Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina

Episode 4: Andy Griffith from Mayberry Nov 12, 2024

Most people know Andy Griffith as the loveable sheriff of Mayberry, the town based in Mount Airy, NC. Beyond the role, Griffith was a musician and entertainer who shared his knowledge and love of traditional music with his audiences.

Episode 2: The Ballad Swap at the Old Marshall Jail Nov 11, 2024

Donna Ray Norton and Melanie Rice are eight-generation ballad singers. Along with noted musician Sheila Kay Adams and other local singers, they host a monthly ballad swap at the Old Marshall Jail in downtown Marshall, NC. The event has gained notoriety as the only recurring ballad swap in the area, bringing awareness of the traditional music genre to a broader audience.

Episode 3: The Great Flood of 2024: Tropical Storm Helene Nov 06, 2024

Tropical storm Helene devastated communities across Western North Carolina including Chimney Rock in Rutherford County, Swannanoa and Barnardsville in Buncombe, Crossnore in Avery, Old Fort in McDowell, Spruce Pine in Mitchell, and Hot Springs and Marshall in Madison to name a very few.
This is not the first time that mighty waves of water have rolled through the region, causing devastation beyond comprehension. Singers and songwriters marked past events with songs, and it's likely the same will happen now.

Episode 1: Otto Wood the Bandit Nov 05, 2024

America has seen its fair share of outlaws throughout history. Musicians have sung their tales, immortalizing them in song from coast to coast and contributing to this country's folklore. North Carolina has a page in outlaw history with the bootlegger Otto Wood. Listen to learn more about Wood and others and the songs they inspired.

Episode 20: The Creative Community of Rare Bird Farm Apr 16, 2024

Rare Bird Farm in the mountains of Madison County is an agricultural arts center that hosts performing arts, classes, workshops, and community events, all centered around the ideas of creativity, connection, and collaboration. While not a commercial farm, Rare Bird also raises animals, medicinal plants, and food. We spent some time with Mitchell Davis and Farrah Hoffmire or Rare Bird to learn more.

Episode 19: The Ridgetop Riches of Red Spruce Mar 26, 2024

An intersection of the natural and musical heritage of WNC can be found in the high mountains. Red Spruce (picea rubens) is prominent at altitudes above 5,000 feet in the Southern Appalachians. It’s also one of the primary tonewoods used in traditional construction of mandolins and guitars. For this episode, we spent time with conservationist Marquette Crockett and luthier James Condino to learn more.

Episode 18: Claire Armbruster and Planning Stages Mar 11, 2024

Traditional music in WNC is a cultural practice that expands into many ways to make a living. We most often think of performers, but for every live music event that takes place, there are folks behind the scenes crossing “I’s” and dotting “T’s” to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. One of the leaders in the event promotion industry is Claire Armbruster who owns and operates Planning Stages. We sat down recently with Claire to learn more about her, her experience, and the particulars of producing live music events.

Episode 17: Rhonda Gouge and the Joy of Musical Connection Feb 13, 2024

Rhonda Gouge has done a lot. She’s been a fixture in the Mitchell County music scene since the 1970s, she can play at least a dozen instruments, she’s recorded multiple albums under her own name as well as with others, she’s performed with legendary musicians such as Red Wilson, she’s taught traditional music to more than 1,000 students, and in 2023 she was awarded the North Carolina Heritage Award. We sat down recently with Rhonda in her home teaching studio in the Ledger Community to talk about her musical journey and to do a little bit of pickin’!

Episode 16: A Reading of Louise Wright Price's Charlie & His Banjo: The Story of Charlie Pool Feb 13, 2024

In Season One of Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of NC, we introduced you to banjo stylist Charlie Poole. In Season 5, we're excited to bring you a reading of Louise Wright Price's children's book, Charlie & His Banjo: The Story of Charlie Pool.

Episode 15: William Allsbrook Jr.’s Making Music: The Banjo in a Southern Appalachian County Jan 29, 2024

What do you get when an MD and Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Surgery takes up the banjo? An expertly conducted survey of 32 WNC banjo players! Dr. William Allsbrook, Jr. turned his skills and attention to such a project when he noticed just how many great banjo players lived in Haywood County. His study resulted in a book, Making Music: The Banjo in a Southern Appalachian County. In this episode, we dig into some of what Allbrook's book has to offer.

Episode 14: Remembering Betty Smith Jan 03, 2024

Western North Carolina musical icon Betty Smith passed away on December 1, 2023. Betty was a performer of ballads and traditional songs for decades, but to say only this would be falling short of her large and living legacy. Throughout the course of her life, Betty also took on roles as an educator, an activist, an author, a playwright, and honorary doctorate recipient, and more. This episode looks back on a life of impact on and dedication to the people and life and WNC.

Episode 13: Thomm Jutz and Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry Nov 07, 2023

Madison County is home to a centuries old ballad singing tradition which has attracted interest for over a century. In 1916, Englishman, Cecil Sharp traveled to Western North Carolina to hear the old ballads that were no longer being freely sung in England. A new album revives this Transatlantic connection. We sat down with Thomm Jutz, singer-songwriter and co-producer of Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry, to learn more about the album and the ballad singing tradition.

Episode 12: Terry Roberts Talks Writing, Music, and Storytelling in the Mountains Oct 26, 2023

Terry Roberts was born and raised in Asheville, NC. An award-winning author of five novels, much of Terry’s writing takes place in and around the mountains of WNC. Music finds its way into much of Terry’s work, including novels entitled A Short Time to Stay Here and That Bright Land. In our conversation with Terry, he shared his thoughts on particularities and the intersection of writing, music, and storytelling in the mountains.

