THREE VOICES.
A LIFETIME
OF COUNTRY.

Spend a little time with TennX and you get the feeling the music could start at any moment. So could a joke at somebody’s expense.

That’s what happens when three friends have spent years playing together, learning each other’s instincts, and finding just how good a country song can feel when everybody lands in the same place.

The Nashville-based traditional country trio brings together James Carothers on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Andy Varner on fiddle and harmony vocals, and Elio Giordano on bass and harmony vocals. The name tips its hat to Tennessee and the 10X cowboy hat—a fitting introduction to three men who feel right at home in traditional country.

Their sound runs through the music they grew up on: the storytelling of Hank Williams and George Jones, the swagger of Waylon Jennings, and the big vocal sound of Alabama and the Oak Ridge Boys. At the center is a three-part harmony with enough character in each voice that you can hear all three personalities coming through.

Their paths crossed playing Nashville’s country circuit, including the George Jones on Second Avenue. Giordano remembers a night at the Nashville Palace when the blend really clicked. That feeling is still what brings them back: three musicians listening closely, trusting one another, and having a good time doing it.

With original songs and favorites from the country songbook, TennX makes room for the heartache, humor, faith, and everyday stories that drew them to the music in the first place. They want the audience to feel welcome, sing along, and forget their troubles for a while. The friendship is part of the show. So is the laughter. And when those three voices come together, the reason they’re doing this is easy to hear.

Tennessee roots. A voice that means it.

Carothers grew up in McNairy County, Tennessee, singing in church and playing music with his father. He eventually traded a steady job for Nashville, bringing a deep country voice, a percussive acoustic guitar style, and a knack for getting inside a song.

His career has included six years opening shows for Alan Jackson, international festival appearances, and a Grand Ole Opry performance at the Ryman. His original song “Back to Hank” still brings requests from listeners around the world.

A fiddler’s instinct. A singer’s ear.

Varner picked up the fiddle at three and was working professionally by fifteen. Originally from Michigan, he earned state fiddle championships in Michigan, Ohio, and Arizona, and went on to work with artists including Daryle Singletary and Sammy Kershaw.

A former bandleader for Singletary, he brings the same care to a harmony line that he brings to his fiddle playing, along with a quick wit that fits right in.

The foundation. And the low part.

Giordano grew up in Maine in a musical family and has spent more than four decades onstage and in the studio. His bass and vocal work has taken him alongside artists including the Mavericks, Suzy Bogguss, and Ronnie Dunn.

His low harmony and distinctive thumb-picked bass give TennX a full, steady foundation with a vintage country feel.