Led by a bluegrass legend, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be featured in an all-gospel concert at the historic Slate Mt. Church in Meadows of Dan. Doyle Lawson’s contributions to bluegrass and gospel music will be further celebrated with full-bore bluegrass concerts at Southwest Virginia Community College and the Country Cabin in Norton featuring a mini-reunion with former Quicksilver members Jamie Dailey, Russell Moore and fiddler Jim Van Cleve.
The impact of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, will be presented in concerts at the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax and the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount by the “Sons of Bluegrass,†a one-time gathering of former members of Bill Monroe’s famed Bluegrass Boys. Banjoist Butch Robins, bassist Doug Hutchens, fiddler Billy Baker, and guitarist Tom Ewing helped create bluegrass music traveling and sharing the stage with Monroe over many years. They will be joined by Mike Compton of the Nashville Bluegrass Band on mandolin, whose knowledge of Monroe’s distinctive mandolin style makes him the ideal artist to join this tribute to Bill Monroe’s legacy.
The Floyd Country Store will host a sure-to-be lively concert by the Stanley Brothers All-Star Band featuring musicians whose lives and careers have been indelibly stamped by the music of Ralph and Carter Stanley. One of the most popular concerts from the 2018 Homecoming, this group of diehard Stanley music devotees includes Ralph Stanley II, Junior Sisk, Don Rigsby, Dewey Brown, Tommy Brown, and Randall Hibbitts.
The Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech will present “Remembering Doc,†an afternoon and evening where attendees and artists can share their memories of Doc Watson, an American music icon whose impact was felt in genres well beyond his native Appalachian music. Appalachian music scholar Ted Olson will give a presentation on Doc’s legacy based on his collaboration with Rounder Records on a forthcoming book and 4-CD retrospective on Doc’s life and music. The event will conclude with a concert by artists who performed with Doc and knew him as a dear friend - Doc’s longtime bassist T. Michael Coleman and guitarist Jack Lawrence will be joined by Doc’s good friends Jeff Little on piano and Wayne Henderson on guitar.
HoustonFest, one of the region's premier bluegrass and old time music festivals, is back with another stellar two day lineup of artists including Grand Ole Opry Stars Dailey & Vincent, country music legends Shenandoah, singer/songwriter Dori Freeman, the rollicking Hogslop String Band, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, and many others performing in historic Felts Park in Galax.
The Damascus Old Mill Inn will entertain visitors with a concert by bluegrass band Balsam Range, the reigning IBMA â€Entertainer of the Year.†Balsam Range has consistently been one of the most awarded groups in bluegrass since they formed in 2007.
Barely in their teens, fiddler Carson Peters and guitarist Presley Barker have already appeared on stages most artists only dream of - the Grand Ole Opry, NBC TV’s Tonight Show and Little Big Shots, MerleFest, and the Country Music Association Awards show. And they shared those stages with renowned artists like Ricky Skaggs and Brad Paisley. Carson and Presley each have their own groups, but will perform together for the Homecoming in a rare appearance at the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry College along with fellow youth string wizards Ben Marshall on bass, Austin Tate on mandolin, and Clay Russell on banjo.
Tickets for these 10 concerts are available at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11068/mountains-of-music-homecoming
More concerts and the popular culinary based festival event series will be announced later along with the many cultural events planned for the nine-day homecoming.