Episode 11: Fine Tuned: Volume One, The Album Oct 11, 2023

In Seasons 4 and 5, we’ve had the honor and privilege to bring you stories of the Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project. This mentorship and collaboration-based professional development project has sought to foster development in WNC’s traditional music ecosystem. This episode explores the musical partnerships and the music they created with insight into the groups and selections from the tracks on the album. It’s time to talk about the actual music of Fine Tuned: Volume One!

Episode 10: Plott-Tober Fest Celebrates the Plott Hound and German Heritage Sep 25, 2023

Plott-Tober fest is a new festival set to take place in Canton in 2023. This festival celebrates North Carolina's State Dog, the Plott Hound, as well as the German heritage of Haywood County. We spoke with festival organizer Bob Plott to learn more about the Plott Hound, German influence in Haywood County, and the festival itself, which will feature plenty of WNC traditional music.

Episode 9: The Blowing Rock Fiddlers' Convention of 1928 Sep 12, 2023

Music inhabits its purest form when people get together to make music with one another. In this spirit, the fiddlers’ convention is an essential element of the traditional music ecosystem in Western North Carolina. This episode is adapted from an article by music writer Derek Halsey revisiting a newspaper article from the Watauga Democrat published on June 14, 1928 covering a fiddlers convention in the town of Blowing Rock.

Episode 8: Cherokee Language Repertory Choir Aug 07, 2023

The Cherokee Language Repertory Choir started in the spring of 2023. This choir uses the Christian Harmony shaped note tradition, but instead of singing it traditionally, in English, this choir sings in the Cherokee language. This effort revives a documented tradition of shaped note singing in the Cherokee community while helping to keep the Cherokee language a part of cultural practice in Western North Carolina. We spoke with organizers and a member of the choir to learn more.

Episode 7: Songwriters Showcase at Peacock Performing Arts Center Aug 01, 2023

The Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville presents a wide range of programming. It's Songwriters Series is a highlight of the lineup. Hosted by local songwriter Rob Tiger, the series brings some of the top songwriters in the field to Clay County. The Showcase functions as a songwriters round, giving some audience members a new way to experience uniquely crafted songs.

Episode 6: Kelley Breiding and “The Place Where the Stories Come From” Jul 10, 2023

Kelley Breiding is a musician who wears a lot of hats, at least one of which is often a cowboy hat and complements a vibrant, handcrafted outfit. Kelley is part of multiple bands and projects including her Blue Ridge Opry and the Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project. This episode features a conversation with Kelley in which you can learn more about her journey and the music she makes and loves.

Episode 5: Roseland Gardens: Black Moutain Juke Joint Jun 27, 2023

Did you know that Black Mountain had an integrated juke joint and that Bessie Smith performed there? On this episode we feature an oral history with Katherine Debrow, courtesy of the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, that discusses her grandfather, Horace Chambers Rutherford; his juke joint, Roseland Gardens; and the culture and history of Black Mountain.

Episode 3: Blue Ridge Music Trails Stops Along the Blue Ridge Parkway Part 2 May 31, 2023

The Blue Ridge Music Trails covers 29 counties throughout the mountains and foothills of Western North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkways runs directly through this territory and is never far from authentic traditional music. In this episode, we outline more of the stops you can take on the Blue Ridge Music Trails while you travel the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Episode 2: Blue Ridge Music Trails Stops Along the Blue Ridge Parkway Part 1 May 31, 2023

The Blue Ridge Music Trails covers 29 counties throughout the mountains and foothills of Western North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkways runs directly through this territory and is never far from authentic traditional music. In this episode, we outline some of the stops you can take on the Blue Ridge Music Trails while you travel the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Episode 4: Darren Nicholson Remembers a Mentor and Charts a New Path May 30, 2023

Darren Nicholson has been a fixture in the WNC and national music scenes for almost two decades. The year 2023 marks a series of new endeavors for Darren. In this episode he talks about learning from Steve Sutton, the inaugural Steve Sutton Festival, WNC's unique style of bluegrass, and his own path as a solo musician.

Episode 1: Fine Tuned: Josh Jones and Sav Sankaran Mar 28, 2023

The Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. This episode focuses on the Josh Jones' work with his mentor Sav Sankaran. Josh studies classical voice at the UNC School for the Arts. Sav also studied classical voice and today sings and plays bass for the nationally touring bluegrass band Unspoken Tradition. Josh and Sav share details about their mentorship experience, their thoughts on music in Western North Carolina, and the tracks they chose to record for the Fine Tuned album.

Episode 20: Fine Tuned: Bayla Davis and Cary Fridley Mar 13, 2023

The Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. For this episode, we spent time with Bayla Davis and her mentor, Cary Fridley, to learn more about their work together. These two women have worked together to blend their voices, to explore strategies to enhance their personal expression, and to refine their musical goals for the future.

Episode 20: Fine Tuned: Benjamin Barker and David LaMotte Feb 28, 2023

Fine Tuned is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. In this episode, David LaMotte and Benjamin Barker talk about why they play music, music in North Carolina, what they have gained from working on the Fine Tuned project, and more.

Episode 19: Fine Tuned: The Allen Boys with DaShawn Hickman and Kelley Breiding Feb 13, 2023

The Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. For this episode, we sat down with the Allen Boys, DaSahwn Hickman, and Kelley Breiding to discuss their collaboration and the inspiring collision of their musical traditions.

Episode 17: Fine Tuned: Jarrett Wildcat & Keaw'e Bone Jan 30, 2023

Fine Tuned is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. Jarrett Wildcat and Keaw'e Bone are are both deeply connected with traditional music in Cherokee, NC, but for their work on the Fine Tuned project, Jarrett and Keaw’e decided to do something a little different, create their own original music.

