Southerners have a great deal to be proud of – Coca-Cola, sweet tea, our courteous hospitality – but it’s bluegrass that can truly encapsulate Southern pride.

And those who have Scots-Irish blood may be pleased to learn the roots of bluegrass came from Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled in the Appalachian Mountains more than half a century ago.

Sons of Ralph, a family-binding bluegrass band, blends the traditional sounds of bluegrass with modern-day rock to reach a larger, younger audience.

“Our motto is we do requests, even if we don’t know it. Though we do better on the ones we know,” said fiddler, vocalist and guitarist Don Lewis, who enjoys talking to the audience in between songs.

Lewis has been performing with his father, brother, cousin and friend since he was a child.

“It’s a special bond, a special harmony with family you can’t get with anyone else,” he said.

When performing, Lewis often will communicate musical cues simply by looking into other band members’ eyes.

“You know how they say a brother knows how to make you the maddest? Well, a brother knows how to make you the happiest, too. They know you better than anybody.”

Lewis describes his family relationship as almost telepathic.

“There’s no closer harmony than family, and we pride ourselves in music,” said Ralph Lewis, vocalist and banjo player for the band and father of Don and Martin.

At 81, Ralph Lewis has had the privilege to play with legendary musician Bill Monroe, often referred to as the “father of bluegrass.” After touring more than seven countries, he left Monroe’s band to be with his sons, teaching Don to play the mandolin at age 5 and fiddle by age 10.

During breaks from school, both Don and Martin performed with Ralph on Grand Ole Opry, a weekly country music radio program and concert broadcast in Nashville, Tenn.

“We were very fortunate when we were young. We’d have jam sessions religiously,” Martin Lewis said. “That was the great thing about being young. Nowadays, everybody’s so busy, and there are a lot of distractions.”

Though not a typical mainstream genre, bluegrass has a large fan base in the South.

“Ralph was playing before bluegrass had a name, and people loved it,” Martin said. “Technology is amazing nowadays, and new bands and young people are taking up bluegrass everyday. It kind of just pulls you in.”