Meet the Band


"Doc" is our "Mr. Entertainment".  As the band leader and
founder of Appalachian Fire he has been the catalyst for our
success.  Doc spent his early day dabbling in all kinds of
music, but his heart never left bluegrass. From the time he met
and got on stage with Bill Monroe he was bitten by the bug.  
Over the years Doc's "day jobs" have included being a
paramedic, teacher, certified athletic trainer, minister and
entrepreneur.  Now he finds himself busier than ever serving
as the athletic trainer for East Henderson High School and
supply pastoring for local Presbyterian churches. He is also co-
owner of Hendersonville Sports Medicine, an outpatient PT
clinic. In the midst of all this, he still finds time to write original
songs for the band.  Doc is married to Shea who shares their
love of animals working with North State Animal Clinic.


Cliff is our "Jack of all trades".  Anywhere there is a need,
he'll try to fill in and meet it.  From handling multiple
instruments and vocals to toting sound equipment, driving
the van, and managing web sites, he is making it hard for us to
run him off.  Cliff fell in love with the bluegrass gospel sound
from the camp meeting style music he heard in church as a
kid.  During his college days he had a bluegrass band, but
soon put it on the back burner.  He spent over 25 years
with his wife Lisa (the band's unofficial photographer) raising
two children Meredith and Jared and pursuing a career in
teaching and coaching.   Having left the football field in 2007,
he now has time to perform and write some of the original
tunes the band sings.



Our bass player, Jim Fox, is a native of Western Pennsylvania
and a retired national park ranger.  Since 1990, Jim has been
playing old-time and Celtic music on hammered dulcimer with
"The Windjammer Trio" and "Sunny Side Up."  Jim has
played bass with the Asheville-based bluegrass band "Bobby
and Blue Ridge Tradition."  Jim and his partner, Gail
Ashburn, play and sing in a variety of musical styles in the
Asheville area.





Cindy joined the Appalachian Fire family in the fall of 2010
and brought a ton of talent and passion to the group .  She was
born and raised in the beautiful Yancey County mountains of
Western North Carolina.  Her love of mountain and gospel
music runs deep.  In 1973 she won the 1st place prize at the
Yancey Youth Jamboree in the Folk Song Division.  In 1979
she was a member of  the Mountain Heritage  High School
clogging team that took  1st place as state champions and  
clogged at The Grand Ole Opry.  Cindy shares her love  of
bluegrass gospel by singing at Pleasant Grove Baptist
Church.  When she's not pickin' and singin'  Cindy works as a
RN and loves traveling, playing tennis, and hiking. She is
married to her high school sweetheart Jimmy who helps out on
the sound board when Appalachian Fire is performing.


Tim is no stranger to bluegrass music.  Tim grew up in
Smyrna, TN, just outside of Nashville.  There was always a
great love of music around his house.   Eventually they formed
the Francis Family Band, and Tim began playing the banjo at
the age of 14.  The family played church functions, family
get-togethers and local festivals. They still get together and
play as often as possible.  Tim has always loved bluegrass and
gospel and was inspired by such banjo players as Earl
Scruggs, John McKuen, Bill Keith, Tony Trishka, Bela'
Fleck,  the late John Hartford, Bobby Thompson and Courtney
Johnson.  Tim's day-job finds him cruising the Blue Ridge
Parkway as a District Ranger with the National Park Service.



Mike is the newest member of Appalachian Fire, bringing his
love of making music with his fiddle and harmonicas to the
group. While he didn’t grow up listening to bluegrass, he’s
working hard to make up for that now! Prior to joining the
band, Mike began developing his skills sawing on the fiddle
and blowing his harps with the Old Tyme Pickers. He thanks
God for the gift of music, his wife Patty for her support and
encouragement, and Hendersonville’s Gary Taylor and Sam
Cox for getting him started with his fiddling. Among his
favorite musical influences are Buddy Greene, The Dirt Band,
Kenny Baker and Vassar Clements. Mike is also the
American Red Cross director in Henderson & Transylvania
Counties.
Dwayne "Doc" Durham
(guitar, bass, vocals)
Cliff Searcy  
(mandolin. dobro , and vocals)
Jim Fox  (bass)
Cindy Cook
(mandolin & vocals)
Tim Francis
(banjo & vocals)
"Kentucky Woman"
Written by our own Dwayne "Doc" Durham
Mike Williams
( Fiddle and Harmonica )