The Live and Local: Bluegrass Festival will be held this Sunday from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. at various stages and locations along Hillsborough Street. The festival will serve as a kickoff event for a week of bluegrass in Raleigh.
Bluegrass is a form of music that grew out of Appalachia. It is a type of American-roots music that can trace its origins from the traditional music brought from English and Scottish settlers during the 18th century. As this style of music began to develop over time, it incorporated elements of blues music as well as jazz and even elements of gospel.
The folk music first began to receive airplay in the 1940s, and by the 1950s it became known as bluegrass. Bluegrass has remained a popular style of music in North Carolina. According to David Dean, director of Programs for the Hillsborough Street District, the appeal of the music to this area has to do with the migration of Europeans through the area spreading the music, the agricultural-based economy of the area that supports it and that the music is welcoming to everyone and serves an important role socially.
“It’s easy to sit on your porch and play guitar,” Dean said.
The Bluegrass Festival will have four stages located around Hillsborough Street. Logan Court (located near Bruegger’s Bagels) will have performers including Swift Creek, Old Man Whickutt, Nixon, Blevins and Gage, Lynda Dawson and Patty Hopkins and Darin and Brooke Aldridge.
Compiegne Park will have a stage and area for children. The Compiegne Park Stage will feature acts such as Little Root, Tommy Edwards’ Tales of North Carolina, Christiane and Bethesda Bluegrass Band.
Horne Street will have the Gospel Stage and feature acts such as RavenRidge, Backporch String Band, Presby Parish Players & Friends, Fairmont Gospel Revue and Damascus Ridge.
The evening will conclude at the Louise Stephenson Amphitheatre from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with The Bluegrass Experience with Leroy Savage and The Josh Daniel/Mark Schimick Project that will feature special guests.
According to Dean, the festival wanted to show off bluegrass and demonstrate that it spans the generations. From 12-year-olds to “The Godfather of Bluegrass” Leroy Savage, the festival also highlights the strong tradition that bluegrass has in the area.
Most of the groups performing are based within a 100 mile radius of Raleigh, Dean said. West Raleigh Presbyterian Church and Fairmont United Methodist will each have groups perform at the Horne Street Stage.
“We are blessed with cultural diversity [in Raleigh]. The festival is a natural fit for the area,” Dean said. “It really is a chance for the community to come together, and not just bluegrass fans or NC State students.”
According to Dean, several of the bluegrass stars of the 1970s still live in the area. Last year, about 150,000 people came to Raleigh to attend the World of Bluegrass Festival.
“People migrating from the north or west come here and are absorbed by the music,” Dean said. “They appreciate the musicianship and skill of the performers.
