Performer Bios

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Doc Watson

Say the words “Doc Watson” and you have uttered the name of a legend.  At 88 years old, Doc has had a long and exceedingly successful career.  Among the many highlights of his career, he received the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988, the National Medal of the Arts in 1997 awarded by President Bill Clinton and the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Doc is not your typical 88 year old though.  He has the heart of a lion and a spirit that is limitless.  After such a distinguished career, musicians usually take a well-deserved rest in retirement, but Doc just couldn’t stay put.  He has continued touring with his grandson and friends, playing shows at grand music festivals and at small intimate venues that allow him to show even more of his personality and interact with the audience.

Tearing up the guitar is not Doc’s only passion, however.  He is also deeply devoted to the breath-taking nature in the region from which he hails.  As an advocate for green and environmental efforts and sustainable development, Doc pays homage to the beauty of this area.

Doc Watson will be sharing his music and his heart with MusicFest again this year, and hopefully for many years to come.

Doc Watson, Richard Watson, and Charles Welch perform Friday at 9:10 p.m. and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on the Main Stage.

The Kruger Brothers

Born and raised in Europe, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger started singing and playing instruments at a very young age. Growing up in a family where music was an important part of life, they were exposed to a wide diversity of abiding musical influences. The brothers were performing regularly by the time they were 11 and 12 years old, and they began their professional career in 1979. Joel Landsberg, a native of New York City who also had a very extensive musical upbringing, joined the brothers in the early 90s and together they established the incomparable sound that the trio is known for today.

Since a formal introduction to American audiences in 1997, their remarkable facility with their instruments and unique take on the American Songbook have made the Kruger Brothers a fixture within the world of acoustic music. Although initially staying fairly close to a traditional repertoire, the group later turned to song writing and composition in order to draw more closely from their personal experiences. The result is a catalog of songs distinguished by rich detail and an insight into the delicacy and complexity of everyday life. The honesty of their writing has since become a hallmark of the trio’s work.

The Kruger Brothers personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition. Their original music, composed by Jens Kruger, is crafted around their discerning taste, and the result is unpretentious, cultivated, and delightfully fresh.

The Kruger Brothers were awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for “Music from the Spring,” a symphonic suite composed and orchestrated by Jens Kruger, which premiered in 2007. In late 2010, the Kruger Brothers premiered the “Appalachian Concerto,” a concerto for banjo, bass, guitar, and string quartet. In addition to their regular concert schedule they perform these pieces regularly with select symphony orchestras and string quartets throughout the country.

Through their numerous CD releases, radio and television performances, lectures, and collaborative efforts, the Kruger Brothers powerful artistic statement inspires and enlightens.

The Kruger Brothers perform Friday at 6:40 p.m. and Saturday at 6:45 p.m on the Main Stage. They are also hosting a workshop with Bob Kogut on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Historic Cove Creek School Red Raider Room.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops

In the summer and fall of 2005, three young black musicians, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson, made the commitment to travel to Mebane, N.C., every Thursday night to sit in the home of old-time fiddler Joe Thompson for a musical jam session. Joe was in his 80’s, a black fiddler with a short bowing style that he inherited from generations of family musicians. He had learned to play a wide-ranging set of tunes sitting on the back porch with other players after a day of fieldwork. Now he was passing those same lessons on to a new generation.

When the three students decided to form a band, they didn’t have big plans. It was mostly a tribute to Joe, a chance to bring his music back out of the house again and into dance halls and public places. They called themselves The Chocolate Drops as a tip of the hat to the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, three black brothers,  Howard, Martin and Bogan Armstrong, who lit up the music scene in the 1930’s. Honing and experimenting with Joe’s repertoire, the band often coaxed their teacher out of the house to join them on stage. Joe’s charisma and charm regularly stole the show.

Being young and living in the 21st century, the Chocolate Drops first hooked up through a Yahoo group, Black Banjo: Then and Now (BBT&N) hosted by Tom Thomas and Sule Greg Wilson. Dom was still living in Arizona, but in April 2005, when the web-chat spawned the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, N.C., he flew east and ended moving to the Piedmont where he could get at the music first hand. Joe Thompson’s house was the proof in the pudding.