Episode 16: Introducing the Fine Tuned Project Jan 13, 2023

Fine Tuned is a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. Fine Tuned has brought together five groups of musicians to work together on personal goals and professional recording.

Episode 15: Is it a Fiddle or a Violin? Dec 10, 2022

We’re coming to you this week to answer an age-old question: is it a fiddle or a violin?
Few folks in Western North Carolina are better equipped to answer that question than master fiddler Roger Howell. At his shop on Banjo Branch just outside of Mars Hill, he has not only recorded more than 600 fiddle tunes for his memory collection, but he also repaired and restored hundreds if not thousands of old violins.

Episode 14: Bobby Hicks: A Fiddling Icon Dec 10, 2022

Bobby Hicks is a fiddling icon. His career as a recording artist and performer has spanned more than 7 decades. During this time, Bobby’s style, session work, and touring have helped to define the bluegrass fiddle. We sat down with Bobby to chat about Western North Carolina, his time with Bill Monroe, and much more.

Episode 13: Forevermore Donna Ray Norton Will Sing Oct 11, 2022

Donna Ray Norton is no stranger to the musical community of Western North Carolina. She’s an 8th generation ballad singer who grew up in the legendary Sodom community of Madison County, a county which folklorist Cecil Sharp likened to “a nest of singing birds.” Her grandfather was Byard Ray, a fiddler and singer who took his style of mountain music across the globe. Her mother, Lena Jean Ray, carried on the Ray musical legacy. We sat down with Donna Ray to learn more about her new album, her background, and what the music means to her.

Episode 12: A Deep Dive into the Earl Scruggs Music Festival Aug 30, 2022

Earl Scruggs hailed from Flint Hill in rural Cleveland County. In his decades-long career he helped define bluegrass music as we know it today. The Earl Scruggs Center, in partnership with WNCW, the Tryon International Equestrian Center, and Come Hear North Carolina, will present the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival in September 2022. The Blue Ridge Music Trails paid a visit to the Scruggs Center in Shelby, where we spent some time with Executive Director, Mary Beth Martin, and JT Scruggs, nephew of Earl, to learn a little more about the festival. JT shared a little about the musical Scruggs family.

Episode 11: The 51st Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Aug 26, 2022

The 51st Smoky Mountain Folk Festival. returns to the shores of Lake Junaluska in Haywood County this August. Now in its 6th decade, the festival coincides with a time when communities would gather at harvest time to share music and dance. The festival welcomes an outstanding array of the region’s finest tradition performers including fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers, and fabulous square teams as well as the unique sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, mouth harp, bagpipes, and even spoons.

Episode 10: Listen to Legendary WNC Instruments Aug 04, 2022

If well-constructed and properly cared for, an instrument will outlive generations of musicians that play it. Many of the instruments that have influenced our music still sing long after their owners have gone on. The Southern Appalachian Archives in the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at Mars Hill University hold some of the most well-known instruments from our musical past. Take a listen.

Episode 9: Carl Sandburg and the American Songbag Jul 22, 2022

Carl Sandburg dedicated the American Songbag, “To those unknown singers–who made songs–out of love, fun, grief–and to those many other singers–who kept those songs as living things of the heart and mind–out of love, fun, grief.” It is fitting that so many carried on this important work begun by the old troubadour and poet of the people.

Episode 8: Western North Carolina Music’s Impact in Popular Culture Jun 30, 2022

The imprint of Western North Carolina’s vibrant musical tradition can be seen and heard time and again as our music has worked its way into the arena of popular culture. From the moment Jed Clampett spotted that bubbling-crude through the current decade, the soundtrack of the mountains and foothills has been the soundtrack for countless television, movie, and radio programs.

Episode 7: The Jagged Path Works to Tell a Fuller Story Jun 08, 2022

The history of Western North Carolina has long been a subject of study for local and international scholars. Many of those efforts have been focused on only a portion of the culture and experience of the region. With its exhibit Jagged Path: The African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, or BRAHM, is working to provide a fuller picture of creativity throughout the history of Appalachia.

Episode 6: Derek Piotr Explores NC Mountain Singing May 25, 2022

Originally from Connecticut, Derek moved to Elk Park, NC in the spring of 2022 to continue exploring the singing traditions of the Bare family and the communities throughout Western North Carolina. With his work collecting and sharing these recordings, Derek is helping to shine a light on the stories and songs of a noteworthy community in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina

Episode 5: Billy Edd Wheeler, Songwriter May 03, 2022

Billy Edd Wheeler came to North Carolina from the coal camp of Highcoal in West Virginia. As a boy, he began playing guitar and penned his first song “Paper Boy Blues,” about delivering newspapers at 5:30am, at the age of eleven. His archtop Kay guitar was purchased for fourteen dollars out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog. He learned three chords from a coal miner and as they say, the rest is history.

Episode 4: Asheville Music Walking Tour May 03, 2022

The Asheville music scene is known for its depth of talent, wealth of offerings, and sense of exploration. You might think this music scene has sprung up over the last 20 years during the city’s own renaissance, but Alli Marshall of the Asheville History Walking Tour is here to disabuse you of that notion. The tour winds for a mile and half through downtown Asheville and the musical history covers a wide range of sounds and styles, and as part of the experience.

Episode 3: The Musical Happy Valley Mar 23, 2022

The Happy Valley community lies between Lenoir and Blowing Rock along the Yadkin River. This fertile valley is so scenic and peaceful that early settlers gave it the name “Happy Valley.” The valley was home to General William Lenoir, for whom the Caldwell County seat of Lenoir was named. His home, Fort Defiance, is on the National Register of Historic Places, open regularly to visitors, and also hosts several public events a year.

