When Jim and Valerie met and discovered their mutual interest in bluegrass music, a lifetime partnership was formed. Jim and Valerie married in 1981, while both were sophomores at Marshall University, and they started playing as a gospel bluegrass group in 1982. Together with her solid rhythm guitar playing, Valerie’s voice quickly became the most recognizable part of the couple’s sound. In an early review, Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine called Valerie a “gutsy, dynamic singer.”

Jim developed a reputation for his banjo playing by competing in contests throughout West Virginia and surrounding states, winning or placing at the top in over thirty contests, including consecutive wins at the West Virginia State Open Banjo Championship in Elkins and winning first or second place twelve times at contests in Charleston and at Clifftop sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Culture & History.

Jim and Valerie Gabehart are joined on stage by Brandon Shuping (mandolin) and John “Buckwheat” Green (bass). The group’s latest recording, “It’s My Turn” was released in 2010, features a mix of well-loved bluegrass standards, as well as some of Jim and Valerie’s original music.