With powerful voices and original music The Bennett Hall Band shoots for the stars

With powerful voices and original music The Bennett Hall Band shoots for the stars

By David C. Lannan for Country Music News International Magazine

Three sisters under age 17 formed The Bennett Hall Band to honor their brother who passed away in 2010. Kat and Presley, who were born in Atlanta, Georgia, and Josie Hope, who was born in Nashville, spend as much time as they can writing music and performing in between school work, family time and chores. The family lives about an hour from Nashville.

Kat, 17, said she can’t remember when she wasn’t singing. “My mom actually has many videos of Presley and I, singing and strumming on toy guitars when we were really young. I chose a singing lesson over a jazz dance lesson when I was about 6, and I haven’t stopped since.”

“Kat picked up voice lessons and she started coming home from lessons singing,” Presley, 15, explained. “So I started singing harmony with her, and gradually that ended up getting me into music.”

Presley doesn’t remember her first song but remembers singing a solo at a young age at Mellow Mushroom on Broadway in Nashville. “It was one of the first solos I had sung live,” she said, “because at that time I usually sang harmony, and it was ‘9 to 5’ by Dolly Parton. That’s kind of when I realized I wanted to be on stage.”

Josie Hope, 12, recalled, “My sisters started to sing when I was really little and I was able to hear harmony and harmonize with them.” She added, “We had a great teacher (Kendall Turnbough) who helped us early on.” Her first song she sang live was “All of Me” by Ella Fitzgerald at an open mic.

Presley said their mom, Melanie, and dad, Shawn, have played huge roles in their musical journey. “They have been extremely supportive and helpful, and they’ve always been up for anything. Without their willingness to help us chase our dreams, we wouldn’t be where we are,” she added. And they are chasing opportunities wherever they can find them.

All three sisters play instruments. Kat plays started on piano but switched to acoustic guitar. She started taking guitar lessons with Tom Leadon when she was 9.

“The reason I picked it up was actually because TK Kimbrell gifted Presley and I each a three quarter size Takamine Guitar,” Kat said. “He knew that we sang and said that if we were gonna go anywhere with it, we needed to be able to accompany ourselves.” Kimbrell is currently manager for Clay Walker, Jackson Dean, Jamey Johnson and used to be Toby Keith’s manager.

“I play lots of instruments for fun, but what I really like are piano and bass guitar, which are the instruments I play in show,” Presley said. “Learning these instruments has really expanded my knowledge of music, which helps communicating with musicians or making arrangements.”

Josie plays the drums, ukele and tambourine. “I think it makes us unique that we all are able to play our own instruments,” she said.

SONGWRITING

The three sisters write their own songs with their mother helping as needed. “Lovin’ Makes The Leavin’ Hard” was their latest original single released on January 17 and is one of Kat’s favorites.

“It’s about loving someone even as you’re leaving them. We wrote this one after visiting some close family friends that live over 2,000 miles away. We don’t get to see them very often so we were super sad when it was time to fly back home,” Kat said. “As we were leaving, Mom said to me, ‘Kat, it’s the lovin’ that makes the leavin’ hard’. We were like, ‘that’s a good song idea’ . So we got back home and used those feelings and that hook to write a sad song.”

Kat said she has been writing songs since she was 10. She has done some co-writing over the past few years but mostly it’s either her, Presley, or their mom. “In the past, my inspiration was hearing other peoples experiences,” she said. “Recently though, I have been trying to write about things that have actually happened to me, and that has been great.”

Presley said she really likes a lot of their original songs that haven’t been released yet. “But as far as our released songs go, i would say my favorite is ‘Mean Girl’.” she said. “I think it’s a song that has connected with me and other people” which is why she likes writing original music.

Josie said one of her favorites is “one I wrote with Presley called ‘Ready Or Not’ and I like it because it is upbeat and sassy and it is about me, which makes it fun to sing.”

The band has a 10-song CD called “Say Yes”, a Christmas EP and are always working on new material. Singles include “We Love Country Music”, “Catch Me If You Can” and “Mean Girl”. Those are all written by Kat, Presley, Josie and their mom. Because they are home schooled they also have the flexibility to travel to shows in other states. In 2024 they played at songwriting festivals in addition to other shows.

