Ballads and Banjos Concert Rescheduled for Tuesday at Jones House

 

After being rescheduled due to weather, the Ballads and Banjos concert will take place at the Jones House Cultural and Community Center Tuesday, February 26, starting at 7:30 p.m.

 

The concert will feature master ballad singer Bobby McMillon, old-time banjo and fiddle player Kenny Price, and multi-instrumentalist William Ritter.

 

Bobby McMillon is a celebrated ballad singer and North Carolina Folk Heritage Award recipient. McMillon grew up in western North Carolina and became interested in folk songs at a young age. He has spent his lifetime collecting local songs and regional variations, and he is known to have one of the most expansive and unique repertoires of old ballads and songs. He has been featured in numerous books and films about old songs, and he has one of the most expansive repertoires of any living singer. He is a member of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Traditional Artist Directory.

 

Kenny Price, from Mountain City, Tennessee, is a multi-instrumentalist with musical traditions in his family and deep roots in Johnson County. Kenny’s father, Fiddlin Fred Price, played music with Doc Watson, Tom Ashley, and Clint Howard. Kenny’s grandmother played banjo, and there was a lot of music around the home. At age nine, Kenny started playing banjo, and he moved to fiddle as a teenager. He performed for several years with his father. Kenny modeled his sound from the players around him, but his style is unique since he plays right-handed instruments in left-handed positions. Kenny performs many of the tunes, songs, and ballads from his east Tennessee home region, including fiddle tunes learned from his father and banjo tunes learned from Ashley. He also plays more modern country fiddle style and most instruments with strings.

 

William Ritter grew up in Bakersville and became interested in instruments and traditional music as a youngster. He spend time listening to the traditional music of Mitchell and Yancey counties, and he got to know a number of the local musicians. Throughout college, graduate school, and beyond, William has focused on the fiddle, banjo, and song traditions of western North Carolina, while also writing and performing original songs rooted in tradition.