Videos

Are Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns aliens? We asked!

This week on Roots Music Rambler, we talked to @bill_taylor_music and the Appalachian Heatherns (or at least Bill and drummer Joe Cox). We dug into everything from exploding on the national scene with their @agt audition to what’s next in that show’s process and from musical influencers to a new album.

The band hails from Middlesboro, Kentucky, which is built on the impact zone of an ancient meteor crater. Naturally, we asked Bill and Joe if they were, in fact, aliens. Joe’s answer cracked us up.

Hear the full episode now at rootsmusicrambler.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

#billtaylorandtheappalachianheatherns #billtaylor #billtaylormusic #agt2025 #americasgottalent #bluegrassmusic #folkmusic #countrymusic #kentuckyartists #rootsmusic

RMR Bill Taylor Segment 2 Final

Bill Taylor and Joe Cox from Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns joined us on Roots Music Rambler this week to talk everything from America’s Got Talent to Pentecostal singing to marching bands.

In this segment, we dove into each member’s roots in music and got a nice surprise announcement that the band plans to drop its first full album by year’s end.

The Heatherns had a successful audition on AGT in June, gaining a standing ovation from Simon Cowell and crew after Taylor’s bluegrass and countrified version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” The Facebook video of the audition alone stands at over 11 million views.

Download the episode and subscribe here on YouTube, at rootsmusicrambler.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Joe Cox of the Appalachian Heatherns talks about the Underground Country Community

What a fun episode of Roots Music Rambler this week! @bill_taylor_music and the Appalachian Heatherns (or at least Bill and drummer Joe Cox) join us to talk about their amazing summer of going viral with an @agt audition that captured America, selling out headline shows and prepping their first full album as a group by year’s end.

We got into the weeds on a lot of things with Bill and Joe, including Joe’s admission that he was unaware there was such a vibrant community of underground country and bluegrass artists out there. He even offered up a recommendation for others to check out (@smiloandtheghost)!

Also, Frank and Falls also shared weekly recommendations in their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ segment and kicked off the show talking about the new single from @amandapearlshires.

Hear the full episode now at rootsmusicrambler.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

#billtaylorandtheappalachianheatherns #billtaylor #billtaylormusic #agt2025 #americasgottalent #bluegrassmusic #folkmusic #countrymusic #kentuckyartists #rootsmusic

Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns basking in AGT success

Bill Taylor got a message on TikTok in November from a talent scout for America’s Got Talent. Yes, he was interested, but he thought little of the outreach until two weeks later when the process began to have him and his Appalachian Heatherns fly to California for an audition in front of Simon Cowell, Sophia Vergara, Mel B and Howie Mandel.

The band recorded their audition in March. In June, it aired and the nation finally got to see and hear Taylor’s bluegrass and countrified version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” which instantly vaulted Taylor and the Heatherns to global exposure. The performance warranted not just four “yes”es from the judging panel, but standing ovations from everyone in the packed theatre.

The Facebook video of the audition alone stands at over 11 million views.

Taylor and Appalachian Heatherns drummer Joe Cox joined us on Roots Music Rambler this week to take a breath from a month of exploding in the wake of national TV exposure. In this segment, the pair talks about the band’s meteoric rise to national prominence, what’s next in AGT-land and a lot more.

Download the episode and subscribe here on YouTube, at rootsmusicrambler.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.

**BREAKING** Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns expect to drop new album by end of year

We don’t often break news on Roots Music Rambler, but @bill_taylor_music and the Appalachian Heatherns announced on this week’s episode they are set to have a 13-track album ready for us by the end of this year! The @agt audition stars of the summer (Bill and drummer Joe Cox) sat in with us this week to talk about the show, their explosion and more.

Frank and Falls talk about @amandapearlshires new single and share their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ pics of the week. Hear the full episode now at rootsmusicrambler.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

#billtaylorandtheappalachianheatherns #billtaylor #billtaylormusic #agt2025 #americasgottalent #bluegrassmusic #folkmusic #countrymusic #kentuckyartists #rootsmusic