Music Theory for Singers
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News
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Brings Music and Art to Earl Scruggs Music Festival with Fundraising Concert and Craft Trails Artists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Brings…
Joe Kendrick, WMOT
2025 edition of our Down the Road Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Guide
This magazine features a wealth of stories about WNC’s traditional music, the people who play it, and the places where you can experience it. Our cover story celebrates 100 years of John C Campbell Folk School’s 100th Anniversary. You’ll also learn more about various styles, players, venues, concert series, and other aspects of the WNC scene. You’ll also get access to an extensive calendar of live music events through the spring of 2026. Read the full magazine online here.
Fine Tuned CD and LP Now Available!
Fine Tuned: Volume One
The goal of Fine Tuned: Volume One is to document the hard work, dynamic energy, and lasting growth that occurred for the participants of Fine Tuned project. The album features 10 tracks from six artist grouping and offers sounds of bluegrass, old time, Cherokee, country, blues, gospel, and more.
Fine Tuned: Volume One presents the sound of WNC traditional music in 2023. Now available in vinyl and CD formats, the album brings the dynamic energy of the Fine Tuned project into your music collection!
Featured Artists
Cane Mill Road
We’ll be checking in with the current line-up of this band, now Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, when they play at Stecoah Valley Cultural Center on August 23, 2025. Tickets are still available!
This group was initially added to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Traditional Artist Directory when it was just a trio: Liam Purcell (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and clawhammer banjo), Trajan Wellington (bluegrass banjo and guitar), and Casey Lewis (guitar and vocals). Read more here.
The band has undergone several changes since then. Purcell left in 2020 to attend Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA), but he couldn’t abandon his Appalachian roots. He’s now touring with the current Cane Mill Road band: Zack Vickers (banjo), Devin Jones (guitar/mandolin), Ari Silver (guitar), and Teddy Kent (bass).
Ora Watson
Ora (Issacs) Watson was an old-time fiddler and dancer hailing from Sugar Grove in Watauga County, North Carolina. She led a music- and fun-filled life, creating a couple of female bands and joining several other groups along the way. Ora played fiddle and flatfooted from the young age of 11 until her death at the age of 97. In 1995, the North Carolina Arts Council awarded Ora Watson the North Carolina Heritage Award.
Troy Harrison
Troy Harrison, a Madison County native, is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in banjo, mandolin, and guitar, and has trained under the guidance of the old-time music great Obray Ramsey. Whether playing solo or with others, Harrison’s warmth and musical passion shine through his many performances.
Down The Road Podcasts
Storytelling in the Blue Ridge with Connie Regan-Blake – Part Two
Listen to part two of our interview with international storyteller Connie Regan-Blake. How did some stories get here? And how did Connie’s career begin?
Image: School Library Journal. November 1978.
Storytelling in the Blue Ridge with Connie Regan-Blake
Storytelling can be found across cultures. It’s been used to teach morals, share news, and entertain. In this latest episode of the Down the Road podcast, Laura Boosinger sits down with professional storyteller Connie Regan-Blake to share how storytelling jumped from personal circles (campfires, living rooms, and porches) to stages.
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New from Balsam Range
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The Nest of Singing Birds makes a splash at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival.
Nest of Singing Birds at Earl Scruggs Music Fest - Bluegrass Today
bluegrasstoday.com
The Nest of Singing Birds are ballad singers from western North Carolina who are preserving the tradition of the old lovesongs to the next generation.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT! We had a spectacular time at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend. If you weren't able to attend or watch the live stream, the Healing the Hollers session was recorded. Check out the full concert here. A huge thank you to our partners and the musicians who made this event happen. Thanks to their support and support from others, we successfully raised funds for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. You can still donate at BlueRidgeHeritage.com.
Thank you: The Bluegrass Situation, Jazz Foundation of America, Earl Scruggs Music Festival, The Earl Scruggs Center, WNCW, Unspoken Tradition, Laura Boosinger, Nest of Singing Birds, Zoe & Cloyd, Josh Goforth, and Lance Mills.
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