Music Heritage Resources
A variety of organizations, inside and outside the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, offer technical assistance, funding, archives and other resources to assist with efforts to preserve and promote the traditional music heritage of Western North Carolina.
State Resources
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
This state agency works to preserve the state's history and culture and to recognize and promote its cultural resources.
Center for Appalachian Studies – Appalachian State University
In addition to coordinating undergraduate and graduate coursework in Appalachian Studies, the Center encourages research and collaborative projects with local scholars, community groups and other organizations concerned with the region's past, present and future.
Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
The Mountain Heritage Center celebrates the natural and cultural heritage of the southern Appalachian region through exhibitions, publications and educational programs.
Collections and Archives
Appalachian State University – W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection of Belk Library
The W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection is a repository with more than 37,000 volumes of books and over 200 periodical subscriptions related to the Southern uplands, with strengths in the social sciences, regional history, folklore, music, religion, genealogy, fiction and African and Native Appalachia.
Mars Hill College – Renfro Library
The Special Collections at Renfro Library includes the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Folk Music Collection.
University of North Carolina at Asheville – D.H. Ramsey Library
The Special Collections and University Archives contain a manuscript register for Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (the nation's oldest folk festival) and Shindig on the Green.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Southern Folklife Collection
The Southern Folklife Collection is one of the nation's foremost archival resources for the study of American folk music and popular culture.
Arts Councils
North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the state's Department of Cultural Resources, provides technical assistance, resource information and grants to artists and non-profit organizations. The NC Arts Council's website includes an extensive database of artists, art organizations and related information.
Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina
Western Arts Agencies of North Carolina is a supportive peer network of 21 members representing local arts organizers and presenters in 20 counties in Western North Carolina. The group is dedicated to sharing information, technical assistance and cooperative programming to strengthen and expand the services of member agencies and promote Appalachian arts and cultural traditions. A list of member agencies is available on its website.
Alleghany County Arts Council
Sparta, NC
(336) 372-2578
georgecre@skybest.com
Arts Council of Macon County
Franklin, NC
(828) 524-7683
arts4all@dnet.net
Ashe County Arts Council
Avery Arts Council
Burke Arts Council
Caldwell Arts Council
Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes
Haywood County Arts Council
McDowell County
Madison County Arts Council
The Arts Council of Henderson County
Toe River Arts Council (Mitchell and Yancey Counties)
Transylvania County Arts Council
Watauga County Arts Council
Other Resources
Blue Ridge Music Trails
The Blue Ridge Music Trails project grew out of the Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative, a multi-state partnership of organizations, communities and individuals committed to promoting the cultural heritage of the region. Its purpose is to guide travelers to the many public settings in which Blue Ridge folk music and dance thrive today.
Carolina Gospel Association
The Association sponsors an annual series of gospel concerts at the R-S Central High School Auditorium near Rutherfordton, NC.
Carolina Music Ways Music Heritage Resource Group
This grassroots organization is dedicated to increasing awareness of the diverse music traditions of North Carolina's Northwest Piedmont (including Surry and Yadkin Counties).
James C. Harper School of Performing Arts
A community music school in Lenoir, NC.
John C. Campbell Folk School
The Folk School offers week-long and weekend classes in traditional music (dulcimer, banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica), dance and instrument building.
North Carolina Folklife Institute
A nonprofit, statewide folklife service organization located in Durham, NC. (919) 383-6040
North Carolina Folklorists Directory
The directory offers an extensive list of folklorists in North Carolina who are available to speak to community groups or to work on special projects.
North Carolina Mountain Acoustic Music Association (NCMAMA)
This nonprofit, volunteer-run and community-based organization works to foster the acoustic music culture in Western North Carolina.
Sacred Harp Singing
Resource website of the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association.
Shape Note Singing
This Western Carolina University website provide links to numerous websites with information on shape note singing.
The Christian Harmony
A schedule of events for shaped note singers and Christian harmony singers in Western North Carolina is posted on this website.
Radio Programming
The following radio stations in Western North Carolina feature traditional music from the region.
The King Pup Radio Show
Pre-recorded programs may be listened to on the website. Programs are also broadcast during the week by affiliate radio stations in North Carolina and other states.
WKBC – 800 AM – North Wilkesboro, NC
WKSK – 580 AM – West Jefferson, NC
WNCW Public Radio – 88.7 FM in Asheville, NC and 92.9 FM in Boone, NC
WPAQ – 740 AM – Mount Airy, NC
WCQS Public Radio – 88.1 FM – Asheville, NC
WWMY – 106.1 FM – Jefferson, NC
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