The Chocolate Drops started playing around, rolling out the tunes wherever anyone would listen. From town squares to farmer’s markets, they perfected their playing and began to win an avid following of foot-tapping, sing-along, audiences. In 2006, they picked up a spot at the locally-based Shakori Hills Festival where they lit such a fire on the dance tent floor that Tim and Denise Duffy of the Music Maker Relief Foundation came over to see what was going on. Rhiannon remembers being skeptical when this local Hillsborough, N.C., guy with a goofy smile and a roster of old blues musicians offered to take them on and promote their music. The band was still figuring out who they were and Duffy was offering to house them with people like Algie Mae Hinton, musicians who were not pretenders to a tradition, but the real thing.

The connection turned out to be a great match. While the young “Drops” were upstarts in a stable of deep tradition, they were also the link between past and future. They began to expand their repertoire, taking advantage of what Dom calls “the novelty factor” to get folks in the door and then teaching and thrilling them with traditional music that was evolving as they performed. They teased audiences with history on tunes like “Dixie”, the apparent Southern anthem that musicologists suggest was stolen by the black-face minstrel Dan Emmert from the Snowden family, black Ohio musicians who missed their warm, sunny home. The “Drops” gave new energy to old tunes like John Henry and Sally Ann, adding blues songs, Gaelic acappella, and flat-footing to the show.

The band moved up through the festival circuit, from the Mt. Airy Fiddler’s Convention to MerleFest. They shared the stage with their new fan, Taj Mahal, and traveled to Europe. In 2007, they appeared in Denzel Washington’s film, The Great Debators and joined Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion.  In 2008, they received an invitation to play on the Grand Ole Opry. “The Drops were the first black string band to play the Opry,” Duffy notes. “The Opry has a huge black following but you don’t see that on stage.” Opry host, Marty Stewart, pronounced the performance a healing moment for the Opry.

Off-stage, the connection to Music Maker Relief Foundation meant a place to record. In 2007, Music Maker issued Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind and, in 2009, Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson. In 2010, with the release of their Nonesuch recording, Genuine Negro Jig, the group confirms its place in the music pantheon. With its tongue in cheek, multiple-meaning title, the album ranges boldly from Joe Thompson’s Cindy Gal to Tom Waits’ Trampled Rose and Rhiannon’s acoustic hip hop version of R&B artist Blu Cantrell’s Hit ‘Em Up Style.

Rolling Stone Magazine described the Carolina Chocolate Drops’ style as “dirt-floor-dance electricity”.  If you ask the band, that is what matters most. Yes, banjos and black string musicians first got here on slave ships, but now this is everyone’s music. It’s OK to mix it up and go where the spirit moves.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform Saturday at 7:40 on the Main Stage.

Shannon Whitworth

Waters run deep in Shannon Whitworth’s soul. A daughter of South Carolina’s low country, it’s to the water that she returns when she needs respite from the wearisome world. So it’s understandable the theme of water surfaces in her songs so often; these are women who run, women who hope, women who love the wrong man, and when true love is present, women who return. They are Water Bound.

The first thing that you notice about Shannon Whitworth is the voice—smoky, elegant, a bit husky, patient at all the right moments and equally adept at the phrasing of a jazz chanteuse; it’s no wonder she’s garnered comparisons to singers from Patsy Cline to Billie Holiday, as well as contemporaries like Neko Case.

Shannon Whitworth was born in Virginia, but moved to South Carolina almost immediately after birth. Her father was an educator and a music lover. He and her mother filled the Whitworth house with music, and Shannon’s early years echoed with the songs of those that she considers some of the writers who framed her melodic sensibilities: Paul Simon, James Taylor, John Prine and Crosby Stills, Nash & Young. Moving back to Virginia in her teenage years, she was able to plug into the Northern Virginia music scene. She eventually found her way to North Carolina, where she was a founding member of the Biscuit Burners, the bluegrass band that brought her prodigious talents to the attention of the music world. After appearances on the BBC and PBS, Whitworth left the band to pursue a broader musical vision. She released her first solo album No Expectations in 2007. Whitworth has finally settled in North Carolina on a piece of land where three rivers meet.

Whitworth’s album “Water Bound” carries with it the promise of heading toward something better—a promise that Shannon Whitworth and her beautiful new album deliver in spades.

Shannon Whitworth performs Friday at 6:45 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Sweetbriar Jam

In August of 2005, Flemings Chapel Baptist Church had a “talent show.” Sawyer Whitman was 11 years old, Dalton Caldwell was 9, and Nick Seymour was 8. They had been playing their instruments for over a year and decided that it was time to combine their efforts for the talent show. They played “Old Joe Clark”, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Little Darlin’ Pal of Mine” and they were well received.

