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Mid-Day Mountain Musicians |
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Bill and Maggie Anderson |
Whether they’re explaining how to build a guitar or play a Dobro, or singing the sweet harmonies of “Fox on the Run” so that they flow like the river in the song, Bill and Maggie Anderson are the heart and soul of American music, the music that was born in these mountains.
Following the music, they migrated to Fancy Gap from New York, and have settled in comfortably, able to give advice on local campgrounds and festivals.
You’ll find them playing from noon, or thereabouts, to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at the music center throughout the season. They set up there because Bill is an authorized Martin guitar repairman, and also builds instruments himself, including the Dobro that his wife plays and the guitars that he plays. He brin...
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Bobby Patterson and Willard Gayheart |
Bobby Patterson and Willard Gayheart
Nectars from different flowers, the sweet harmonies of Bobby Patterson and Willard Gayheart flow golden, like honey. The Galax native and the pencil artist from Hazard, Ky., (who’s been here since 1962 and says he’s “took root now – be hard to get rid of me”) have been playing music together for 40 years in various bands, but discovered a whole new depth of artistry through duet singing at the Blue Ridge Music Center.
The friends and colleagues volunteered in 2007 to entertain visitors in the breezeway on Tuesdays during the season, and have ever since used their vast storehouse of song and story to add richness to the visitor’s experience. Patterson plays banjo and...
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Jim Marshall and Friends
Hillsville, Virginia 24343
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Jim Marshall and Friends |
When Jim Marshall puts his hand to the banjo strings, audiences enjoy askill and talent that has been honed over decades of picking. Now 80 yearsold, Jim has been making music since he first picked up a guitar when he wasfive. Jim learned to play traditional tunes from musicians gathering on his front porch in the summer and fall where they came to join his father, a fiddler, in making music. Surprisingly, fiddle is about the only instrument he doesn’t play. Jim is best known as a banjo player and a songwriter who composes songs about people, places and traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains.Jim Marshall is very hospitable and often has many musicians join him on Fridays. “I invite everyone I know, and I know a lot of mus...
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Scott Freeman and Willard Gayhear
Woodlawn, Virginia 24381
Local Phone: (276) 237-2818
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Scott Freeman and Willard Gayhear |
Scott Freeman and Friends are Thursday's featured Mid-Day Mountain Music group at the Blue Ridge Music Center. Scott grew up in a rich musical area, better known as the home of Andy Griffith. Mount Airy is the home of many talented entertainers and Scott is one of Mayberry's finest. As well as being a professional musician, he is also a traditional music teacher and musical instructor for Pete Wernick, a.k.a Dr. Banjo. Scott lends his talents to many groups from The McPeak Brothers, The Crowe Brothers, TheMountain Home Bluegrass Boys, and to countless other musicians who call on Scottto help out in whatever situation. Scott is joined every Thursday by Willard Gayheart, who may be better known off the stage for his pencil drawings of trad...
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Sugarloaf Mountain Band |
Mid-Day Mountain Music with the Sugarloaf Mountain Band
Noon to 4 p.m.
In the breezewayFreeThe Sugarloaf Mountain Band was formed by friends who became acquainted at the JAM sessions in Mount Airy, NC, and is named after the Sugarloaf Mountain located in nearby Lambsburg, VA. The band plays a variety of music and has a unique sound due to the style of banjo which has both old-time and bluegrass characteristics. Band members reside in the local region and have varied backgrounds in music. It is common for band members to switch instruments during a performance. They have a strong appreciation for music and want to see the tradition continue. They have recorded a gospel CD and have performed at many locations and events.
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The Buck Mountain Band |
The Buck Mountain Band takes its name from the mountain in Grayson County near the home of Bob and Sue Taylor, the band's founders. In its original incarnation 40 or 50 years ago, the Buck Mountain Band had as its core players Wade Ward and Charlie Higgins. This new group formed in 1999 at the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention. Core band members are Bob Taylor (fiddle), Sue Taylor (guitar), Debbie Larson (bass), Larry McPeak (guitar), and Dan Peck (banjo). Alternate banjo players are Amy Boucher, Roger Wilson, and Ray Chatfield, who ably fill in when Dan is unable to make it down from Charlottesville; Katherine Higgins and Karen Carr sometimes plays bass. The band plays old-time mountain dance music and waltzes. Bob draws on a wide vari...
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The Fisher Peak Timber Rattlers 254 Foothills Road Galax, Virginia 24333 Local Phone: 276-236-3876 Email: sshenk@embarqmail.com |
The Fisher Peak Timber Rattlers |
For more than six years Stu Shenk and Brien Fain have been the core of the Fisher Peak Timber Rattlers, an old-time band, which plays Sundays in the breezeway. The pair play fiddle and banjo, demonstrating what has been the basis of old-time music for a century and a half. Visitors can sense what it was like on the porches and in the living rooms of this area when horses, mules and shoe leather were still the primary means of locomotion. Both are knowledgeable about the tunes, so listeners get the story behind the song as well.
Stu started playing the banjo in 1971 and began the fiddle the next year, learning his first tunes from Blanton Owen of the Fuzzy Mountain String Band, Oscar Wright of Lerona, W.Va., and neighbors in Summer...
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