About Us

The Branches are an eclectic gospel singing group headquartered in Southeastern Ohio. We were originally formed in 1984 and were comprised of brothers Rik, Mike, & Jason Snyder and Tom Newsom (brother-in-law).

Unfortunately, we had to disband in 1992 when our brother, Mike, and family moved away due to employment with his company and Tom and our sister, Karen, moved to North Carolina.

The year, 2000, came in without a hitch for most of the Snyders. Those "little" Snyders, that sat on their mother's laps in previous years, weren't children anymore, but teenagers. Things ran smoothly that year until our father, the avid farmer, was killed in a tractor accident. The date - September 11, 2000. It was our own 9-1-1.

The Snyders were crushed and the months following led to a re-ordering of priorities in our lives, in some ways consciously and in others it was automatic.

In 2003, Mike and his family moved back to the area so that they could be closer to the family and their boys could enjoy their high school days in a smaller more family-like atmosphere.

In 2005, something interesting happened. Jason, the youngest of the brothers, got the bright idea that the boys, Mike and Jason's sons, now almost college age, with some practice, maybe lots of it, may be able to play accompaniment for us.

All the boys had musical abilities and it sounded inviting considering that many of our background tapes were just about shot. The young fellows learned fast, and in some cases, learned quicker than we did. They joined us for the first time in 2005 for a concert at Circle Hill. Since that time family friend, Matt Waite has also joined the group.

So here we are, a little older, a little younger. Two generations serving in ministry together and enjoying our family ties at the same time.

In April 2008, we finished recording our first cd. We can proudly say that all of the songs on this recording are Branches originals. The cd, titled "Walk Humbly", is dedicated to the memory of our father/grandfather, Richard E. Snyder. The song "Walk Humbly" is also a tribute to dad.

Our second cd, titled "Welcome Home" was finished in March 2009. This cd includes Branches originals that were written in the 80's as well as our most recent work.