Episode 2: Train Songs and Marshall’s Historic Depot Mar 09, 2022

You can hardly hear a set of bluegrass music without hearing a train song. Some are poetic like the Wabash Cannonball. “Listen to the jingle the rumble and the roar, as she glides along the woodland, through the hills and by the shore.” Some tell tragic tells of trains running out of control.

Episode 1: Remembering Bobby McMillion Feb 23, 2022

Bobby McMillon passed away on November 28, 2021. His passing leaves a great void in the traditional music and Appalachian cultural landscape. Throughout the course of his life, Bobby took this awareness he gained from his grandfather’s passing and turned it into a legacy of collecting, performing, and friendships.

Episode 20: Traditional Artist Directory Spotlight David Holt Nov 18, 2021

David Holt grew up in Garland, Texas. He says “I grew up in a family of informal storytellers, and there was plenty to tell about our wild and wooly Texas forefathers. Storytelling was just a natural part of family life for me. I never thought about telling stories in public until I began to collect mountain music and came across interesting and unusual anecdotes from mountain folks. I began to use these stories in concerts and realized the power storytelling holds.

Episode 19: Remembering Arvil Freeman Nov 03, 2021

Of all the fiddlers in the fiddler-rich region of Western North Carolina, Arvil Freeman was a veritable North Star of Western North Carolina fiddling and traditional music as a whole. Arvil is likely the most heard “in-person” fiddler and likely the most influential. On October 21, 2021, Western North Carolina lost fiddling legend Arvil Freeman.

Episode 18: Lots of Great Ways to Learn Music in WNC Oct 29, 2021

Across Western North Carolina, people looking to learn to play an instrument or musicians looking to step up their game can enjoy many opportunities to learn in immersive settings. Many camps offer week-long packages of music instruction, food, and lodging. The whole package provides a chance for the musician to spend a week completely focused on the music. How great is that?

Episode 17: The Cuckoo: A chart topper since the 1200’s Oct 06, 2021

The English folksong “The Cuckoo,” often sung as a round or canon, celebrated the arrival of summer recalling the sights and sounds of English barnyards and meadows. Some scholars consider the song a parody and possibly too coarse for polite society. The manuscript in which it is preserved was copied between 1261 and 1264. The song evolved into a more poetic form and became part of the English folksong lexicon. Give a listen to this transitional version where “she never sings cuckoo ’til summer is near.” Now that’s old-time music!

Episode 16: The Bascom Lamar Lunsford Mountain Music Festival Carries on a Legacy Sep 23, 2021

The Bascom Lamar Lunsford Mountain Music Festival is the only one that Lunsford allowed to carry his name. In 1928, Lunsford started the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville as part of the annual Rhododendron Festival. The festival was such a hit that the local newspaper declared it should be an annual event. The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival is the oldest continuing festival in the nation and became a model for the National Folk Festival and other festivals that followed.

Episode 15: The Tom Dula Legends Lives On Sep 07, 2021

Do you know the legend of Tom Dooley? Do you know he was a real person and lived in Western North Carolina? Do you know he was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang? The ballad “Tom Dooley”, originally recorded by Frank Proffitt in the 1930’s or 1940’s became a nationwide success in 1958 when The Kingston Trio released their recording of the song.

Episode 14: Storytelling on the Blue Ridge Music Trails Aug 24, 2021

Everybody and everything has a story. What is her story, what is his story? Did you ever wonder about the cautionary messages in the fairy tales? Folklorists will tell you that story plays a very important role in human culture. Stories were used to preserve history, to teach the young important cultural lessons, and to provide entertainment.

Episode 13: What is a D.O.G. Aug 13, 2021

As soon as the crops are canned, frozen and laid by for the fall, communities in Western North Carolina gather to sing shaped-notes from the Christian Harmony songbook. Now, over 129 years since the first shaped-notes were sung in the Dutch Cove, singers still gather to heist a tune and enjoy the riches of a D.O.G.

Episode 12: Step it Up and Go is David Menconi’s Love Letter to North Carolina Music Jul 27, 2021

Step It Up & Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music was released by David Menconi in 2020. Taking its title from one of the signature songs of Durham blues artist Blind Boy Fuller, the book explores the musical history of the state and examines the impact North Carolina music has had on the rest of the world. Menconi writes that North Carolina “has only rarely been home to the biggest stars on the charts, and yet the contributions of North Carolina artists are deeply embedded in the DNA of some of the most important strands in American popular music. That is the story at the center of this book.”

Episode 11: The Green Grass Cloggers Jul 13, 2021

Dance is an essential part of the musical traditions of Western North Carolina. Dancing and music go hand-in-hand, and for many years, dances with live music were a central meeting point for communities. One dance team that has been a fixture in Western North Carolina for almost 50 years is the Green Grass Cloggers. Clogging is a distinct form of dancing that borrows from the step dancing of the British Isles, the dance traditions of West Africa, and Native American dance, clogging is a dynamic form, a dance that is alive, well, and evolving.

Episode 10: Wayne Erbsen: Musician, Teacher, Author, and Radio Host Jun 30, 2021

Inspired by his love of traditional Southern music, Wayne Erbsen moved to the mountain South in the early 1970's to learn from the masters of old-time and bluegrass. In the more than forty years since, he has become a leading teacher of traditional music himself, while carrying on a busy career as a performer, radio host, and documenting the history of Appalachian music. A conversation with Wayne Erbsen is liable to uncover any number of interesting experiences in traditional music

Episode 9: Unto These Hills Jun 08, 2021

The historical production portrays the arrival of Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto in 1540, the participation of the Cherokee in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and the removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands on the Trail of Tears in 1838. Unto These Hills honors some of the most revered Cherokee heroes, including Sequoyah, creator of the Cherokee alphabet, Junaluska, the wise leader, and Tsali, the brave warrior who gave his life for his people.