PERFORMING

“Our producer is Cody Leppo. We record our songs with him in Aura Lea Studio. He’s a really great producer, but also a great friend, and we’ve had lots of fun with him over the years,” Presley said. She added she didn’t have a favorite venue but “but me and my sisters have had the privilege of playing with Mr. Jamey Johnson over the years, which has been amazing.” Leppo also plays drums and tours with Jamey Johnson.

“My favorite part is playing live. I love singing, playing drums, and traveling is lots of fun,” Josie said. “If I could perform with anyone, it would be Lainey Wilson. I think she’s cool and I like her music. I also think she’s a good role model to musicians who want to make it because she has put a lot of hard work into her career and it has really paid off.”

Kat said the music business is challenging because “we aren’t the only girls in a band that can sing. There are hundreds of people that also are working super hard to be successful. It makes us work harder and try to keep pushing forward.”

The sisters must think the hard work is worth it because sometimes they have to choose career over social activities.

“I wouldn’t say that I’ve ‘missed’ anything… though there are other things I could be doing if I wasn’t in a band,” Presley said. “I don’t think they could beat everything I’ve learned and experienced and the fun I’ve had over the years.”

Kat echoed a similar sentiment. “I have always loved being on stage. Nothing beats an audience that is listening to your songs and what you are saying,” she said. “We have also met some really great people who have put a lot of time and energy into trying to get us opportunities and just help us get better/more experienced. Two of those people would be TK Kimbrell and Cody Leppo.”

“It’s a privilege to work with The Bennett Hall Band. Their talent, drive, and professionalism are way beyond their years,” Leppo said. “They already have a clear understanding of what they want to do and, more importantly, what they do not want to do as artists.”

All three girls have the same focus but Kat may have said it best. “We are pretty young and we want music to be a lifelong career. We have gotten a few very nice and personal emails from producers of really well known talent TV shows asking us to be a part of them, but we really just want our musical journey to be as organic as possible. We just want it to go how God wants it to go.” One of her aspirations is to play at the Grand Ole Opry before she is 20.

Josie and Presley were presented with a unique opportunity to sing a song for the Hunger Games movie franchise. “My dad got a call from someone at Lionsgate and they asked Presley and I to do a little video of each of us singing to see which one of our voices fit Maude Ivory’s character best. They picked me,” Josie said. She is featured on the soundtrack for The Hunger Games, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” singing “Keep On The Sunny Side.”

“I also sing the first line of ‘Nothing You Can Take From Me (Boot Stompin’ Version)’. I got the privilege to go in the studio with Dave Cobb and record both songs,” she added.

THE ROAD AHEAD

“When Kat and I first started writing, we wrote Christian songs. Eventually we ended up getting into country music and songwriting and decided to pursue that,” Presley said. “We always thought that we could play country music while standing firm in our faith and shining the love of Christ through our music.”

Faith and gratitude are important to the sisters. “You have to trust that God has a plan. You have to believe that He will open the doors He wants to open and close the ones He wants to close. We have definitely seen that in our career,” Kat said.

She added, “Surround yourself with people that love you and want you to go all the way. We have had some many people (our amazing parents, grandparents, and friends) that push us to be better and celebrate with us when something good happens.”

They are especially thankful for “an amazing fan base that shares our music with other people, buys our merch, and travels to come see us play live,” Kat said. “As our social media following has grown, we have started to get more emails and phone calls about potential opportunities, but we also do a lot of reaching out ourselves.”

“Watching the three sisters grow as performers, songwriters, and musicians has filled my heart. I’m so proud of them, and I believe they will play a big role in the Nashville music scene,” Leppo said. “With their passion and integrity to perform and create music their way, I believe there is no limit to what they can and will achieve. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.”

Presley offered this advice to anyone interested in a career as singer/songwriter, “Don’t stop chasing your dream! Find people who will support you and help you, and most of all, trust in God!”

When asked if she had anything else to add, Josie simply said, “Jesus loves you.”

The Bennett Hall Band can be found on YouTube, most streaming services and you can find updates on social media and their website, www.thebennetthallband.com.

David C. Lannan is a freelance writer from Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States.

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