Line Up

Gary Quinn

Gary Quinn is an award-winning country singer-songwriter originally from Northern Ireland and now based in Manchester. Known for blending traditional storytelling with a modern Nashville sound, he has achieved multiple UK Country Chart No. 1 singles and earned prestigious British Country Music Association awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year. Beyond his solo career, Quinn is a key figure in the UK scene, having co-founded major events like the Buckle & Boots Festival to support emerging talent. A seasoned international performer, Quinn has graced major stages from London’s C2C: Country to Country to the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville. He has toured with stars like Phil Vassar and Kristian Bush, and recently released "Country Strait," a neo-traditional duet with William Michael Morgan, from his upcoming Nashville-recorded album, featuring collaborations with Grammy-winning writers.

Karli and James

Pioneering a distinct blend of pure Country music and indie rock, the duo Karli & James began etching their place in the music scene in 2017. Blending Nashville’s storytelling tradition with the edgy grit of British indie rock, the duo have pioneered a sound they call leather and lace country - a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll - Straight-laced roots with a bit of edgy truth. The duo’s journey began with a serendipitous meeting in a Nashville coffee shop, bringing together the rich, Missouri-raised soprano of Karli Chayne, who grew up performing in her parents’ Truman Lake Opry Show before moving to Nashville at just 15 to kickstart her music career, and the radio-ready sensibilities of UK-based musician James Sinclair-Stott. Formerly known as Cross Atlantic, the duo has earned industry-wide recognition from Billboard, CMT, and MusicRow for their unique cross-continental style. With a chart-topping debut single, "Mercy," spots on playlists like Spotify's New Music Nashville and Apple Music's Country Wide, Karli & James deliver a high-energy performance that is one part classic country and one part modern rock n’ roll, which secured them an opening slot on Brandy Clark's UK and US tours.

Will Varley

When the late, great Phil May of The Pretty Things (cited as a major influence by both David Bowie and Jimmy Hendrix) began curating songs for what would become the band’s final studio album, amongst covers of songs by Muddy Waters, Sheryl Crow and Robert Johnson, May included a song by British singer-songwriter Will Varley. In becoming an avid fan of the troubadour from Kent he joined an army of followers that has been growing steadily across the globe for last ten years and includes the likes of Billy Bragg, Skin from Skunk Anansie and Adam Duritz from Counting Crows, all of whom consider Will to be one of the best songwriters of his generation. There is a sheer depth to Will’s writing that sets him apart and has propelled his music far and wide. After years of relentless touring, opening for the likes of Frank Turner, Valerie June, and The Proclaimers, Varley has built a massive global following and earned high praise from peers like Skin (Skunk Anansie) and Adam Duritz. His songwriting pedigree is world-class; he recently placed 3rd out of 20,000 entries in the Nashville International Songwriting Competition, judged by icons like Tom Waits and Coldplay. Beyond the stage, Varley is a prolific creator who recently signed a worldwide deal with MNRK Music Group (home to The Lumineers). His creative output remains tireless; during the pandemic, he penned his first novel and produced for multi-platinum artist Eagle Eye Cherry. Now a regular collaborator in the writing rooms of Nashville and Los Angeles, Varley continues to craft songs that attempt to compress the entire history of the world into four minutes or capture the quiet "edgy truth" of the human condition.

The Often Herd

The Often Herd transcend the traditional boundaries of bluegrass music. Although they might resemble an American string band, complete with driving energy, tight vocal harmonies and dazzling instrumental interplay, their vibrant, transatlantic sound is deeply coloured by their surroundings; the striking natural and industrial landscapes of Northern England. This unique approach won them the title of “Best European Bluegrass Band 2018” at the prestigious La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France. Rupert Hughes (guitar) and Evan Davies (mandolin), write songs steeped in personal experience whilst drawing from a wide pool of influences ranging from old-time to psychedelia. American-born fiddler Niles Krieger and jazz bassist Sam Quintana add fiery instrumental skills to the mix, launching the band’s arrangements into the stratosphere. Together, their sound is both boldly contemporary and soothingly familiar, taking time-honoured traditions to new places with a fresh perspective. Flock to the herd, you won’t be disappointed.

