ACMA opens Papa Joe Smiddy exhibit

Papa-Joe-SmiddyThe Appalachian Cultural Music Association, located on the border between the cities of Bristol in Tennessee and Virginia, has prepared a new exhibit for its Mountain Music Museum to honor a regional music and education celebrity.

Papa Joe Smiddy, now 93 years old, is a noted regional clawhammer banjo player who has performed for years as a member of  the Reedy Creek Bluegrass Band. He is also chancellor emeritus at the University of Virginia at Wise, where he worked tirelessly for many years to build the institution into a valuable educational resource for East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia.

The Museum’s Papa Joe Smiddy Exhibit will open on Monday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m., and docent Suzy Gobble, who assembled the exhibit, is eager to share it with the community.

“We are honored to have several nice artifacts donated to our museum by Papa Joe. This wonderful exhibit will be another chapter in the story our museum tells about the music from our region. We are very pleased to have this exhibit as part of the ACMA’s collection for people to see when they visit the Mountain Music Museum.”

A press conference is scheduled for the opening on Monday and the public is invited to attend. There will be live music and Smiddy will speak briefly.

The Mountain Music Museum is a non-profit organization run by an all volunteer staff. They take seriously their mission to promote and preserve the musical heritage of the Southern Appalachian Region.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.