Facebook Tracking Pixel
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Mobile Logo
The Deitz Family Band

The Deitz Family Band

Oldtime musicians Sylva, NC (Jackson County)
(828) 586-8189 bassplr48@yahoo.com

The Deitz Family Band
Point of contact: Bill Deitz

Bill Deitz has played oldtime music since childhood, originally inspired to learn the guitar when he heard records of the Carter Family. He and his brother Joe both learned oldtime music while they were growing up in Jackson County. They were taught by members of their family, and they picked up a great deal on their own as well.

Bill and Joe played for years with the fiddler Harry Cagle as The Country Cousins. Cagle was the protĢ©gĢ© of North Carolina’s legendary early recording artist Samantha Bumgarner, with whom he toured.

Nowadays Bill and Joe are joined by Bill’s wife Delores and daughter Chrystal—who began to learn oldtime music as a small child—in The Deitz Family Band. They represented Appalachian musical traditions at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. In 2006, they received Western Carolina University’s prestigious Mountain Heritage Award. They continue to be an active band, playing at festivals and many other events in Western North Carolina.

Availability:

The Deitz Family are available to play oldtime music for festivals, concerts, benefits, and other events.