Thus, the Good Ol’ Boys of Lenoir bluegrass band was launched. Over time and many “gigs,” the guys thought it would be cool to include the two youngest boys’ sisters on some of the songs because they were coming along in their own musical talents. Katie Caldwell, Dalton’s twin sister had been playing the bass fiddle since March of 2007 and Sarah Seymour, Nicholas’s 8-year-old sister had been playing the fiddle since May 2006. Presently, the girls play full time with the guys and this band has become “Sweetbriar Jam,” a good combination of some great young people.

Sweetbriar Jam performs Friday at 6:40 p.m. on the Solar Stage and Saturday at 11:40 a.m on the Main Stage.

Cockman Family

The Cockman Family Bluegrass Gospel Group is made up of four brothers, their sister and their Dad. They sing because they believe that God has given them this talent to glorify Him.

The Cockmans have a unique bluegrass gospel style. Their harmonies, original songs and original arrangements of the old gospel songs have been immensely popular with their audiences. Fans love their family-style entertainment as well. As the family continues to grow, the grandchildren are also joining in on the tradition. They love to sing and they love the Lord. Their family ties are strong, and the warmth of that is conveyed in their performances.

The Cockman Family is featured in an hour-long PBS television program entitled “Maker of the Stars: A Cockman Family Christmas.” The special is shown on American Public Television.  They are also known in North Carolina as cast members on a series of seven, one hour PBS television specials, “The Arthur Smith Show, Now & Then.” They also appeared on “George Beverly Shea and Friends,” also produced by PBS.

The Cockman Family has been nominated for Bluegrass Artists of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year and Bluegrass Band of the Year by the Country Gospel Music Association (CGMA), and for Gold Cross Bluegrass Group of the Year by the International Country Gospel Music Association. The Cockman Family was selected as one of “The 12 Most Creative Families In America” by American Greetings Cards and USA Today Weekend. The Cockman Family is listed in the North Carolina Arts Council for North Carolina Touring and Resident Artist Directory, and has produced a concert video that is aired regularly on the SET (Southern Entertainment Television) 24 hour satellite gospel programming network and other local TV stations around the country.

The Cockman Family performs Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Snyder Family Band

Snyder Family Band from Lexington, NC, features eleven year old Samantha on fiddle and fifteen year old Zeb on guitar. They are joined by their father Bud on upright bass. Their mother Laine often joins them on stage to sing three part harmony. Five year old Owen makes occasional stage appearances singing and entertaining the crowd.

Samantha began playing classical violin at age three in the Suzuki method.  By age four she was playing duets with Zeb, who was learning classical guitar.  At age seven she made the transition to bluegrass by taking fiddle lessons and in 2007 she won first place at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. The prize was a fiddle made by luthier and fiddler Jimmy Edmonds.  In 2008, at age nine, she became the youngest ever to win the prestigious Fiddler of the Festival award at Fiddler’s Grove in Union Grove, NC, home of the oldest fiddler’s competition in North America.  Along with playing fiddle, Samantha enjoys singing lead and harmony vocals.

Zeb began classical guitar lessons at age seven.  He broadened his interest to include bluegrass at age eleven and entered a new phase that brought him to his favorite style of playing the guitar – flat-picking. Zeb has won many guitar competitions since he began flat-picking.  In March of 2011, he won the top prize, a Gerald Anderson guitar, at RenoFest making him the South Carolina Guitar Champion.  Along with playing guitar, Zeb plays mandolin, banjo, and sings lead and harmony vocals.

The Snyder Family Band performs Saturday at 2:20 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Elkville String Band

Elkville String Band plays traditional country roots music, or “The Wilkes County Sound” as they like to call it. They like to play the songs that came out of Wilkes County, N.C. and Virginia, West Virginia and East Tennessee. Elkville likes to refer to these areas as “where the real music came from.” Some of the songs they do date back to the early 1800′s. Some are not nearly that old but date back to the 50′s and 60′s. Elkville String Band plays old time, bluegrass, traditional, gospel and even a blues tune now and then.

Herb Key, Jim Lloyd, Trevor McKenzie, and Bill Williams of the Elkville String Band are committed to keeping mountain music alive for future generations to enjoy.

