Gold Rush Bluegrass Band emerged from the Bear on the Square Festival many years ago when it was founded by original members Nick and Glenda Pender and Joel Cordle. The group has always focused on traditional bluegrass music. Their on-the-money, upbeat instrumentals and traditional harmony singing have made them favorites at concerts, festivals and events throughout North Georgia.
Featured in the 2012 band are Neel Pender, Glenda and Nick's son who is now a professional musician living in Florida; founding member Joel Cordle, Greg Earnest, Mark Squires, Edward Hunter, Steve Heath, and David Rutland. Founding member Glenda Pender will be a special guest for the show at the Bear on the Square Mountain Festival.
Members have appeared in theatre and on the Dahlonega Mountain Music and Medicine Show, as well as having been featured in documentaries on Appalachian music, and have garnered critical acclaim for various recording projects. Drawing from the styles of Hazel Dickens, Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, and Flatt and Scruggs, Gold Rush, together since 2001, gives its audience some of the most honest and intense bluegrass music you'll find today.