MEET THE BALYEATS
Balyeats consists of several family members that each have their own personal talents, pursuits and businesses. The current band members, listed below, do occasionally come together for concerts and tours together.
You may contact each individually for their own services or contact us through the website to reach the band as a whole.
Current band member units are as follows:
JAMES + AMANDA + FAMILY
Our fun little family currently travels around America in a fifth wheel and firetruck, playing music and having fun at national parks, caves, lakes, and all sorts of places, having a ton of fun!
Follow along via our vlogs on youtube or our everyday stories on Instagram!
-James + Amanda
JAMES
Born into a nomadic family, James has traveling blood in him. He is quite the salesman, with his winning smile and love for people. His fun-loving, exuberant attitude has made him a fan favorite since he was young. His stage presence will amaze you, and he never disappoints with his accomplished bass skills, flat-picking guitar, and singing. Being able to bless and help someone out makes his day. He has fixed countless vehicles and can fix just about anything with his engineering mind and welding skills. Currently, James is working doing plumbing and hydronic heating and doing occasional family band live streams.
AMANDA
Amanda enjoys taking and editing videos of some of their family adventures which you can find on their YouTube channel "TravelingFamilyFun". Also if you want to keep up with them on a daily basis you can go to their Instagram account, "travelingfamilyfun"
DAVID
David is an aspiring artist and enjoys creating pencil drawings. He loves to sing and is learning how to play the banjo and violin.
LUKE
Luke loves to introduce himself and his whole family to anyone we meet.
When someone comes into the trailer Luke is ready with a loud, excited "SURPRISE!" just because he thinks it's fun!
MATTHEW
Matthew loves building and fixing things, spending time with his dad, taking care of Timmy, and is a great chef.
TIMOTHY
If Timothy has an "audience" he will prance back and forth across the floor like he is the star of the show. He is often found looking through a book or playing with his toy animals and truck.
ELLIE
Ellie loves pretty, girly things and yet is usually ready for a tussle with her brothers. She likes to make parties for her siblings and loves to be a little mommy to her siblings.
CHARISSA
The whole family excitedly welcomed Charissa to the world in May 2021
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
BOB + NANCY
Bob and Nancy sing, write songs and share Jesus. Time has changed how and where that's done. We love to show up personally! We have sung at fairs, festivals, churches, restaurants, and a variety of events from anniversaries, backyard BBQs and parks to entertainment for local events.
We now live in North Dakota and still travel as much as possible. The last few years have been dedicated to providing encouraging and inspiring entertainment to the assisted living centers. Only God knows what doors will open tomorrow. We trust God to open those doors and give us the strength and courage to press on through the unknowns.
I also love being a mom and GrandMom for my grown children all over the country. I enjoy working with them on their projects and adventures when I can.
-Nancy
BOB
NANCY
Bob is constantly looking for ways to press forward to share the Lord. He enjoys meeting people and is energized by a good talk with strangers along the way or catching up with a brother in Christ on the phone. His ability to start a conversation with random people has been an asset to connecting people to God, each other and scheduling events. He has been a gifted salesman and worked at selling suits to software. But along the way he wanted to sell a product he really believed in, so he encouraged Nancy to paint so he could sell her pictures! He's good at promoting people's talents! He even encouraged friends to write books and helped publish them. He is currently cheering Nancy on to get her biography written.
I love God and love people", "thank God for food and people to feed"! I love to chase sunsets with my husband, Bob, in our sunset years. We try to make a discipline of making habits or appointments to do little things together...such as having coffee and reading the Bible and Oswald Chambers devotionals together or maybe an awesome book of Christian testimonies. We love to drive around and explore together. I love to sing around the house to the Lord and write. I am always painting pictures in my head when I run outside to see the sunrise or check on the flowers and trees and see what they are up to. Sometimes those pictures become paintings other people can see, or at least photos on my Instagram board for future reference. I love gardening with God. I rarely get to be there everyday for my garden. So I look for plants that are hardy and self-sufficient. I figure God gardens all the time without my help and try to learn from Him.
PREVIOUS BAND MEMBERS
JOHANNA
VOCALS + BASS + BANJO
2003
Johanna left the band in 2003 when she got married and settled down in Billings, Montanna.
In 2020, Johanna graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education with a reading minor and summa cum laude. She now teaches middle school in Billings.
MARYANNA
VOCALS + SALES + BANJO
2014
MaryAnna got married and left the band in 2014 to raise a family and join her husband in pursuing their dream of owning a farm.
Jonathan and MaryAnna recently moved to Missouri and added a fourth child and 3 dogs to their family. MaryAnna launched a jewelry subscription box and works part-time as an assistant for Charis building websites and other creative pursuits.
SUSANNA
VOCALS + VIOLIN
2007
Susanna married her childhood sweetheart in 2007 and settled down to raise a family on a ranch in South Dakota.
In 2020 David and Susanna enjoy raising grass-fed beef, Hanging' Tree Cowdogs, goats, and more!
CHARIS
FIDDLE + VOCALS + SOUND
2014
Charis left the band in 2014 and moved in with her brother Joel and his family in Virginia.
In 2020 she moved to Texas with her husband, Blake, and her dog where she is attending college for a degree in Accounting while doing photography on the side.
ROSE
MANDOLIN + VIDEO + PHOTO JOURNALING
2014
Rose left the band in 2014 and went to live with her sister, Susanna, and her family.
In 2019 she moved into her own apartment in town and is enjoying small-town life. When she isn't working at the grocery store or hotel she enjoys sewing projects and making her apartment into a home.
CHARITY
VOCALS + FIDDLE
2021
Charity married her best friend in 2021 and left the band to live on a farm and raise a family.
She is settling into married life and working on editing and re-releasing her six-book historical fiction series, Legacy of the House of Chevolta.