Demonstrations
Jerry Adams
Banjo player
Madison County, NC native
Jerry Adams is descended from many generations of residents of the Laurel section of Madison County. Though he describes himself in Blue Ridge Music Trails as being "not really from a family of musicians," meaning that his parents did not play, Adams is closely related by blood and marriage to many of the county's revered traditional musicians, including Lee Wallin and Sheila Kay Adams, both cousins.
Read more about Jerry AdamsLynn Worth
Oldtime musician
Sparta, NC (Alleghany County)
Lynn Worth grew up in Ashe County, North Carolina, a hotbed for traditional old-time and bluegrass music. "I heard it growing up," Lynn says, "But I was more interested in rock-and-roll until I got out of high school."
Read more about Lynn WorthBill Williams
Bluegrass and oldtime musician
North Wilkesboro, NC (Wilkes County)
Bill Williams and his bass are a common sight at traditional music venues in and around the Wilkes County area. Bill was fortunate enough to have Wayne Henderson build him a four-string acoustic bass with a pickup installed which he plays most of the time now. For more than two decades, Bill has been picking and singing with most of the bluegrass and old-time groups and musicians from Wilkes County.
Read more about Bill WilliamsJohn Turner
Dancer
Vilas, NC (Watauga County)
John Turner has been flatfoot dancing for more than a decade, and his love for traditional music and dancing has an even longer history. He grew up in Gaston County, North Carolina. He met his wife Carol while the two were attending North Carolina State University in the early 1970s, and their first date together was attending a square dance at the Baptist Student Union on campus.
Read more about John TurnerCarol Turner
Quilter and seamstress
Vilas, NC (Watauga County)
Carol Turner has a knack for working with needles and hooks. She grew up in the Shulls Mill community of Watauga County and spent time with her grandmother and great-aunt, both of whom quilted and embroidered. "She quilted all the time," Carol says of her grandmother. "When I was a little girl, I loved it." Carol's love for quilting, knitting, crocheting, and other crafts has carried into her adult life, and she continues to stay active with her crafts.
Read more about Carol TurnerMarsha Todd
Oldtime and bluegrass musician; dancer
Mount Airy, NC (Surry County)
Marsha Todd lives and breathes the old-time and bluegrass music of the Southwest Virginia-Northwest North Carolina region. "The music is what it's all about for me," she proclaims. All her life, Marsha has traveled with her family to dances, festivals, fiddlers' conventions, and music gatherings around the region, and she has been performing since she was nine years old. Today, she performs with her parents' band, the Slate Mountain Ramblers.
Read more about Marsha ToddJoe Thrift
Violin builder and oldtime musician
Dobson, NC (Surry County)
Joe Thrift is a violin maker and fiddler who has steeped himself in all aspects of the instrument. Born in Winston-Salem, Joe grew up in a family that was sympathetic to his musical interests. His father was a pipe organ builder, and his mother an organist and choir director. In the early 1970s, Joe became interested in building instruments and playing music.
Read more about Joe ThriftEvanell Trivette Thomas
Rug hooker and quilter
Zionville, NC (Watauga County)
"What I do best is the rug hooking," says Evanell Trivette Thomas. Evanell grew up in the Beech Mountain community of Watauga and Avery Counties, and she has been involved with traditional crafts since she was a young girl. "I've been doing this more than sixty years," she says.
Read more about Evanell Trivette ThomasTut Taylor
Resonator guitar and mandolin player
Wilkesboro, NC (Wilkes County)
Known as the "flat-picking Dobro man," Tut Taylor developed his own style of resonator guitar playing using a flat pick. The list of musicians he has played with over the years is a who's-who of country and bluegrass music that includes greats such as Roy Acuff, Grandpa Jones, Norman Blake, and John Hartford. Through performances, recordings, and jam sessions, Tut has shared his style and his love of music with mountain music fans for decades. In 1996, he was named Dobro Player of the Year by the city of Tmava in Slovakia, home of the Dopyera Brothers, inventors of Dobro guitars.
Read more about Tut TaylorKilby Spencer
Oldtime musician
Crumpler, NC (Ashe County)
Kilby Spencer's oldtime music experience dates back further than he can remember. His parents, Thornton and Emily, are well-known musicians around Whitetop, Virginia, who play for dances, host jam sessions, and teach community music lessons in Southwest Virginia and Northwest North Carolina. "There were always good people coming to the house to play," says Kilby. "I missed a lot of good musicians, but I guess the music is in my head even if it's not in my memory."
Read more about Kilby Spencer
