Charlotte Folk Society monthly gathering and concert: Riley Baugus and Kirk Sutphin 10/12/12

Charlotte Folk Society’s next free concert and gathering will be Friday, October 12th, 2012, at 7:30pm, at Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Avenue. Charlotte Folk Society Gatherings are family-friendly and free. Doors open at 7pm. Donations are appreciated and essential to presenting the concert series in the Stella Center. Accessible entry and an elevator are available through the ground-level door. Free parking is available adjacent to the Stella Center. Refreshments, a song circle, and jam sessions follow the concert.

This month’s concert features old-time master musicians Riley Baugus and Kirk Sutphin. Anyone who has seen the Academy Award-winning movie Cold Mountain has heard Riley Baugus’ authentic mountain-style a cappella singing and no doubt admired his handmade period banjos featured in the film. Kirk Sutphin is truly a musician’s musician. His talents on the fiddle are matched with his exceptional skill on the banjo. Riley and Kirk have shared friendship and a love of old-time music ever since 1977 when they met on a grade school bus.

“Old-time,” truly an American music form, is rooted in the ballads and tunes of settlers from the British Isles and Europe and the instrumentation and rhythms of slaves transported from Africa. Old-time music resulted from the sharing and blending of these various traditions. Played on acoustic stringed instruments, it pre-dates the bluegrass that was pioneered in the 1930s and ‘40s by Bill Monroe. Primary “old-time” instruments are the fiddle and banjo, although the guitar, mandolin, and bass were added over time to string bands. Old-time music is played throughout the Appalachians, but is especially vibrant in the southern mountains. This was music made at home for entertainment and was also played at community events and dances. Prior to World War II, the old-time string band tradition thrived in both black and white communities.