The Union County Opry Band

In December of 2018, with early ground work beginning for the Union County Opry, Vice President, Danny Cooke began searching for talent to form a house band. With a tremendous amount of talent here in and around the Union County area, he began to summons pickers and singers for the band. Check out each band member’s biography to learn more about them.

Mark Bills

Mark Bills grew up in a musical family that played piano and guitar. At six years old, he started taking drum lessons that continued through high school. After growing up in Anderson County, he now calls Union County his home. Over the years, he has played with multiple country, blues, and southern rock groups in local and out-of-state shows.

Jessica Cooke

Jessica Cooke sitting on a bench with her fiddle.

Jessica is a Union County native and lives with her husband and two children in Big Ridge, Tn. She started playing the fiddle when she was fifteen and she now plays one that her Dad built for her in 2008.Her favorite music is true bluegrass, gospel and classic country.

Danny Hutchins

Photo of Danny Hutchins playing the keyboard and singing.

Danny Hutchins is a multi-talented musician and singer. He currently plays keyboard for 3Dog Celebration and joined the Opry band in December 2019. With his talents and his energetic personality he has become a great fit for the Opry band.

Melinda Jessee

My name is Melinda Jessee. I am married to my college sweetheart Sidney Jessee Jr, and we have two boys- Landon and Logan. I began singing at a young age at my home church with my dad, Vic Graves, and our family. My favorite genre of music is bluegrass gospel, and I play the upright bass in my spare time. (Psalms 100:2 - Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.)

Sidney Jessee

Sidney Jessee standing in a field.

Native to Union County, Sidney grew up in the Tater Valley community of Luttrell, Tn. He began playing guitar at age 6 and banjo at age 17. Sidney loves gospel, bluegrass and traditional country music. He and his wife Melinda have three boys.

Rusty Rutherford

Rusty Rutherford standing in front of a piece of modern artwork.

Rusty Rutherford is a Union County native who began playing music as a child coming from a family with a strong musical heritage. Has appeared on many recordings as a session musician and decades of live performance experience. A lover of all music and true "Guitar Nerd" always open to new challenges.