Word is quickly spreading about Midnight Flight—the Ozark’s premier traditional bluegrass band!
Formed in 1992, Midnight Flight features inspired instrumental musicianship, tight vocal harmonies, and a unique brand of spontaneous humor that makes the band a perennial crowd pleaser. The combo is made up of five talented, widely-traveled musicians:  A founding member of the band, Jimmie Allison is an award-winning guitarist whose big-arm rhythm is the heartbeat of the band’s driving sound. Allison does a good portion of the band’s lead singing and is featured on most ballad arrangements. He lives on his family’s farm just south of Rolla, Mo.

Casey Freeland began singing and thumping bass at the age of eleven with her musical family. Casey has since worked with bluegrass greats Roland White, Jesse McReynolds, Kristen Scott-Benson and Alan O’Bryant just to name a few. Her most recentl stint was with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike with whom she traveled the U.S. and Europe. Casey and her husband Kelly live in Ozark, MO.

Eli Johnston learned to pick and sing while growing up in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. He joined the band in 2011 and provides the ‘grassy sound of the 5-string banjo. In addition to his multi-instrumental skills, he also delivers some fine harmony singing for the group. In recent years you may have heard Eli as he toured with popular bands Pine Mountain Railroad and Nothin’ Fancy. Just prior to joining the Flight, he was a cast member of the Tennessee Shindig country-variety show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He makes his home in Branson, Mo.

Rounding out the line-up is Kevin Shults, who plays mandolin and contributes to the vocal blend of the group’s trio and quartet numbers. Although Shults makes his home in Columbia, Mo., he grew up in Salem, MO—original home to bluegrass legends, the Dillards.

One reason a Midnight Flight concert is both entertaining and engaging, is their use of a single microphone. This hearkens back to the early days of bluegrass music when artists such as Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, or Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs would build their shows around one microphone—usually out of necessity. What resulted was a dynamic, choreographed show with each performer moving in and out, taking his turn before the mic. In May, the band was named 2007 National Single Mic Champions at a competition held in Branson, Mo. as part of Silver Dollar City's Bluegrass & BBQ event.

In January, Midnight Flight was presented with the 2007 Midwest Traditional Bluegrass Band of the Year award by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA). The award was the second consecutive SPBGMA win for the Missouri-based band.

In 2010, Midnight Flight performed at the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Festival held at Bill Monroe’s homestead in Rosine, Kentucky. Their performance was recorded and broadcast as part of the RFD Network’s Cumberland Highlanders TV Show.  Watch them below and visit their website.