Silver Spring, MD, April 5, 2010 – “Music From the Crooked Road: Mountain Music of Virginia” a national tour of old-time, bluegrass, mountain gospel and flatfoot dance, will embark on a 13-city Mid-Atlantic tour from April 9 – 25, 2010.  This unique conceptual program is produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts.

The tour celebrates the vibrant, living musical culture kept in Appalachian communities found along the “Crooked Road” (Hwy. 58), which winds for over 300 miles across southwestern Virginia from the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge to the coalfields. The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Music Heritage Trail was named a 2010 Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Performances and educational programs will be presented in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

WHO:

Wayne Henderson – NEA National Heritage Fellow and Appalachian guitar
Sammy Shelor – bluegrass banjo virtuoso
The Whitetop Mountain Band – family old-time string band
Kirk Sutphin and Eddie Bond – old-time fiddle and banjo
Amber Collins & No Speed Limit – next generation bluegrass
Elizabeth LaPrelle – mountain ballads and songs

WHAT: A tour of old-time, bluegrass, mountain gospel and flatfoot dance

WHEN & WHERE:
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 – Princeton, WV- Chuck Mathena Center
Sat, Apr 10, 2010  – Pittsburgh, PA – Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society
Sun, Apr 11, 2010 – Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center for the Arts
Tue, Apr 13, 2010  – Williamson, WV – Tug Valley Arts Council, Contact Cecil Varney at 606-237-9800
Thu, Apr 15, 2010 – Reston, VA – Center Stage, Reston Community Center
Fri, Apr 16, 2010  – Washington, DC – Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University
Sat, Apr 17, 2010  – Roanoke, VA – Jefferson Center
Sun, Apr 18, 2010  – Norfolk, VA – Virginia Arts Festival, TCC Roper Performing Arts Center
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 – Owings Mills, MD – Gordon Center for Performing Arts
Thu, Apr 22, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA – Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Fri, Apr 23, 2010  – Reading, PA – Miller Center for the Arts
Sat, Apr 24, 2010  – Carney’s Point, NJ – Appel Farm Arts & Music Center
Sun, Apr 25, 2010  – Annapolis, MD – Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts

For additional information:
Music from the Crooked Road: Mountain Music of Virginia tour website