Due to the rise of tv talent shows it seems like musicians are becoming younger every year. However, the Mizzone Brothers are certainly one of the most successful groups of youngsters at the moment. What’s even more unique is their choice of music, they excel at bluegrass.
Most of the time the name bluegrass conjures up an image of older men with beards so the Mizzones are a refreshing change. They performed a rendition of Flint Hill Special and on the David Letterman Show no less! Quite an accomplishment considering the brothers were aged fourteen, thirteen and nine years old at the time.
Jonny was born on March 14th, 2002 and plays the banjo. Robbie is the middle child, he was born four years earlier on November 7th, 1998 and is responsible for the fiddle and vocals. The oldest brother, Tommy, was born on July 14th, 1997, plays the guitar and does backing vocals. The boys started a YouTube channel when Jonny was just eight and uploaded a video of them jamming to Flint Hill special. Little did they realise the video would go viral and they would end up on the famous talk show.
The boys look adorable and so young as they take their places to perform. They barely seem big enough to hold their instruments, especially little Jonny. Your perspective on them changes once they start to play, though. Despite their young age, they seem like absolute professionals, every chord precise and every note is sung perfectly. They must have been little more than toddlers when they started to learn to play to be so proficient now.
You might be wondering where the boys got the unique name for their band – Sleepy Man. It comes from the youngest brother, Jonny. He is a fantastic banjo player, but it’s a large instrument to hold for long periods of time at that age. In the past when rehearsing the banjo was so heavy he had to keep stopping for naps, hence the name. How sweet is that? It also shows impressive dedication and focus in such a young child.
Letterman seems pretty blown away by the trio and comes over to congratulate them and shake their hands at the end. The boys handle being on tv like pros and seem to have the time of their lives. Needless to say, this video went viral and has been viewed 39.5 million times so far. There are tons of positive comments, but also some lighthearted ones. For example, this YouTuber said, “Music to listen to while driving on a high-speed chase from the cops after a bank robbery.” Let’s hope the boys never have to test out this theory!
Since the show, they have released three albums and one of them named The Farthest Horizon reached number 3 on the US Grass chart. A successful career in music seems assured for these talented boys.
Once you’ve enjoyed their Letterman show, check out the remake. They made another video to commemorate the tenth anniversary of their appearance in the show. The boys have changed but their talent certainly hasn’t. If you would like to see more from Sleepy Man, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Facebook.