Elkville String Band performs Saturday at 5:05 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Amantha Mill

Amantha Mill is a community oriented folk/bluegrass act that is based out of Boone, North Carolina. They derived their name from the small mill community of Amantha, NC.  The original mill that they are named after washed away many years ago in a flood, but if you’re driving through Cove Creek you can still see part of its footing.

As a songwriter, Becca Eggers-Gryder draws from a deep well, incorporating her strongly crafted lyrics into sounds that skirt country, bluegrass and blues, while maintaining the essence of down-home living in her songs. Becca’s unique voice transforms her original tunes into gritty story songs about the human experience. Billy Helms joins on the banjo, Randy Pasley on dobro, and John Cockman on the fiddle.

Amantha Mill peforms Friday at 4:10 p.m. on the Main Stage and Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Doc and Merle Watson Folk Art Museum inside of the Historic Cove Creek School.

Rye Holler Boys

The Rye Holler Boys Bluegrass and Gospel Band is a group of four young boys who acquired a love for the traditional sound of bluegrass and gospel music at very early ages. The group consists of Alan King, 18, who plays banjo and bass and is the emcee for the group, his younger brother Adam King,  17, plays the mandolin and bass and contributes vocals, Will Howell, 17, is the lead singer, plays the guitar and bass.  Jacob Jones, 17,  plays the bass, banjo, fiddle and contributes vocals.  Jacob also amazes the audience with his ability to play the banjo “Clawhammer Style”.

Their style, appearance, and ability to bring a smile from the youngest to the oldest is remarkable.  The band has many fans of all ages who follow and support them in every way.  The boys idols are  bluegrass legends, such as Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Raymond Fairchild, Dr. Ralh Stanley.  They also love the music of Dailey and Vincent, The Grascals, Goldwing Express and many others.  The Rye Holler Boys keep a very busy schedule traveling to the festivals such as Adams and Anderson Bluegrass Festivals, Graves Mountain, and many other larger longer running venues.  They also play and support their community by playing in local churches, schools, and community events.  They are excited to be playing this year at the 14th annual Sugar Grove Music Festival in Boone, NC.  They are all very talented and dedicated to keeping  this music that they love “Alive”. One of their highlights this year is taking the stage with pioneer and legend Earl Scruggs.  They have also opened for groups such as The Issacs, Sawyer Brown, and Little Roy Lewis.  They firmly believe with the help of God and the wonderful people that they have met along the way that they can accomplish their goal of making their dreams come true.

Upright N’ Breathin’

It all started at a secret downtown Boone location, the legendary jam room in Ben Smith’s basement. Ben knew a mandolin player named Jeff Moretz, and they invited John Sheffield over to play some fiddle tunes. John invited Brian Kreher, and from the first night they all played together, they knew something special was happening. It was on. They booked a weekly gig and people started paying attention to their unique mountain sound. They started earning their fans, one show, and one music-lover at a time.

Since those early days of basement jams and back porches, Upright n’ Breathin’ continues to develop and evolve. Today, Jeff Moretz, Brian Kreher, Kim France, and Chris Capozzoli form the core of Upright & Breathin’.

Upright n’ Breathin’ performs Friday at 2:20 on the Solar Stage.

Lisa Baldwin and Dave Haney

Lisa Baldwin and Dave Haney play acoustic music that includes Lisa’s original songs, bluegrass, country, traditional folk, and the work of contemporary singer-songwriters.  Their debut CD, Where We Belong, was released in February 1998 and reissued in 2004 on Rackettown Music and has received considerable airplay on acoustic-oriented stations throughout the US and in Europe.  The CD has received favorable reviews in Dirty Linen, Bluegrass Unlimited, The Country Music News, and other national and regional publications.

Lisa and Dave lived in Notasulga, Alabama, from 1991 until 2001, before moving to the Boone, North Carolina area.

Dave Haney and Lisa Baldwin perform Friday at 12:30 p.m. on the Main Stage and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on the Solar Stage. They are also hosting a workshop, “Learning Through Song”, Saturday at 2:15 in the Historic Cove Creek School Red Raider Room.

Mountain Laurels

The Mountain Laurels is a band of women on wind and strings from Boone, NC. Their repertoire includes a hybrid blend of Celtic, Old English, folk, Renaissance and chamber music. Flavored by the artistry of Connie Woolard on hammered dulcimer, the stirring depths of Rhonda Lorence on violin, the bold bouquet of the flute by Blue Murrow and the rich rhythms of Elaine Gray on 12 string guitar, this ensemble has delighted audiences across the High Country. This lively group will get feet tappin’ and hearts pumpin’ with brisk jigs, reels, and hornpipes then sway listeners into a sentimental, bittersweet state with an enchanting waltz. Expect to enjoy an engaging and memorable musical experience with the Mountain Laurels.

