are doing it steadfastly, free of frivolous fanfare. We’re talking about neo-traditionalist Western swing trio the Quebe Sisters—siblings Grace, Sophia and Hulda.
The Quebe Sisters are hardly newcomers, though. Their modern musical sensibilities coalesced as seasoned performers. Dallas-based Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe spent the last 17 years merging three-part harmony and triple fiddles to put a youthful, jubilant spin on Western swing pioneer Bob Wills’ now-classic genre blending ballroom dance rhythms, jazz, blues and American folk roots. The trio has recorded four studio albums and toured North America, Europe and Russia.
The Quebe Sisters will be performing Thursday, June 15, at 8 p.m. at Hop Springs Beer Park, 6790 John Bragg Highway in Murfreesboro. Tickets are $22–40; all ages are welcome. Find tickets on Ticketweb.
The sisters’ four studio albums—2003’s Texas Fiddlers, 2007’s Timeless, 2014’s Every Which-A-Way, and 2019’s The Quebe Sisters—serve as sonic proof that these ladies are fearless interpreters and innovators.
The sisters see Western swing as an ocean of possibilities, incorporating originals, instrumentals and covers and moving freely from old-time traditions to stunning vocal-meets-fiddle exercises.
“Bob Wills was all about experimentation, melding just about every style he heard,” says Grace Quebe. “He hired the best musicians playing regionally traditional instruments, as well as players interested in experimenting on what were the cutting-edge instruments of the day. This spirit formed what we today call Western swing, and it needs to be an ingredient in current iterations of Western swing to keep the style fresh and vibrant for the present and future. So, for us it’s authentic to the style to introduce our own originals.”
The Quebe siblings grew up in Texas surrounded by fiddles, bows, microphones, stages and Western swing—Texas is the reason Grace, Sophia and Hulda ended up playing triple fiddles—but in true trailblazing fashion, not even the long, tall, Lone Star state could contain them.
Grace sees nothing odd about their progressive brand of Western swing connecting with foreign audiences.
“Nostalgia and curiosity play some role,” she says, “but particularly the syncopation and dance elements of the music we love and play make it timeless and universal. Everyone resonates with music that has a good feel. If it uplifts you and makes you want to dance, then we are doing our job right.”
The women say they want to play music that guides audiences on a trip to the past while still keeping them firmly in the present moment.
“I think our central ambition in playing music is to touch people’s hearts and souls—to make them feel beauty, to make them hear colors, to make them forget worries and have fun, to make them think about God,” says Hulda Quebe.
For more information on The Quebe Sisters and tour dates, visit quebesisters.com.
