Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
March 22, 2007 issue
Story by David Brewer
For several years, ASU’s Appalachian Heritage Council has hosted diverse, educational and entertaining musical events. Its inaugural bluegrass showcase on Friday, March 30, at Legends will likely be no different.
Though many of the nation’s up-and-coming bluegrass stars of tomorrow grace stages throughout the High Country, the App Heritage Council’s show will call on legendary local and regional figures from surrounding counties with an emphasis on traditional bluegrass banjo and guitar styles and sounds.
The show’s lineup includes crosspicking legend George Shuffler with Laura Boosinger, The Dixie Rebels with Dan Padgett and Bruce Moody, local gospel-grass players Southern Accent, Avery County’s Bluegrass Tradition with Jason Burleson, and Rich In Tradition with Mickey Galyean. Emceeing the show will be local musician and ASU Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dave Haney.
“It’s going to be a pretty good show with a lot of interrelated ties to the early developers of bluegrass,” said Appalachian Heritage Council Advisor Whitney Coe.
While North Carolina native and bluegrass luminary Earl Scruggs may have solidified the three-finger banjo technique as an indispensable and possibly the most recognizable part of the bluegrass sound, it certainly wasn’t the only distinct instrumental style to emerge from the state’s rich stable of bluegrass talent.
Talented pickers in the hills and hollers developed many other techniques that continue to play equally important roles in the sounds of regional and national talent.
According to Watauga Arts Council Folklorist Mark Freed, bluegrass guitarist and showcase performer George Shuffler “virtually invented” the crosspicking guitar style, as well as helping to develop the walking bass. Coming to prominence while performing his crosspicking style with Ralph and Carter Stanley for more than 20 years, Shuffler’s unique picking continues to influence untold numbers of bluegrass guitarists.
Tracing the lineage of the Bluegrass Showcase performers is like riding the tangled, interconnected back roads of the High Country and other parts of Western North Carolina. Many notable musicians of yesteryear are linked with today’s leading local and regional bluegrass talent through family, bands and musical traditions.
A close friend of Scruggs who picked up the three-finger style early on, Dixie Rebels banjoist Dan Padgett performed the daunting task of filling his friend’s famed shoes when Earl was unable to play at a handful of Flatt & Scruggs concerts many years ago.
The Rebels’ Bruce Moody is the son of guitarist Clyde Moody, one of the original members of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys.
Joining Avery County veterans and legends Herman Coffey and Herb Green’s Bluegrass Traditions for the showcase, Newland native and multi-instrumentalist Jason Burleson is the founding banjoist of bluegrass supergroup Blue Highway.
Hard driving North Carolina-Virginia band Rich In Tradition features member guitarist Mickey Galyean, son of the great bluegrass banjo player and singer, Cullen Galyean.
Tickets for the bluegrass showcase cost $5 for students and $7 for the general public. Purchase tickets at the Plemmons Student Union information desk or by clicking www.apps.appstate.edu. Doors for the all-ages, alcohol free event open at 7:00 p.m. The show starts at 8:00 p.m.
For more info, click to www.legends.appstate.edu, or email chair Susan Pepper at sp70022@appstate.edu.
Date: Friday, March 30
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Legends
Cost: $5 for students/$7 for general public