John Lilly
Shepherdstown welcomes our five-time MC John Lilly back for another
Appalachian Festival. Well respected as a traditional musician, songwriter,
folklorist, and as editor of Goldenseal magazine, John sings (and yodels)
in the style of Jimmie Rogers, can play Carter-style with the best of them,
and also has a diverse repertoire of traditional tunes that he has learned
from old-time musicians across the region. Accomplished on guitar, mandolin,
and bass, Lilly is a versatile musician with a fabulous voice that reminds
listeners of the great early stars of radio. In addition, he is a
great flatfooter who used to tour as a member of the Green Grass Cloggers.
He also co-founded Old-Time Music On the Radio to promote the broadcast
of traditional music. In 1992, he moved to West Virginia to work
for the Augusta Heritage Center. Working for the Division of Culture
and History, John has gained tremendous knowledge of the history and context
of the traditional culture of West Virginia. After many years of
performing with groups across the region, John finally released his long-anticipated
debut CD Broken Moon in the fall of 2002.
Ralph Blizard
Legendary old-time, longbow fiddler, Ralph Blizard will share his trademark
bluesy-longbow style. Beginning in 1932 at the age of 14 and continuing
through the 1950s, Ralph and his band the Southern Ramblers played live on
radio stations across Tennessee during the golden age of radio, traveling
thousands of miles on back-country roads to share his music with listeners.
Ralph has performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC,
the Library of Congress, and on the Folkmasters series for National Public
Radio. In 1996, he became the first recipient of the Swannanoa Gathering's
Master Music Maker Award for lifetime achievement.
"One of the country's finest old-time fiddlers. Ralph is a Tennessee
treasure." - Charlie Seemann, Country Music Foundation
Denise Giardina
Denise Giardina, our writer in residence for the Festival,
will be reading some excerpts from her work and speaking on the
various influences her political activism and writing have had on
each other. Giardina was born in the coal mining camp of Black Wolf,
in McDowell County, West Virginia. Most of the men in her family
worked for the mining companies, her grandfather and uncles working
"underground" and her father serving as a bookkeeper for Page Coal
and Coke Company. Though Giardina received a bachelors degree from
West Virginia Wesleyan College and a Masters in Divinity from the
Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, she has chosen to
express her concern for the people and land of her native West
Virginia through fiction. Yet her writing also transcends time
and place, which will make her stories both lasting and universal.
"Giardina's strength lies in her ability to show how historical particulars craft individuality."
- Washington Post Book World
Critton Hollow String Band
Hailing from Paw Paw, WV, the members of Critton Hollow String Band - Joe
Herrmann (fiddle), Sam Herrmann (dulcimer) and Joe Fallon (banjo and more)-
have been playing music most of their lives. A typical Critton Hollow
program includes driving old-time songs, fiddle tunes, sensitively
harmonized ballads, and traditional and contemporary folk songs. From
appearances on NBC's Today Show to NPR's Mountain Stage, Critton Hollow has
been delighting audiences and dancers throughout the U.S. and Canada since
1975. Critton Hollow is a favorite at dance camps and festivals around the
country.
"For those who worry that this music is dying, listen to Critton Hollow and
take heart." - Sing Out Magazine
Order
Advanced Tickets for This Concert
Return
to Festival Home Page |