The Mountain Laurels perform Friday at 11:50 a.m. and Saturday at 2:20 p.m. on the Solar Stage.

Spirit Fiddle

Spirit Fiddle, featuring champion fiddler Robin Warren and guitarist Brian Clancey, performs a wide variety of energetic music, ranging from bouncy Southern and Texas swing tunes to sweet waltzes, old popular songs, bluegrass numbers, French Canadian and Celtic jigs and reels, and Parisian musette.

From The Boston Museum of Fine Arts to the renowned Fiddler’s Grove Festival in Union Grove, North Carolina, from the syrup festival in Henderson, Texas, to the oldest bluegrass festival in Canada, from sidewalk cafes to coffee houses and formal concerts, audiences delight in the eclectic mix of music Spirit Fiddle performs, and in their natural sense of humor on stage. Since its first appearance over 12 years ago, Spirit Fiddle has given 100s of performances and recorded 6 full-length albums.

Teacher’s Pets

Teacher’s Pets have been playing in the Asheville area for 2 years.  They play a wide variety of styles from traditional folk tunes to modern acoustic rock.  They have a unique sound that blends traditional bluegrass instruments such as guitar, mandolin, and upright bass, with the eclectic sounds of the bouzouki, pennywhistle, and tenor violin.  Add in the beautiful vocal stylings of lead singer Madison Brown you have a sound that will appeal to music fans of all ages and walks of life.

Sound Traveler

Although Bob and Patty Tatum have expansive musical backgrounds, Sound Traveler represents a new and exciting chapter for both of them. Having performed together for the past few years with the well-known Appalachian acoustic trio, Bob & Ellie with Patty, the two embarked on a related but different musical expression. Sound Traveler features acoustic vocal and instrumental renditions of popular classics from genres as diverse as folk, rock, country, blues, light jazz, and gospel. Instrumentation includes guitar, trumpet, bass, mandolin, harmonica, concertina, and doumbek, with various other sounds added on occasion.

Sound Traveler performs Friday at 11 a.m. on the Solar Stage.

Swing Guitars

Swing Guitars is an acoustic gypsy jazz group based in Boone. The group focuses on early jazz guitar styles, with a nod to the music of Django Reinhardt, Nick Lucas, Charlie Christian and other pioneers. Their repertoire includes American swing standards, gypsy waltzes, Latin, blues and original tunes. Their instrumentation is modeled after the “Hot Club” sound: Three guitars, acoustic bass, and violin. Band members include Andy Page, Jay Brown and James Schaller on guitars, bassist Ben McPherron and violinist Chelsea Whittaker.

Swing Guitars performs Saturday at 10:50 a.m. on the Main Stage.

Boss Hawg

Boss Hawg’s home pen is the mountain town of Boone, N.C. The Hawg formed in 2003 at a party on the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The band quickly discovered that combining their contemporary rendition of traditional Appalachian mountain music with fun loving audiences produced a natural high-energy vibe that can be linked to the once-a-month barn dances from the turn of the century. But their love of bluegrass and old-time string music is only half the story. Principle songwriter Jon Davis has the ability to sing and write songs that seep of lifetimes of experiences.

Boss Hawg performs Friday at 5:05 p.m. on the Main Stage.

Eli Snuggs Band

Eli Snuggs, originally from Raleigh, N.C., has been writing and playing music since he first picked up the guitar at age 14. His dad first taught him a little riff and ever since Eli was inspired to keep playing. His influences – Nick Drake, Tallest Man on Earth, José González, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine and Ravi Shakar – have helped him create his modern acoustic folk sound. Music has always been a strong part of his life by helping him express himself. He hopes his music inspires others, whether through enjoyment or relaxation. Other than guitar, Eli plays the harmonica and ukulele, which he incorporates into his songwriting.

Eli’s friends and band mates are Joe Hawksworth, drums and percussion, Paul Chemis, keys, and Phil Kadzielawski, bass.

Eli Snuggs Band performs Friday at 12:40 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Solar Stage.

ETSU Bluegrass

ETSU Bluegrass performs Saturday at 1:25 p.m. on the Main Stage.