The Kruger Brothers have brought to American music a vast musical range and versatility of vision. Through their association with Doc Watson and MerleFest, they’ve built a conscious fusion of the bluegrass and Appalachian music they came to America to […]
The musical range and versatility of vision the Kruger Brothers have brought to American music, from the bluegrass and Appalachian music they came to America to grow with, through their association with Doc Watson and Merlefest, to their building of […]
When English, Irish and Scottish settlers moved into Appalachia, they brought an ancient form of music with them – the ballad. The isolated mountains drew song collectors like Englishman Cecil Sharp. In Madison County, Sharp collected several hundred songs – […]
For generations, fiddles and banjos have played a role in the music of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In turn, musicians who are Cherokee, or of Cherokee descent, have helped shape the sound of bluegrass and old-time music. The […]
Shaped note singing, a new form of sacred music, swept through the Blue Ridge Mountains at the dawn of the 19th century, using triangles, ovals and even half-moons to correspond to the notes of the familiar do-re-mi-fal-sol musical scale. In […]
Fiddlers’ conventions have been going on in the South for over a century. Today you can find some of the very best fiddlers’ conventions here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Since 1972, musicians have been converging on the town of […]
For generations, fiddles and banjos have been a part of the musical heritage of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In turn, musicians who are Cherokee, or of Cherokee descent, have been an important part of the story of bluegrass […]
When most people think of mountain music, banjos, ballads or bluegrass come to mind, but the Blue Ridge is home to a rich blues tradition that dates back generations, and is still played today. The “Down the Road on the […]
In the Blue Ridge, you can find people gathered on any day of the week to play mountain music. Whether on a front porch or a festival ground, the most basic unit of mountain music is the jam session. Here’s […]
Every April in the North Carolina mountains and foothills, we look forward to MerleFest, an annual gathering of many of the best roots musicians in America. Begun in memory of Doc Watson’s late son Merle, who performed with his father for […]