Episode 8: Traditional Artist Directory Spotlight: Susan Pepper May 18, 2021

Susan Pepper first came to Western North Carolina in 2003 to attend the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College. She moved to Asheville in 2004 and in 2005 moved to Boone to pursue a master's degree in Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University. There she found a community of musicians that helped her connect to the music and traditions in the Boone area, particularly one of her main spots of inspiration, Beech Mountain.

Episode 7: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Spotlight: Richard Beard May 04, 2021

Richard Beard, a luthier on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, is never away from music for very long. When he’s not building instruments in his Rutherfordton shop, he’s often playing music. And when he’s not playing or building, he can be heard hosting the radio show “Celtic Winds” on WNCW FM. Richard Beard’s family has been in Western North Carolina since the 1700s. His early years were spent in Southern California and New Jersey, but he returned to North Carolina for college at UNC Asheville then Guilford College.

Episode 6: Traditional Artist Directory Spotlight: Michael Reno Harrell Apr 20, 2021

The Traditional Artist Directory, located on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area website, blueridgeheritage.com serves as a vehicle to promote artists found along the Blue Ridge Music Trails of NC. This week we want to introduce you to Michael Reno Harrell. Just seeing Michael Reno Harrell would be hard to forget. His trademark long, white hair and glasses cut a striking figure. But for those able to enjoy a performance of the “songs he makes up and yarns he spins,” Michael is unforgettable.

Episode 5: Traditional Artist Directory Spotlight: The Burnett Sisters Band Mar 30, 2021

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area serves as the steward of the living traditions of our region, protecting and promoting the outdoor landscapes, heritage agriculture, Cherokee culture, craft and music in Western North Carolina. The Traditional Artist Directory, located on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area website, blueridgeheritage.com serves as a vehicle to promote artists found along the Blue Ridge Music Trails of NC. This week we want to introduce you to “The Burnett Sisters Band.”

Episode 4: NC Musician Murals Project Mar 22, 2021

The NC Musician Murals Project began as a casual arrangement between artist Scott Nurkin and the owner of Pepper’s Pizza in Chapel Hill. Nurkin would create portraits of renowned NC musicians to cover a blank wall in the restaurant in exchange for “free pizza for life”. Today, Nurkin’s murals on nine buildings from the mountains to the Piedmont celebrate the transcendent, influential, and groundbreaking musicians of North Carolina.

Episode 3: Banjo Builders in WNC Mar 02, 2021

The roots of the banjo go back to West Africa. Early versions of the instrument came to the Americas with enslaved people. In the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, the banjo took a strong hold, and along with the fiddle, formed the foundation of our traditional music. Today, the banjo is as present as ever across Western North Carolina. Not only is the banjo played here, but it’s also built here. Two young builders with their own distinct building styles and philosophies work to carry on the tradition.

Episode 2: Music’s Functions in the Farmers Federation Feb 15, 2021

The Farmers Federation Cooperative, an organization focused on sharing progressive farming methods and creating a thriving agricultural market in WNC included music as essential to the endeavor. Farmers Federation annual picnic gatherings held in many counties throughout Western North Carolina featured Appalachian music as a chief draw for attendees. The picnics featured a diverse range of music that drew from many traditions. As a result, the Farmers Federation became a stage for individual musicians and a larger influence on musical styles in the mountains of North Carolina.

Episode 1: Byard Ray's Old Fiddle Makes New Music Feb 01, 2021

Fiddle music is a richly layered tapestry that runs through the core of Western North Carolina. The passing down of the traditions (or styles), and instruments is ever present. In 2020 North Carolina native and traditional musician, Jason Cade recorded his “Byard Ray Dozen Series.” A collection in tribute to the legendary Byard Ray of Madison County. The core of the story is the multigenerational journey of a Western North Carolina fiddle.

Matthew Tooni Carries on Traditions of Cherokee Stories and Music Mar 30, 2020

Cultures around the world face the problem of losing their traditions when younger people don’t take interest in their heritage. But among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, an exceptionally dedicated generation of young tradition bearers, men and women in their twenties and thirties, are both learning and teaching the culture of their ancestors. One of the most prominent members of this generation is language preservationist, musician, and storyteller Matthew Tooni.

Jack Guy Compiled a Treasure Trove of Mountain Music Mar 23, 2020

For more than a hundred years, folklorists and other scholars have been visiting the community of Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Perhaps the most prolific collector of the community’s music and stories was himself a native of Old Beech.
In the 1960s, Jack Guy began selling mountain handcrafts and folk toys to tourists, helping local artists make a living through their heritage crafts. He operated his business out of a small log cabin, selling classic mountain toys like limberjacks and gee-haw-whimmy-diddles, alongside many other items, including musical instruments made by renowned local luthiers.
And while he was at it, Jack created a venue for Beech Mountain’s musicians to perform, share their music, and be recorded for posterity. He hosted many concerts and informal jams at the shop, featuring great local bands, solo musicians, and storytellers. As they performed, Jack was often at work in the background recording the music on his reel-to-reel tape recorder. He created an enormous archive of Beech Mountain music and folklore.
Soon you’ll be able to visit the North Carolina Folklife Institute’s website, ncfolk.org, to listen to more than 100 audio tapes of mountain music, accompanied by hundreds of old photos of life on Beech Mountain, recordings and stories by the artists who carry on Beech Mountain’s traditions today.