Bob Cheevers

With R&B roots in his hometown of Memphis to major label pop records in L.A to journeyman songwriter in Nashville to his current, back-up-in-the-holler home in Austin Texas, Bob Cheevers has covered lots artistic ground in his career. Whether playing shows in-and-around Austin or across the globe, Cheevers brings it all to the stage every night. An Emmy winning songwriter who was a show opener on Johnny Cash’s final tour, Bob’s favourite acknowledgement is his Texas Music Award for “Singer/ songwriter Of The Year”, which he received three years after moving to Austin. His artistic lifestyle and story songs live-up-to and soar above his accolades and critical acclaim. Each time he appears on a stage…history is made.

Bob Cheevers was the first studio guest on Ben’s Country Music Show when it launched in 2008, playing live with his band alongside his late friend and local Leicester-based troubadour, John Montague. It is fitting then that Cheevers is the recipient of the inaugural John Montague Legend Award at this year’s Country on the Eye festival.

Victoria Banks

Labelled “one of the best songwriters in the business” by Nashville’s MusicRow magazine, Victoria Banks was named Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) in 2010 and has been nominated for 9 other CCMA Awards. She is an instructor of Songwriting at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. Victoria - who hails from Muskoka, Canada - has spent decades crafting hits that define the genre, recently penning Reba McEntire’s 2024 single "I Can’t," which premiered on NBC’s The Voice. Victoria also played a pivotal role in Mickey Guyton’s rise, co-writing the history-making "What Are You Gonna Tell Her," the first original song performed by a Black woman on the ACM Awards. Guyton delivered another ACM Awards performance in 2021 with Victoria’s song “Hold On”. In her multi-decade tenure as a songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, Victoria has had cuts by over 100 artists, including ASCAP, SOCAN, CCMA and Covenant-award-winning hits such as the solo-written “Saints & Angels” by Sara Evans, Jessica Simpson’s Billboard record-breaking “Come On Over”, and one of the top Canadian singles of the decade: Johnny Reid’s “Dance With Me”. Her songs have been recorded by Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina, Terri Clark, Cassadee Pope, The Shires, Isaac Slade (of The Fray), and more, and have been featured in TV and movies like Breakthrough, Nashville, American Idol, and Dancing With The Stars. As a performer, Victoria has released four self-penned albums, including 2020’s Uncovered (for which she produced, arranged, engineered, and played every instrument on every track) and shared the stage with icons like Wynonna Judd, Reba and the Nashville Ballet. Victoria appeared on NBC’s Songland, and co-hosts the podcast The Table Women, exploring the ups and downs of the female experience in entertainment through interviews with notable women.

Song Suffragettes Showcase

Nashville's Song Suffragettes are a collective of female singer-songwriters who host a weekly, all-female acoustic showcase every Monday at The Listening Room Café, fighting gender discrimination in the music industry by providing a platform for women to perform and grow. The group, known for its mantra #LetTheGirlsPlay, has featured many successful artists like Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini, gaining recognition from major publications and launching the careers of many female artists.

Ben Atkinson

Ben R. Atkinson is a broadcaster, academic, and musician. Growing up in Melton Mowbray, Ben’s journey began on local station 103 The Eye, where he launched his now internationally syndicated radio programme Ben’s Country Music Show in 2008. Studying at the University of Lincoln, Falmouth University, and now KU Leuven, Belgium, Ben will graduate with his PhD in Ethnomusicology in 2026 – his research uncovering the lived experiences of women in Nashville’s country music community. Ben has released two self-penned albums to date, including 2025’s warmly received Country Folk and the deluxe edition Country Folk (At Heart). In 2026 he will return to the studio to record a side-project of influential covers. Ben is the Artistic Director of the Country on the Eye festival and is delighted to be the compere for the main stage throughout the event.