If you happen to frequent Puckett’s Grocery on the Murfreesboro Public Square, you may have come across a string quartet playing unique versions of classic songs, top 40 hits, Christmas favorites and bluegrass standards. That would be the The Jolly String Quartet, a mini-tribe of four siblings all adopted from Russia by the same family.

The family came to the U.S. in pairs; first, Gorsha, at only 16 months, and his biological brother, Viktor, who was 2. Being so young, they were able to grow up in their new family in a fairly normal way, including starting violin lessons. Gorsha’s parents started him on violin when he was 4 years old because they knew playing music had learning development benefits and helped build community.

“My parents really encouraged the string instruments,” Gorsha Jolly recently told the Pulse, adding he actually wanted to play the trumpet. “They pushed us towards instruments that fit our individual temperaments.”

A little later, Kristina and Yara joined the family. They were older when they came to the country and faced more difficulty transitioning to their new home, including having to learn English. When they were 7, the girls started music lessons as well, adding cello and more to the mix.

Their parents definitely assisted in practice, especially since the kids were home-schooled.

“We grew up in Mt. Juliet in a house with like three acres of woods. We were always playing in tree forts or with airsoft guns, and just having adventures with my siblings,” Gorsha said. “But music definitely brought us together and made us operate as a family unit in a different way.”

Bloodline-linked bands aren’t uncommon; in fact, country music is commonly a family affair going all the way back to the Carter Family. An adopted-sibling affair, however, may be a singular rarity.

A recent Puckett’s set involved all manner of stringed instruments, mainly violins, viola and cello, but also mandolin, distorted electric guitar and acoustic guitar. The Jollys, clearly proficient on their instruments, journeyed from straight, fast-and-furious bluegrass, to Toy Story‘s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to Chuck Berry-type rock ’n’ roll and “Proud to Be an American.”

And if you’ve ever seen The Jolly String Quartet, or visited the group’s website, you know they keep God at the center of what they do.

“We unite under God because just focusing on music will ultimately fail. You have to submit your will to God, and when everyone does this, it puts us all on the same page,” Gorsha said. “It reduces bickering and helps each player understand their roles.”

The Jollys will soon release a new album comprised of hymns. The band’s latest release before that—almost five years ago now—was a Christmas record.

“Some of my main influences are John Mayer, Mumford & Sons . . . Brent Mason, Brad Paisley,” he continued. He says the band has been picking up a lot more of that old country sound recently but is still influenced by mainstream acts such as Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, Cory Wong and Avi Kaplan.

“When I listen to mainstream music, I listen to it from a producer’s perspective. I enjoy the mix or the sound of that particular snare drum over the message or celebrity artist,” Gorsha noted.

Over the course of the pandemic, the band moved into a house about an hour east of Nashville. In fact, the Jolly crew built the house themselves, a process you can watch unfold in their personality-filled house-building vlogs on YouTube. When designing the house, Gorsha knew he wanted a studio space. As a producer, having a home studio where his other siblings live and work together has opened a lot of doors for music and fellowship.

They produced their upcoming hymnal cover record together; “The masters just got back and I’m working on the cover art. It’s exciting to put our stamp on something again.”

Moving forward, Gorsha hopes the band will get to create more original music and explore more possibilities in storytelling.

“I want to be able to share our message and redemption story through our music and not just while we are talking in between songs,” Gorsha said. The band has a lot coming up, including some festivals and a new album coming out in June (follow the band on social media for updates on the release), and more shows on the horizon. The band had already gotten to play venues such as the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, and the Ryman, but Gorsha says that doesn’t matter as much as the change they’ve made in the lives of their fans.

“Those things lose their luster at some point. But when you talk to people that have been inspired to adopt a child because they heard our story, and then they bring their kid to the next show . . . it’s amazing.”

Be sure to look out for their new album coming out this June and check the Murfreesboro Puckett’s Grocery concert schedule for Jolly String Quartet performance dates.

Find more on the band at thejollystringquartet.com.