MIFFLIN — Even in music circles, it was still considered a photobomb.

There was local singer-songwriter Conrad Fisher sitting in the background playing a snare drum, tapping a drumstick as he listened to the Brandenberger Family’s bluegrass harmonies.

Victor and Angela Brandenberger enjoy playing instruments and singing songs with their children.

They had traveled to Fisher’s Ragamuffin Hall, the shuttered McCoysville Presbyterian Church he recently purchased, to record a video for the popular Christian hymn, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”

“They did a couple of things here,” Fisher said of working with the Brandenberger Family. “They asked me to sit in.”

“Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” was written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon. The legendary George Jones released a recording of it in 1959.

There have been versions by other well-known artists, such as June Carter Cash’s rendition on the closing credits of an episode of “Deadwood” and Willie Nelson was joined on stage by Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke in 2018.

It’s a guarantee that none of these versions, if even recorded on video, garnered the 142,000 views on the Brandenberger Family racked up on their popular Youtube Channel over the past month. They also have more than 50,000 subscribers.

The Brandenberger Family will return to Juniata County on Thursday, Aug. 3, for a special appearance at Ragamuffin Hall. A free concert is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

“My goal for Ragamuffin Hall is that even if this kind of music isn’t your flavor, you come hear this stuff and have a good time,” Fisher said.

While the Brandenbergers are not very clear about their background, it’s clear they are an old order Amish band from northern Indiana with a massive online following.

“Youtube is really their only social media thing,” Fisher said. “They don’t even have any CDs out. Even major label artists aren’t getting those kinds of hits on Youtube. It’s an interesting cultural thing.”

Racking up millions of views on Youtube with their primitive charm and family harmonies, the Brandenbergers are completely one of a kind in the world of working bluegrass bands. The video that Fisher appeared in is just one of dozens posted and most have views in the six figures. They recorded a version of “Amazing Grace” in front of Ragamuffin Hall, which was uploaded two weeks ago. It’s already registered 37,000 views.

The Brandenberger Family has fans all over the country as Fisher discovered. He was traveling in Montana and ran into some hardcore fans. “I was like 20 miles outside of Great Falls, which is about the size of Harrisburg tops,” he recalled. “My cousin was hosting a jam on his ranch for neighboring cowboys.

“I was heading to the Brandenbergers’ house and this old cowboy says to me how he loves them people,” he added. “He watches them all the time on Youtube. That was the last place you’d expect to find a Victor Brandenberger fan.”

The Brandenberger Family is so musically gifted, and they use their talent to glorify God through their songs. Their Youtube Channel has more than 60 videos showcasing their talents, and their concert is expected to be nothing short of uplifting and inspiring for those in attendance.

Like a modern day Carter Family, they sing songs that get right to the heart of the human condition with the family harmony.

They regularly upload videos of their covers of popular songs in their bluegrass sound on YouTube, in the style made popular by Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Tony Rice, Ralph Stanley, Doyle Lawson, Flatt and Scruggs and the Carter Family.

While admission is free, a $20 donation at the door is suggested.