In October of 2014, Appalachian folk artists Jeni & Billy set out for California via Arkansas and Texas. After they crossed the Mississippi, Jeni started posting on social media her accounts of what they saw. She called them “Reports.” Born into a coal mining and newspaper publishing family, Jeni grew up being schooled in both empathy and observation. She was taught to meet people wherever they happened to be in life and to expect that she could learn something useful and, possibly even transformative, from just about anyone.



Her Reports started simply enough with a bus-load of church women in pink track suits at a truck stop, but as she gathered more and more on-line followers, she became aware of people across the world who were virtually traveling with her and Billy. So, she began to write especially for them, giving them a glimpse of the American West and also a keyhole view into the life of a touring folk duo.



Frequently, reviewers of Jeni & Billy’s songs have called attention to Jeni’s way with words. Most notably, award-winning author Lee Smith says: "Jeni Hankins and I share the special bond of childhoods spent in the mountains of far southwest Virginia, Grundy and Jewell Ridge, not twenty miles apart – and her true sense of place shines through in every one of these authentically Appalachian songs. Jeni and Billy's stunningly original music is as old as those hills, yet brand new at the same time. The spare, simple arrangements not only showcase their musical talents but also highlight the brilliant writing; for Jeni is a true poet and a born storyteller, through and through – many of these songs contain whole novels."