The Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival completed its 32nd annual season on Saturday under warm skies and with an even warmer environment of friendliness, good music, and good fun. Credited with changing the then deteriorating atmosphere of bluegrass festivals of the time from rowdy events not fit as family fare into family friendly events where attendees could count on a clean, safe environment, the festival goes out of its way to create and maintain a varied and fun-filled program. With the exception of an excess of subjecting kids and others to second hand tobacco smoke, it remains so. The festival provides a wide variety of food, instrument, and craft vendors to appeal to a range of tastes. Shopping is a featured event. On Saturday there were pony rides and blow-up slides and such for kids. Cooking at campsites for guests is a specialty of several regulars. Each time we come to this festival, it feels like a family reunion of people we've met here and at other events in North Carolina.
Big Country Bluegrass
Big Country Bluegrass proudly and unapologetically serves up quality traditional bluegrass featuring the high lonesome sound of vocalist Eddie Gill along with Lynwood Lunsford's Scruggs style banjo. Tommy Sells, on mandolin and vocals leads the band while his wife Theresa adds vocal color.
Tommy Sells
Eddie Gill
Theresa Sells
Lynnwood Lunsford
Tony King
Matt Hooper
Wayne Benson Gives Private Lesson to
Skype Student
Harold & Sharon Bess
The Little Roy & Lizzy Show
Little Roy Lewis, having just passed his seventieth birthday and with sixty years on the road, has nothing left to prove about his worth as a musician or entertainer. He continues to tour as the last clown left from the days of minstrelsy, vaudeville, and early bluegrass. He's thoroughly unpredictable, both in his own show and in his surprise appearances on stage with other bands. Ably abetted by Lizzy Long on several instruments and emceeing the whole shebang, the show has changed its focus, increased in energy (if that could be possible), and added a strong dollop of secular bluegrass music. Always fun.
Little Roy Lewis
Lizzy Long
Al Hoyle
Nathan Stewart
Lisa Hoyle
Bonnie Lewis at the Merch Table
Little Roy with a Fan
Paul Williams & the Victory Trio
After a successful career as a bluegrass tenor with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys, Paul Williams experienced a spiritual conversion leading him to leave secular bluegrass and devote himself to gospel music and song writing. After a number of years out of the limelight, he established the present band which now tours bluegrass festivals and performs in churches and church-related events. Paul Williams' pure tenor voice still demands attention as his music testifies to his faith.
Paul Williams
Jerry Keys
Dan Moneyhun
Susie Keys
Adam Winstead
Paul Williams & the Victory Trio
The Williamses at the Merch Table
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
I don't have much more to say about this storied band, which continues to entertain and uplift through song. Fine performances with the best band Doyle's had since we got into bluegrass.
Joe Dean
Mike Rogers
Cory Hensley
Josh Swift
Jason Barrie
Vendors Row
Stephanie Dilling Cherryholmes & Daddy
The Three Musketeers
Irene Lehmann, Linda Dilling, Brenda Butler
Wayne Benson
Steve Dilling
IIIrd Tyme Out
Right now, having accomplished the difficult task of having been on top, lost much of its popularity and come back to be even better than before, IIIrd Tyme Out can only be seen as one of the top half dozen most tuneful and entertaining bands touring today. Russell Moore has returned as IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year for the past two years, and the rest of the band is simply excellent.
Russell Moore
Justen Haynes
Edgar Loudermilk
Wayne Benson
Steve Dilling
Russell Moore & Edgar Loudermilk
IIIrd Tyme Out Makes You Want to...
Dance
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