photo by Brian Blair
The Musical
WHETSTINE FAMILY
~ by Brian Blair
The vocal harmonies of Sharianne Whetstine and her parents waft warm enough to melt the substantial February snow blanketing the yard outside the window on a recent afternoon at mom and dad’ s home rehearsal space in Bean Blossom.
The trio croons and strums as gently as the winter’ s falling flakes days before: Don’ t mind at all when the cold wind blows / Because it makes me slow down / Take it slow / Still, our little town is magic when it snows.
Don Whetstine’ s quiet praise of the surrounding beauty is his original“ Nashville When It Snows,” just one of the tight trio’ s tunes when the threesome present free entertainment at local gathering places such as The Village Green and the open mic at the Brown County Inn. Don sings melody, wife Jenny
Sue handles lower harmony, and Sharianne takes the higher vocal range.
“ I’ m just wired this way [ for music ],” said Don, who will record his sixth album later this year. He taught Jenny Sue to play bass years ago.“ I’ m not very good,” she said,“ but I have fun.” Another member of the family, son Brent, lives in Tennessee. According to his parents, Brent calls himself a“ mediocre” guitar player, yet he has toured with bands.
The husband-wife pair, now in their early 80s, has been singing together since their time at Ozark Christian College. Their marital harmony has stretched 62 years.
Sharianne has been performing all over her native Brown County for some 35 years and has developed a following. She reached the semifinals
40 Our Brown County March / April 2026