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Buddy Melton

Bluegrass fiddler and singer Haywood County

Buddy Melton grew up in Haywood County, a music lover and, as a teenager, an aspiring fiddler. When he was an undergraduate at Western Carolina University, the necessary factors began to fall into place, and Melton became a serious fiddle player. In local weekly jams and with friends in the area around Cullowhee, he learned by doing, and by the time he graduated from WCU was an excellent bluegrass fiddler and singer.

After college, Melton joined his friend Marc Pruett in the band Rock Spring Reunion, and was part of a recording that reached the top ten of the bluegrass gospel charts. Following Rock Spring Reunion, he played a stint with the Nashville band Jubal Foster. Now, after almost twenty years of performing and recording with bands and with artists like Rhonda Vincent, Sam Bush, and Porter Wagoner, Melton is part of a new endeavor. He plays with fellow bluegrass artists from Haywood County in the band Balsam Range. In 2007, he released his first solo album, backed by Tony Rice, Adam Steffey, and Balsam Range band mates Pruett and Tim Surrett. The album is a collection of mostly classic bluegrass songs and tunes by Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Cousin Emmy, and others, as well as a few contemporary and traditional pieces.

Known not only as a fiddler, Buddy Melton is also a great singer. He sings lead and tenor harmony, and his distinctive voice and artistry are instantly recognizable, and widely admired. Tony Rice has described him as having “one of the most exciting and purest voices I have ever heard….” He keeps up a busy performance schedule, playing for many events throughout the region with Balsam Range, solo, and with other great Western North Carolina artists.

Availability

Buddy Melton plays concerts, festivals, and special events with Balsam Range, as well as solo and with other area artists.

Buddy Melton
Buddy Melton

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