Among the small ensembles that tour and perform both domestically and abroad as part of the United States Army Field Band, the four-man group named the Six String Soldiers display a particularly unique talent for multitasking.
While dressed in the army combat uniforms worn by active soldiers in the United States Army, each of the four members is able to perform some of the nation’s most iconic folk songs – such as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” – by both singing and playing his respective string instrument in unison with the other three men.
Each member uses a different instrument: A guitar, a mandolin, a banjo, and a bass. The most impressive facet of each of this group’s live performances is that the band is able to maintain both instrumental and vocal harmony while actively walking, side-by-side, in full view of the public.
During this year’s July Fourth weekend, the Six-String soldiers performed a cover of “This Land Is Your Land” in honor of Independence Day, all while walking through grassy plains, log cabin-filled forests, urban centers, sidewalks, suburban zones, shorelines, freeway overpasses, and transit stations. They, like the other ensembles employed by the Field Band, passionately live up to their roles as “the Musical Ambassadors of the Army”.