Donna Ray Norton Melanie Rice Penland A seventh-generation ballad singer, storyteller, and claw-hammer banjo player, Sheila Kay Adams was born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, North Carolina, where she learned to sing from her great aunt and other notable singers. Her devotion to preserving and perpetuating her heritage is both […]
with MC Kate Blain http://www.kateblain.com
MC: John Roberts with Claudia Schmidt & Sally Rogers • Jamcrackers • Bing Futch • Magpie • Reggie Harris • Sheila Kay Adams with Melanie Rice Penland & Donna Ray Norton • Windborne • Scott Ainslie • and Dennis Stroughmatt et Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt have been weaving their […]
85 singers - melody and harmonies- come lend your voice to this spectacular project, months in the making. And perhaps feel a bit closer. Let your voice soar with all the others and perhaps next year we can do this in person. Hosted by Amanda Witman. Singers: Alice Jones, Alison Kelley, Alistair Brown, Amanda Witman, […]
Peter and Mary Alice Amidon are versatile and widely respected performing and teaching artists who for the past twenty years have dedicated themselves to traditional song (especially harmony singing), dance, and storytelling. The Amidons are equally at home performing a concert of stories and songs for adults or children; calling a community dance for all […]
Roger the Jester keeps pretty mum on stage, but here are some words of his. “My work is constantly changing; every venue will elicit new material. Every performance is a debut, since my work is so improvisational…There are many events where I create something special just for that event… I recently was commissioned to perform at […]
Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt have been weaving their voices, dulcimers, and guitars together for decades, creating an atmosphere of joy and musical lushness that audiences find irresistible. Their soaring harmonies (“blood harmony” was how one fan described it), their fascinating double dulcimer work, and their mix of six- and twelve-string guitars, blend with a […]
John Kirk & Trish Miller present fiery fiddle tunes, folksongs, and fancy footwork to audiences of all ages. John’s lyric voice, good sense of humor, and versatile instrumental skills—fiddle, mandolin, and several other instruments—have earned him widespread recognition in folk and traditional music circles. Trish is best known for her clogging, guitar, and banjo. Both of […]
Steeped in traditional music from both sides of the color line, Scott Ainslie is a renowned acoustic blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, with expertise in Piedmont and Delta Blues as well as Southern Appalachian fiddle and banjo traditions. Armed with a variety of instruments—vintage guitars; a fretless gourd banjo; a one-string diddley bow (aka cigar […]
Forty-eight years ago, Alhaji Bai Konte brought the music of the kora (Mandinka harp) from Gambia to the U.S. This year, his grandsons (the word is used a little more loosely than usual) Great Gambian Griots, continue to carry on that tradition. Jali Bakary Konteh is an imaginative improviser who can support the tradition or […]
An Appalachian barber, musician, storyteller, presenter, music teacher, banjo historian, and radio host, Jim Lloyd has musical roots that extend through at least four generations of fiddlers, guitar players, dancers, and singers from the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia While accomplished on many instruments, he is known especially for his skills on guitar (finger-picking […]