Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

November 2, 2006 issue

MerleFest Announces Lineup
for 20th Anniversary Festival

Story by David Brewer

With 174 days remaining until throngs of music fans descend on Wilkesboro, it may seem much too early to start thinking about MerleFest. However, it’s hard not to get excited when festival organizers release the initial list of performers for the 2007 festival.

Those joining Doc Watson and Merle’s son Richard Watson for the festival’s twentieth consecutive year will include the usual magnificent mix of living legends, familiar faces, first-timers and rising stars. While some choices may seem odd, MerleFest’s musical vision continues to expand deep into the burgeoning, diverse Americana genre.

In addition to performances by those with their star on the rise, finals of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest for 2007 will take place at MerleFest on April 27. Entries must be received by March 4, 2007. For more entry information, call 800-799-3838 or click to www.merlefest.org/SongwritingContest or www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongcontest.

Contests for guitar, banjo and mandolin will also take place over the course of the weekend. Twenty contestants will be randomly picked from those who register at the festival beginning approximately 90 minutes before the start of each contest.

For those who want to get ahead and get their tickets early, MerleFest 2007 tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, November 14 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by clicking to www.merlefest.org, by phoning 1-800-343-7857, by faxing 336-838-6263 and by mailing MerleFest, P.O. Box 120, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.  

Those interested in volunteering for MerleFest should call 336-838-6414. For vendor info, call 336-838-6292 and for sponsorship inquiries, call 336-838-6423.

 

 

2007 MerleFest Lineup

Blue Highway

Sam Bush

Cherryholmes

Elvis Costello

John Cowan Band

Donna The Buffalo

Jerry Douglas

Jim Lauderdale 

The Duhks

Béla Fleck

Paul Geremia

John Hammond

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Del McCoury Band

Nashville Bluegrass Band

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet

Darrell Scott

Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

Pam Tillis

The Waybacks

Red Stick Ramblers

The Carolina Chocolate Drops

Forget-Me-Nots

Robinella

The Worthless Son-In-Laws

Orville Hicks

Susana & Timmy Abell

RG Absher & Extra Measure

Alberti Flea Circus

The Belleville Outfit

Ira Bernstein

Spencer Bohren

Roy Book Binder

Laura Boosinger

T. Michael Coleman

Crooked Still

Deer Clan Singers

Dixie Dawn

Robert Dotson

Benton Flippen Band

The Flowers Family

Pat Flynn

Ruthie Foster

Gospel Jubilators

Mitch Greenhill

Buddy Greene

Dianne Hackworth

George Hamilton IV

Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz

Bob Hill

Willette Hinton & the Hinton Family Band

Clint Howard

The Infamous Stringdusters

The InterACTive Theater of Jef

Reverend Robert Jones

Jack Lawrence

Mark Lippard

Jeff Little

Brack Llewellyn

The Local Boys

The Lonesome Sisters

The Lovell Sisters

Bill Mathis

Thomas Maupin

Andy May

Curly Miller & Carole Ann Rose

NC Thumb and Finger Style Guitar Players, Inc.

Dirk Powell Band

Roan Mountain Hilltoppers

Jim Rooney

Tom Sauber

Shana Banana

Larry Skipper

Joe Smothers

Steep Canyon Rangers

Tut Taylor

Joe Thompson & Bob Carlin

Toubab Krewe

Happy Traum

Uncle Earl

Charles Welch

Pete & Joan Wernick

Cyndi Wheeler

Wilkes Playmakers

Tony Williamson