Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music kicks off its 2019 Indoor Concert Series with a special matinee, featuring blues man Lightnin’ Wells on Thursday, May 2nd, at the Harvest House Performing Arts Venue. This show begins at 2 p.m. and is the first of five of JSMHM’s unique matinees that feature the popular non-ticketed “Pay as You Exit” format!
JSMHM’s director Rodney Sutton stated, “We are excited to finally bring Lightnin’ to Boone for one of his variety music concerts. Though he is known worldwide as an acoustic blues guitarist, his shows also highlight his amazing ukulele playing skills – plus he plays the harmonica and usually adds in some banjo tunes and songs. Lightnin’ is a walking encyclopedia of all kinds of traditional music styles and has an extensive collection of vintage 78’s that covers everything from blues, old-time stringbands, bluegrass, early country and novelty records from which he gleans his songs”.
2019 marks the 26th year that JSMHM has been a staple of the concert scene in the High Country. Joe Shannon, the beloved founder of Mountain Home Music, died of cancer in the spring of 2014, leaving behind a strong foundation of presenting entertaining concerts of both regional and nationally known performers. JSMHM will continue to honor Shannon’s vision in 2019 with a diverse line-up of top quality shows featuring such local favorites as National Heritage Award recipient Wayne Henderson’s Trio with special guest Presley Barker, The Jeff Little Trio and Scottish Fiddle Champion, Maura Shawn Scanlin – who will appear as her duet, Rakish. Nationally known artists such as Al Petteway and Amy White will be retuning to JSMHM on October 5th, following a few years absence. Plus, the World Champion Green Grass Cloggers will dance their way across the Blowing Rock Auditorium stage to the music of The Little Stony Night Hawks at the August 17th concert.
Sutton said, “After 25 years, there are some annual shows that have strong support from our audiences and we try and include these concerts every year. A Memorial Weekend Sunday show on May 26th, featuring the Silvio Matinat Swing Band will honor those who have died in service while defending our nation’s freedom. The “Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys” – David Johnson, Steve Lewis, Scott Freeman and Josh Scott – will again share the stage with the King Street Brass Band led by Harold McKinney, for the annual Fourth of July Grass and Brass Celebration.” “Our final national holiday show will feature newcomer, John Lilly and Blue Yonder, paying tribute to the working men and women of America on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend”, Sutton added.
In addition to the Lightnin’ Wells show on May 2nd, JSMHM will offer four other matinees this season with a July 11th performance that features three recipients of the first ever South Arts Masters of Traditional Arts Fellowships – Shelia Kay Adams, Travis Stuart, and JMSHM’s director – Rodney Sutton. Other matinees are The Burnett Sisters, August 27th; Strictly Clean and Decent, September 24th; and Zoe and Cloyd, October 17th.
A first for JSMHM will take place on July 27th, as an off-broadway production of Ivy Rowe, a one woman act with live dulcimer and banjo compliment by Jeff Seens will be presented in its entirety. Barbara Bates Smith has been performing this hit show for over 30 years depicting the life of the struggles and joy of a mountain woman from the coal fields of Kentucky.
Another first will take place on October 5th, when JSMHM presents native North Carolina singer/song writer David Childers for an evening concert using the same non-ticketed – “Pay As You Exit” marketing strategy that has proved so successful for out matinees.
And finally, JSMHM will present its first ever concert at the newly restored Appalachian Theater in downtown Boone. The annual “Celtic Christmas Concert” will take place on Saturday, December 21st and feature world renowned Irish guitarist, John Doyle with Irish and Jazz fiddler, Duncan Wickel. Details for this concert are still being determined and will be made public as they are finalized. This collaboration between Mountain Home music and The Appalachian Theater was a long held wish of Joe Shannon’s and we are proud to honor one of his dreams for JSMHM.
All of the JSMHM shows scheduled for the 2019 Indoor Concert Series are presented at comfortable, climate-controlled venues, including the Harvest House Performing Arts Venue in Boone and the Blowing Rock School Auditorium. “We are proud of the indoor venues with consistent top-notch professional sound that we can offer to our audiences in the High Country. The weather here in the mountains can be unpredictable, but folks know that our shows go on rain or shine”, says Sutton.
Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music is a small 501-c-3 non-profit educational organization that honors the music, singing, storytelling and dance of the Appalachian Region. JSMHM ticket sales cover only a portion of the production cost of this concert series. The balance is underwritten by grants, membership fees, donations and sponsorships. More information on how to become a member of JSMHM and how you may honor a family member or other special loved one with a concert sponsorship can be found on the JSMHM website under the “Sponsors” heading. The new updated HSMHM website is set to go live on Monday, April 27th. Details on all of the concerts and performers can be found at that time on https://mountainhomemusic.com/.
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