Ralph Rinzler (1934-94), founding director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, worked with a host of musicians, craftspeople, and folklorists, doing fieldwork, developing exhibitions, issuing recordings, and presenting concerts. This annual concert series honors Ralph by highlighting his work and the work of his colleagues in conserving and extending traditional expressive culture.
The 2006 concert honors Joe Wilson, Chairman of the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). For 30 years Joe produced the National Folk Festival at the NCTA. He is now a driving force behind the establishment of the Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail in southern Virginia.
Musicians honoring Joe at the concert include:
John Cephas, Phil Wiggins, and Daryl Davis
John Cephas, Phil Wiggins, and Daryl Davis are all from the Washington area. John and Phil met at the 1977 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and have been playing together ever since. Although he was born in Washington, D.C., John's family hails from the Piedmont region, where he now lives near Bowling Green, Virginia. He has been one of the major proponents of the Piedmont-style blues guitar and his performances have developed new audiences over the past three decades. His role as a "statesman of the blues" was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts, which awarded him a National Heritage Fellowship in 1989. Phil's harmonica compliments this powerful sound, and together the duo has performed throughout Europe and the U.S. and on nine CDs. Daryl Davis, a well known blues and boogie piano player, performed with them on the acclaimed Flip, Flop and Fly recording in 1992 (Flying Fish 850) and recently put out a solo album as well, American Roots (Armadillo 10).
Linda Lay and Springfield Exit
Linda Lay was brought up along the "Crooked Road" in Bristol, Virginia, and early on performed with her parents in a family band. Her versatile voice has sung jazz to swing but her heart is still in old time and bluegrass music. With Appalachian Trail and other groups she has played throughout the U.S., but still enjoys coming back to the Carter Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, the home of the legendary Carter Family. She has teamed up with her husband, rhythm guitar player David Lay, to perform on the NCTA's Masters of the Steel String Guitar tour and CD (Arhoolie CD485). They have been joined more recently by David McLaughlin, one of the founding members of The Johnson Mountain Boys, on mandolin, and Rickie Simpkins, a fiddler with the Lonesome River Band and session artist with Tony Rice and Emmy Lou Harris. For this performance they will also be joined by Sammy Shelor, a brilliant banjoist from Meadows of Dan in Southwest Virginia.
The Whitetop Mountain Band
The Whitetop Mountain Band from Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, is firmly rooted at the heart of the Crooked Road. Whitetop is essentially a family band led by Thornton Spencer, his wife Emily, and daughter Martha. Thornton grew up in the band, which was led by his brother-in-law, famed violin maker Albert Hash. Thornton's wife Emily, the group's vocalist and banjo player, has been with the band for over 30 years and their daughter Martha, a college student, has been around the music since birth. The Spencers are regularly joined by Spencer Pennington on rhythm guitar and Michelle Lyle on bass, almost members of the family. "We're a together bunch," says Emily. The group travels outside to perform but most Friday nights they can be heard at the nearby Alleghany Jubilee dance party in Sparta, North Carolina. Or you can hear them on their most recent CD Greetings from Whitetop – The Spencer Family and Friends (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities).
