High Country
Jerry Smith
Oldtime musician
Jefferson, NC (Ashe County)
"I've always like old-time music," Jerry says. He grew up in Ashe County in a family that listened to a lot of mountain music. "My daddy liked it," he says. "We always listened to the Grand Ole Opry." Jerry remembers on Saturdays they would park the family pick-up truck on the top of the hill and remove the battery to power the radio. On Sunday morning, they would put the dead battery in the truck, coast it down the hill to start the engine, and drive to church, charging the battery enough for the rest of the week.
Read more about Jerry SmithKelly Sheets Snider
Oldtime musician
Boone, NC (Watauga County)
Kelly Snider was still in her mother's womb when her father, Randy Sheets, first played banjo for her. Her parents were old-time and folk musicians, and Kelly grew up surrounded by traditional mountain music. At five years old, she competed in the folk song category at the Ashe County Fiddlers Convention.
Read more about Kelly Sheets SniderDavid Sawyer
Oldtime fiddle and guitar player
Traphill, NC (Wilkes County)
"I just called it mountain music," David Sawyer says of his first memories of hearing old-time southern Appalachian string band music. "I could tell there was a real difference in the music, but I never knew what to call it back then." David eventually learned to call the music old-time, and he has spent more than two decades playing, traveling to festivals and gatherings, and hosting music parties and jams at his home and at the Stone Mountain General Store in Wilkes County.
Read more about David SawyerMarjorie Dula Roberts
Quilter
Ferguson, NC (Wilkes County)
Marjorie Dula Roberts links several generations of quilters from Wilkes County. Marjorie's mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all quilters, and she has taught her daughter and granddaughter to quilt. Marjorie continues to quilt whenever she has a chance. "If I won the lottery, I would move to the beach where it is warm and quilt every day," she says. When her daughter asked her why she would continue to quilt if she didn't need any money, Marjorie replied, "I would just give them away, because I love to quilt."
Read more about Marjorie Dula RobertsFloyd Reeves
Fiddle maker
Sparta, NC (Alleghany County)
The Reeves family of Alleghany County claim kinship to Homer and Cleo, the Reeves Brothers, and Nashville star Del Reeves. Though Floyd Reeves does not carry on the family tradition as a performing musician, he has made a name for himself making fiddles and doing repair work for many of the area's musicians. Since the early 1980s, Floyd has made more than 50 fiddles, and he continues to repair fiddles and other instruments and re-hair bows at his home in Sparta.
Read more about Floyd ReevesTony Reece
Dobro player
Zionville, NC (Watauga County)
"It's been a wild ride," Tony Reece says of his musical career. "Along the way, I've gotten to play with a lot of great people." Tony Reece, an award-winning Dobro player, has played with the Krüger Brothers, Chris Thile, Amantha Mill, and the bluegrass band Buncombe Turnpike. He won the Resonator Guitar National Championship in 2004.
Read more about Tony ReeceRandy Pasley
Bluegrass musician
Jefferson, NC (Ashe County)
Born and raised in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, Randy Pasley immersed himself in traditional music as a performing and recording artist, as a music store owner in West Jefferson, and as a teacher of music lessons. Randy records with numerous local groups and musicians, and he is known as one of the top bluegrass Dobro players in the area.
Read more about Randy Pasley