Byard Ray and Obray Ramsey Make Long, Strange Trip into Pop Culture Jan 17, 2020

It’s not unusual for traditional musicians to influence artists in other styles, and that kind of cross-pollination was especially common in the 1960s and ’70s, as pop and rock musicians mined the depths of old-time, blues, and other folk styles. But few traditional musicians of that era had quite such a long, strange trip into the world of pop culture as North Carolina’s Byard Ray and Obray Ramsey.
Ray and Ramsey were cousins from Madison County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Asheville. Madison County has been home to renowned traditional ballad singers and instrumentalists for generations, and the two men were part of the network of families whose musical heritage has made the county famous. Obray Ramsey was a banjo player with an old-time three-finger picking style and a smooth, high singing voice. Byard Ray was a skilled fiddler whose musical roots drew from the playing of some of the early fiddlers of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, including J. D. Harris, who influenced many other great musicians of the region.

Young Presley Barker Dazzles on the Flatpicked Guitar Dec 18, 2019

The Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia have produced legendary bluegrass and old-time guitarists. Presley Barker is the newest member of the lineage of virtuosic flatpickers inspired by Doc Watson. Presley first started to learn the guitar in 2012, when he was only seven years old. It didn’t take long for the traditional music community in his native North Carolina mountains to take note.

Don Reno Finds Success as a Bluegrass Banjo Innovator and Bandleader Dec 16, 2019

While Earl Scruggs is often credited as the originator of bluegrass banjo, he was actually an innovator within a broader tradition of three-finger banjo playing. Predating bluegrass, it was made famous by banjo players from the hills and mountains of the Carolinas, all of whom had their own personal takes on the style. In addition to Scruggs, these pioneers included Wade Mainer, Smith Hammett, Snuffy Jenkins, and Don Reno.
In 1948, when Don Reno heard that Earl Scruggs had left Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, he took his banjo to a concert that the band was giving in North Carolina, and without invitation or warning, joined them on stage. Monroe welcomed him, and for the next year Don toured as a Blue Grass Boy.
Though playing banjo for the Blue Grass Boys was in many ways a dream gig for a young musician, leaving that band cleared the way for Reno to form the band in which he would find the greatest success, his partnership with fellow Carolina mountain musician and veteran Red Smiley.

Mary Jane Queen Preserved a Family Tradition of Songs and Stories Dec 10, 2019

In Jackson County, North Carolina, the Queen family has long played, sung, and shared the music of their native home. The matriarch of the Queen family was Mary Jane Queen. Her father, James Sylvester Prince, born in 1876, was known as a great banjo player. Mary Jane also absorbed many old songs from her singing grandmothers, and one of her brothers was said to be the first person in the Caney Fork section of Jackson County to own a guitar. Though the old music was always in Mary Jane Queen’s memory, it wasn’t until later in life, after she’d raised eight children and become a widow, that she began to focus on singing and sharing the old songs that she’d grown up with.

David Holt Shares Blue Ridge Mountain Music with the World Nov 07, 2019

It all began when David Holt was a college student at UC Santa Barbara. At a campus concert, he heard Ralph Stanley play the clawhammer banjo, the driving style Ralph’s mother played. After the show, David approached Ralph and asked him, “where can I learn to play the banjo like that?” Ralph told him, “You’ll have to go back to the Southern Mountains where I grew up. Go to Virginia go to North Carolina.” That’s just what David Holt did.

Lillian Chase Fiddles a Smooth Mountain Blend of Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Aug 30, 2019

Fiddler Lillian Chase is young–she was born in 2003–but she is the steward of a centuries-old musical tradition of her native Blue Ridge Mountains. Raised in a family that has been living in the mountains for six generations, Lillian had an early ear for Appalachian music. At the age of four she decided that she wanted to play the fiddle, and two years later, began to learn the instrument. Now an accomplished musician in a variety of genres – including old-time, bluegrass, and classical – Lillian exemplifies the stylistic versatility for which musicians around Asheville, North Carolina, are known.

Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Celebrates Fifty Years of Music and Dance Aug 30, 2019

Back in 1969, while still a college student, Joe Sam Queen, grandson of legendary dancer Sam Love Queen, was asked by the town of Waynesville to call a square dance on the streets of downtown. The square dance became the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival and this Labor Day weekend, in 2019, it celebrates 50 years.

Fiddler Carley Arrowood Lends Her Voice to Mountain Music Aug 22, 2019

It’s not unusual for a mountain musician to be a part of several different musical traditions. A Blue Ridge fiddler might play in a mountain swing session on Friday night, sit in with an old-time band playing for a square dance on Saturday night, and sing in the church choir on Sunday morning. In this respect, Carley Arrowood is in good company. But Carley stands out in her youth: few artists as young as she have already mastered so many genres. She plays, sings, and writes bluegrass and gospel music, and was a classical performer as a child.

Rhiannon Ramsey Exemplifies the Next Generation of Fiddlers Jun 27, 2019

Recent years have seen a blossoming of interest in mountain music among musicians who were born in the 1990s and 2000s. Among the youngest of this cohort, North Carolina fiddler Rhiannon Ramsey epitomizes a blend of great musical chops and continuation of mountain traditions. Her native Madison County is famously musical, a place that the early ballad collector Cecil Sharp referred to as “a nest of singing birds.” She leads her own band, Rhiannon and the Relics, and in 2018 she joined the Stony Creek Boys, a band that has been an anchor of Asheville’s traditional music community for more than fifty years.

