In their prime, eastern Kentucky coal mining communities were home to a surprisingly diverse number of racial and ethnic groups, including African-Americans. Coal companies in Benham and Lynch, Kentucky recruited African-Americans from the deep South to work in the mines in the early 1900s. To this day, the descendents of these African-American coal miners continue to live and work in Benham and Lynch and they provide a rich addition to the musical heritage of eastern Kentucky.
Gospel music has always been popular in the African-American churches of Benham, Lynch and the adjoining town of Cumberland, Kentucky (with all three together being called “the tri-cities”). During a local religious convention in 1999, several African-American men from the tri-cities made a commitment. They decided to form a six-part a cappella gospel group in an effort to maintain and share the tradition of a cappella gospel music. These men have certainly succeeded. Today their musical group, the Tri-City Messengers, performs at over 40 engagements per year. These six talented men gladly share their music and inspiration with others at churches, festivals, and special events throughout Appalachia, and they never charge a fee for their programs.