Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe grew up in North Texas. Although they initially studied classical violin, in 1998 the sisters changed to western fiddle when they visited the North Texas State Fair in Denton, Texas. There, they first listened to Texas-style fiddling. Later, they met Joey and Sherry McKenzie, national fiddle champions and organizers of the Bob Wills Fiddle Festival & Contest in Greenville, Texas.
The Quebe sisters became students of the McKenzies and the Quebe family relocated to Burleson, Texas in Tarrant County. The sisters studied with the McKenzies for several years and Joey McKenzie became their arranger and a longtime member of their band.
In 2003, The Quebe Sisters released their first album, Texas Fiddlers, supported by Joey McKenzie on rhythm guitar, Mark Abbott on bass and steel guitarist Tom Morrell.
The Quebe Sisters are currently based in Dallas. The sisters and their band present a distinctive triple fiddle and three-part harmony mix of western swing, jazz-influenced swing, country, Texas-style fiddling, and Western music.
“We differentiate our music as ‘Progressive Western Swing’ from simply ‘Western Swing’ because we aren’t trying to sound just like Bob Wills,” Grace Quebe explains. “Instead, we continue his vision, playing the style he pioneered in an authentic way by incorporating new genres and songs, interpreting them using our own unique voice through Country instrumentation.”
The band continues the traditions once found in Texas dance halls and honky-tonks. Grace adds, “To us, preserving the tradition of Western Swing isn’t about keeping something alive like a relic. Western Swing has always been about innovation.”
“Bob Wills was all about experimentation – melding just about every style he heard,” says Grace. “He hired the best musicians playing regionally traditional instruments, as well as players interested in experimenting on what were the cutting-edge instruments of the day. This spirit formed what we today call western swing, and it needs to be an ingredient in current iterations of western swing to keep the style fresh and vibrant for the present and future. So, for us, it’s authentic to the style to introduce our own originals.”
In 2023, the Quebe Sisters presented the “Bye, For Now” tour that will wrap up at the end of 2023. After that, Sophia says, it is, “much-needed R&R and time off the road. For now, we are taking an undetermined hiatus. This isn’t retirement for us, just a nice break.”
Discography:
Texas Fiddlers (2003)
Timeless (FiddleTone Records, 2007)
Every Which-A-Way (FiddleTone Records, 2014)
The Quebe Sisters (independent, 2019)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.