Zoe and Cloyd Bring Varied Family Traditions to Mountain Music Jun 17, 2019

The husband-and-wife duo of Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller perform under their middle names. Zoe and Cloyd represents not only the partnership between Natalya and John, but a coming-together of two families’ musical traditions. Natalya is the daughter of a jazz pianist, and the granddaughter of a Russian klezmer musician. She herself plays klezmer and classical as well as mountain music. John is the grandson of Jim Shumate, a North Carolina Heritage Award recipient who made pioneering recordings as a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys and Flatt and Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys.

Raymond Fairchild Creates His Own Style of Playing the Banjo Apr 01, 2019

Bluegrass banjo player Raymond Fairchild of Haywood County, North Carolina, embodies the spirit of originality found in many of the best mountain musicians. He has always done things his own way. His “Fairchild” style has gained countless admirers over the course of a long music career. Raymond has played many times at the Grand Ole Opry, and recorded more than 20 albums—two of which have sold more than a million copies each.

Railroad Tunnel to Asheville Ends in Triumph and Tragedy Mar 22, 2019

In 1941, the famed folklorist and field recorder Alan Lomax, along with two colleagues, recorded a banjo player from the Blue Ridge Mountains named Bascom Lamar Lunsford. One of the songs he recorded in 1941, “Swannanoa Tunnel,” tells a very local story about a universal theme – the human cost of progress.

Mountain music has deep roots in British Isles Feb 12, 2019

The music of the Southern Appalachians is a melting pot of diverse styles and people. Settlers from the British Isles and Germany came here in the 18th century with their string music and balladry, shaping the sounds.

Appalachian dulcimer makes sweet mountain music Feb 04, 2019

Think of traditional mountain music and many fans will hear the sweet sounds of the Appalachian or lap dulcimer, which was developed in the Southern Highlands. Fans love it since one lesson can let you strum out simple melodies.

Cane Mill Road Carries on Deep Gap Legacy Dec 10, 2018

Deep Gap, NC, is known around the world as the home of the legendary Doc and Merle Watsons. Now the rising bluegrass band Cane Mill Road is carrying on the legacy. Born in the new millennium, fiddler and mandolinist Liam Purcell immersed in mountain music through the after school Junior Appalachian Musicians program. As teenagers, Liam joined forces with Tray Wellington, a banjo player from Jefferson. They are joined by two more rising stars of mountain music, bass player Eliot Smith of Watauga County and Southwest Virginia guitarist Casey Lewis.

Primitive Quartet Grew Out of a Fishing Trip Dec 03, 2018

The Primitive Quartet began in 1973, when two sets of brothers, Reagan and Larry Riddle and Furman and Norman Wilson, carried a guitar and mandolin with them on a fishing trip to Fontana Lake. The boys all sang at home and in church, but that night in Graham County was when they first sang in four-part harmony. After the fishing trip, with the encouragement of their parents and pastor, they began to sing together at area churches. They ultimately called themselves the Primitive Quartet, in honor of the old-time gospel singing that inspires them. They host the Hominy Valley Homecoming every Fourth of July weekend, and afternoon Fall Color Singing gospel concerts on October weekends at Hominy Valley Singing Grounds in Candler.

Brown Mountain Lights Captured in Popular Song Oct 15, 2018

In a state known for its wealth of eerie legends, few mysteries are as enduring or as puzzling as the Brown Mountain Lights of western North Carolina where strange glowing orbs have been seen. When the early country music star Scotty Wiseman was growing up in the North Carolina mountains, his uncle told him one version of the legend. The lights were said to come from a lantern carried by the ghost of an enslaved man, searching for his master lost on the mountain. In the 1940s, Scotty wrote his song “Brown Mountain Light." The song took off when South Carolina singer Tommy Faile performed it on Arthur Smith's “Carolina Calling” show on Charlotte's WBTV.

George Shuffler Pioneered Cross-Picking Style Oct 09, 2018

George Shuffler is best known for the more than twenty years that he spent playing with bluegrass legends Carter and Ralph Stanley. He’s sometimes even referred to as the third Stanley
Brother. George’s skill as a harmony singer enabled the band to perform hair-raising songs as a vocal trio, and his instrumental contributions, both on the bass and guitar, forever changed the sound of bluegrass music.
Shuffler pioneered a guitar playing technique known as cross-picking.

Arvil Freeman Plays His Distinctive Fiddle Style Oct 01, 2018

Master fiddler Arvil Freeman of Madison County has married elements of old-time and bluegrass in his distinctive “long-bow” style of playing. As a veteran performer and a longtime teacher, Arvil was honored with the 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award, the state’s highest honor for traditional artists.

Nina Simone Got Her Start in North Carolina Sep 24, 2018

Nina Simone became one of the iconic singers of jazz and soul of the 1960s and a strong voice for Civil Rights. She got her start in her hometown of Tryon, N.C, playing piano and singing in her church choir.

Glenn and Lula Bolick Carry On Music, Craft Tradition Jun 13, 2018

Glenn and Lula Bolick of Caldwell County are 2018 winners of the N.C. Heritage Award, the state’s highest honor for traditional artists. Lula is a member of the Owens family of Piedmont potters. Glenn grew up in a family whose heritage of music-making, sawmilling, and storytelling goes back generations. He carries on all three arts today, in addition to the pottery-making that he learned from Lula and her family.

Marsha Todd Makes Her Mark in Mountain Music Jun 05, 2018

Many of today’s outstanding old-time and bluegrass musicians carry on longstanding family traditions. One such artist is multi-instrumentalist and flatfoot dancer Marsha Bowman Todd. A musician all her life, Marsha is one of the leading lights of the legendary musical community of Mount Airy, N.C.

