2007 Bands

This festival presents a variety of performers and bands of traditional music.

	Doc Watson and Richard Watson Doc Watson has had a profound influence in traditional, folk and bluegrass music ever since coming to national attention in the early 1960's. His recordings and performances have inspired generations of aspiring guitarists to explore the mysteries of his phenomenal playing.
	Bobby Ingano Bobby is one of the very best players of the Hawaiian steel guitar today. He is the only steel player featured on the 2007 Grammy winning CD, “Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar-Live From Maui”. Bobby has played on a "who's who" list of prominent entertainer's albums, from Amy Gilliom, Cazimero Brothers, Bill Kaiwa, Theresa Bright, Martin Pahinui to Ka'au Crater Boys, Palolo, Kapena, Valley Boys, several groups in Japan, to most recently BB Shawn.
	The Looping Brothers Here they are- just a Trio but a quality Bluegrass act. Ulrich Sieker (fiddle, mandolin, guitar), Matthias Malcher (guitar, banjo) and Bernd Nollenberg (bass) formed their project in 1996 after playing Bluegrass with the renowned Band "Groundspeed" all over Europe and in the USA for about two decades. With Groundspeed they had brought over Bill Monroe and the Osborne Bros. to Europe and also toured with Greats like Kenny Baker, Josh Graves, Dan Crary and others. The Looping Brothers play music in the tradition of the old Brother-Duets as well as Bluegrass tunes.
	The Slate Mountain Ramblers The Slate Mountain Ramblers is a family oriented old-time band from Ararat, VA, a small community nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For many years, Richard Bowman, his wife, Barbara, and their daughter Marsha, have spent weekends playing music. Richard plays fiddle, Barbara the bass and Marsha plays claw-hammer banjo. Clyde Johnson joins them on guitar. The band has a winning tradition by placing at fiddler’s conventions they have attended throughout the years. On Saturday mornings Clyde can be heard as host of the long-running Merry-Go-Round, which is broadcast live over radio station WPAQ 740AM in Mt. Airy, NC.
	Doug Smith Doug Smith is one of the top lariat artists in the country. Twice a national champion, he appears at festivals, rodeos, and other outdoor events across the country. He performs at schools, libraries, and other gatherings to demonstrate and teach the art of the lasso. He coaches stage productions- like Annie Get Your Gun and Okalahoma that feature roping. He has appeared in many productions of the Will Rogers Follies and has taught many workshops and classes in roping.
	Randy and Deborah Jean Sheets Randy and Deborah Jean Sheets sing and play old-time music. These two longtime musicians have been performing together for the past nine years. Steeped in the folk and old-time traditions, Deborah Jean plays guitar and sings. She loves to sing and you will usually hear her supplying the harmony vocal in whatever group she is playing. Randy, a claw hammer banjo picker, is a devotee of old-time string band music. The couple also gets bands together for an occasional square dance, and participates as contestants at fiddlers conventions throughout the Appalachian region.
	Wayne Henderson and Friends