Band to hold CD release party Nov. 11

ARCADIA — The Bonhams will hold a release party for their new self-titled CD on Nov. 11 at the Arcadia Round Barn.

The album is made up of “the tunes we grew up with and performed,” said Virgil Bonham, of Kingfisher, the mandolin player and a vocalist in the band. His brother, Glen Bonham, of Atoka, sings and plays bass guitar. Their cousin David Bonham, of Oklahoma City, plays lead guitar and sings, and David’s sister, Tina Bonham, of Oklahoma City, provides vocals.

The two sets of siblings have performed bluegrass, gospel and country music since they were teenagers as members of various Oklahoma and Nashville bands. A couple of years ago when they formed The Bonhams, it was the first time the four of them had been together in a band.

Longtime collaborators Mickey Flatt on banjo and Clifford Parrett on bass guitar join The Bonhams on some of the tracks on the album.

Virgil Bonham said the CD includes a tribute to Bill Grant and Delia Bell with the band’s recording of “Roses in the Snow.” Grant and Bell recorded the song in 1972 with the Kiamichi Mountain Boys, a southeast Oklahoma bluegrass band that Virgil and Glen Bonham once played with. In 1980, the song became a hit record for Emmylou Harris.

“This is our first project together and something we always wanted to do,” Virgil Bonham said of the CD.

The band will perform from 2 to 4 p.m. in the loft of the Arcadia Round Barn, which is six miles east of Interstate 35 on historic Route 66. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the maintenance of the barn, which is owned and operated by the Arcadia Preservation and Historical Society. The Round Barn museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

The Round Barn Rendezvous musical jam sessions typically held on the second Sunday afternoon of the month will not take place in November or December. The Round Barn has invited a lineup of musical guests to perform Christmas music during its annual holiday party on Dec. 9. The jam sessions will return in January.

For more information about live music at the Arcadia Round Barn, call Joe Baxter at 405-833-1350.

[PHOTO PROVIDED] Members of The Bonhams are, from left, Virgil Bonham, Glen Bonham, Mickey Flatt (who often joins them on the banjo), Tina Bonham and David Bonham.

[PHOTO PROVIDED] Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Principal David Morton, left, and keynote speaker Mike Turpen pose for a picture during Career Day at the school.