Chester McMillian Is Guitar Legend in Mount Airy May 30, 2018

Chester McMillian is a legend of old-time guitar in Mount Airy, NC, playing the distinctive Round Peak music of Surry County for decades. Chester grew up in a family of musicians, and started playing early in life, when his father helped him make a cigar-box guitar.

Olla Belle Reed Brought Bluegrass to Baltimore May 18, 2018

Ola Belle Campbell was just a teenager in 1934 when her family moved from Ashe County, NC, to Maryland, but she was already a skilled mountain banjo player and singer. At her first radio gig in 1939, Ola Belle sang the “St. Louis Blues. Her voice overpowered the broadcasting equipment and knocked the station off the air. In 1949 she became Ola Belle Reed when she married country musician Bud Reed. Their influence is still felt in the thriving bluegrass scene around Baltimore.

How Doc Watson Found Success in '60s Apr 16, 2018

Doc Watson spent much of the 1950s playing electric guitar in a country and western dance band. In 1960 he switched to acoustic guitar and banjo. Just as the folk music revival was sweeping college campuses, he made his recording, "Old Time Music At Clarence Ashley's" and his career took off . Doc talked about this time in an interview with David Holt for the "Legacy" box set.

Doc Watson Recalls Mountain Childhood Apr 03, 2018

Arthel Lane Watson, better known as "Doc," grew up on Osborne Mountain in Watauga County, NC. Doc lost his sight to an eye infection before the age of one but he would grow up to become the most celebrated Appalachian musician ever. Doc talked about his childhood in an interview with David Holt, included on the 2001 Legacy box set.

Clarence 'Tom' Ashley Rediscovered in Folk Revival Mar 26, 2018

Clarence “Tom” Ashley, a banjo player and guitarist from Mountain City, Tennessee, got his start in the medicine show circuit in the late 20s, but was “rediscovered” in the Folk Revival of the 1960s. Ashley’s famous solo recordings are “Dark Holler Blues” and its flip-side, “The Coo-Coo Bird,” both eerie clawhammer banjo performances recorded in 1929. In the 1960s, Ashley recorded with Doc Watson, then at the beginning of his career. Their record on the Folkways label, “Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley’s,” remains a classic.

Ray Hicks Made Folktales Come Alive Mar 19, 2018

Ray Hicks grew up on a hardscrabble mountain farm on Beech Mountain. From his grandfather, young Hicks learned a dozen Jack tales, part of the rich storytelling tradition of the Appalachians. Standing nearly seven feet tall and illustrating his stories with animated expressions and gestures, Hicks was naturally engaging teller of tales. Alan Lomax once called him “the greatest of all American folktale tellers.” Ray Hicks received the National Heritage Award in 1983.

Frank Proffitt Sang Murder Ballad 'Tom Dooley' Mar 13, 2018

In 1938, Frank Proffitt of Beech Mountain recorded the song “Tom Dooley.” The murder ballad tells the true-life tale of a Civil War love triangle that ended in the death of a young Wilkes County, N.C., woman named Laura Foster, and the hanging of Tom Dula for her murder.Twenty years later, the Kingston Trio recorded their own version, helping launch the Folk Revival of the 1960s. The album sold more than 3 million copies. Soon people all across the country were singing this song from the North Carolina hills.

Charlie Poole Pioneered Piedmont Banjo Style Mar 07, 2018

One of the pioneers of country music, Charlie Poole was born in 1892 in Franklinville, a small town in Randolph County, N.C. He played the banjo from an early age, and developed a distinctive three-finger style to compensate for a baseball injury. Poole was famous for his rough and rowdy ways, and you can hear the voice of experience when he sings songs of drinking and rambling. With his band the North Carolina Ramblers he made dozens of records between 1925 and 1930, mostly for Columbia Records.

Round Peak Artists Shaped Old-Time Sound Feb 23, 2018

Surry County’s Round Peak area, and the surrounding communities between Mount Airy, N.C., and Galax, Va., have shaped the sound of Old-Time music heard across the nation and around the world. Two of the best-known members of this tradition were Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham. During the old-time music revival of the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, young musicians from all over visited Tommy and Fred and their fellow Round Peak artists, learning their tunes and enjoying their warm welcome.

What are the Blue Ridge Music Trails? Dec 08, 2017

Throughout this series, we’ve invited you to journey down the road with us on the highways
and byways that make up the Blue Ridge Music Trails. But just what and where are these roads
that we’re traveling? The music of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains includes old-
time string band music and bluegrass, blues, ballads, and gospel traditions, and the ancient
songs and instrumental music of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. The Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina brings recognition to hundreds of traditional music venues and events held year round in Western North Carolina.

Breaking Up Christmas Nov 27, 2017

In the Blue Ridge, the Christmas season was celebrated for days on end, with gatherings of family and friends, good food, and lots of music. This was especially true in the area known as Round Peak, around Mount Airy, N.C., and Galax, Va. The tradition was called Breaking Up Christmas, and December 25th was just the beginning.

Cherokee Hymnbook Keeps Language Alive Nov 20, 2017

In 1821, Sequoyah singlehandedly created a syllabary, or writing system, for his people, the Cherokee Indians. Within a few years, the tribe’s literacy rate was far higher than their white neighbors. First published in 1829, the Cherokee Hymnbook contained the lyrics to sacred songs, written in Cherokee, using Sequoyah’s syllabary. It was a groundbreaking achievement, created for an audience who could both read Cherokee and sing by heart the tunes that went with the lyrics. Nearly two centuries later, in 2014, a new edition of the Cherokee Hymnbook was published — keeping alive both the language and the sacred music.

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