* More Information about our 2011 Seedtime Performers is on the way!! Thank you for your patience. It’s gonna be a good time in the mountains with good mountain people!
2011 Performers
Lee Sexton - June 11 @ 12pm
Video of Lee Sexton playing “Shady Grove”
Lee Sexton has been something of a legend among those who love old time mountain music. A master of the drop-thumb banjo, Lee is known for his wildly spirited, yet clean and precise approach to swing and blue grass tunes. He hails from a family of talented musicians; the late Roscoe Holcomb of Leatherwood Creek was his cousin, Morgan Sexton his uncle. Ever since he picked up his first homemade wooden banjo at the age of 8, he was hooked. One of the few deeply traditional eastern Kentucky artists of his generation still actively touring and performing, Lee has been a mainstay of community square dances in Letcher County for three generations and a fixture at Seedtime since its beginning. His Whoa Mule albums (1988 and 2004) were released to great acclaim, and his reputation garnered him a brief appearance in the 1980 film Coal Miner’s Daughter. In 1999, Lee received the Kentucky Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. http://appalshop.org/frontporch/artists/lsexton.htm
Shape Note Singing led by Dr. Ron Pen - June 11 @ 11AM
Please join us this June 12, 2010 at the Historic Post Office in downtown Whitesburg as Appalshop’s annual Seedtime on the Cumberland festival welcomes Dr. Ron Pen of the University of Kentucky to lead a recreation of a nineteenth-century singing school as it would have been held in Kentucky when this state was the western frontier.
This singing will be open to everyone willing to participate and will include some background history and social context for the music. No musical experience necessary — you do not need to read music to participate and there is no cost to attend. Sacred Harp (1991) tunebooks will be provided.
Karly Dawn and Little Sarie - June 11 @ 4PM
The Karly Dawn and Little Sarie Band is a rocking 4 piece string band featuring the lively vocal harmonies of Karly Dawn Higgins and Sarah Wood. A unique blend of Old Time, Honkytonk, Bluegrass, and Old Country, The Karly Dawn and Little Sarie Band entertains with a huge repertoire including hits from the Carter Family, Hazel and Alice, Loretta Lynn, Lily May Ledford, and many great traditional Kentucky Artists, as well as several original honkytonk numbers. http://www.myspace.com/karlydawnandsarahwood
Cowan Creek Pick and Bow All-Stars - June 11 @ 11am
The Cowan Creek Pick and Bow All-Stars are a youth ensemble bringing together students from Appalshop’s Traditional Music Program and the Cowan Creek Community Center in Letcher County. The All-Stars embody the spirit of the newest generation of Appalachian musicians – students who have decided to take up the pick and bow. Their performance resume includes a concert for the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2008. http://www.cowancreekmusic.org/
The Rail Splitters - June 10 @ 2pm
After an impromptu performance at the Portland Old Time Gathering in 2009, the Railsplitters was born. Since then, they have played at various festivals and venues across the southeast. Most recently, the Railsplitters took third place at the Great Southern Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This old time trio plays hard driving tunes with skillful technique on the fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Virginia-born Adrian Shepherd-Powell has played fiddle with many old time bands, and he won first place with the Cabin Creek Boys at the 2008 Old Fiddler’s Competition in Fairfax. Julie Shepherd-Powell hails from North Carolina. Previously a banjo teacher, she has won numerous banjo competitions and competes at flatfoot dancing conventions all over the southeast. The third member, Brett Ratliff, is a native of Van Lear, Kentucky and joins the Railsplitters on vocals, guitar, banjo and fiddle. Brett claimed second place at the 2010 Surry County Old Time Fiddlers Convention. Be prepared for foot stomping and hollering when you listen to the Railsplitters-you’ll find it hard to stay in your seat!
Rich & The Po’ Folk - June 11 @ 2PM
Rich and the Po’ Folks, Letcher County Kentucky’s premier (and only) old-time string band, offers a lively blend of fiddle tunes seasoned with ballads, coal mining songs, Carter Family pieces, and contemporary mountain songs. Fiddler and mandolinist Rich Kirby, originally from Kentucky, has lived in Scott County, Virginia for thirty years and has performed across the region and nationally with John McCutcheon, Tommy Bledsoe, Wry Straw, and other well-known musicians. He’s joined by banjoist and painter John Haywood, who brings a deep store of songs, tunings, and techniques learned from Kentucky banjo legend George Gibson. Guitarist Brett Ratliff and bassist Nate Polly are veterans of many bands, including the Clack Mountain String Band, Uncle Dave Dougherty and the Trough Sloppers, and Appalshop’s Roadside Theater. These veteran musicians have learned from some of the greatest names in old time music, including Art Stamper, Uncle Charlie Osborne, Thornton Spencer, ballad singer Addie Graham (Rich’s grandmother), Janette Carter, and many more. Past performances include the Carter Family Fold, the Ralph Stanley Museum, Rhythm and Roots Reunion, the Breaks Interstate Park Old Time Music Festival, Hillbilly Days, the Morehead Old Time Fiddlers Convention, and Home Craft Days. http://www.myspace.com/richandthepoorfolks