Are you one of the many people who enjoy Song Of The Mountains on PBS?
If so, you’re not alone. The show broadcasts top bluegrass artists, recorded live on stage, through powerful public broadcasting stations in more than 60 US markets. Most every popular touring act in our music has appeared on the show, both established artists like Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Rhonda Vincent, Curly Seckler, Larry Sparks, Mike Seeger and Lonesome River Band to new and emerging talent like NewFound Road, Farewell Drifters, Audie Blaylock, Kenny & Amanda Smith and many more.
The plain fact is that artists and agents are always looking to get booked to perform on the show, which has a very loyal following among bluegrass lovers across the country. They know that Song Of The Mountains not only reaches a wide national audience, but that it also presents the music professionally, in a respectful and positive manner – i.e., no hay bales or hillbilly references.
In a recent conversation with Tim White, however, who hosts the program and is instrumental in its production, I learned that the show is in jeopardy of going away if they aren’t able to drum up some financial support in the near future. Like most any organization that is dependent on the generosity of others, they have seen a precipitous drop in underwriting support since the US economy has been in decline.
The shows are recorded live at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA, a beautifully restored hall originally built in 1929. The town of Marion, along with nearby Chilhowie and Saltville, and a good many area businesses provide financial contributions, but Song Of The Mountains has not to date done much fundraising on its own.
But White says that the situation now requires that they do so, and a special page for contributions has been set up at the SOTM web site, with four levels of support in their campaign to Keep The Music Alive.
“I would hate to see us reaching so many millions of people only to see it go away. It’s important for these bands, for the local communities, and for bluegrass music to have a high-quality show like this on the air.
If only a small percentage of our regular viewers can make a small donation, it will make a huge difference for us”
Here’s a couple of video clips from the show…
There are more video samples on the Song Of The Mountains YouTube page.
If you enjoy the show and want to make a contribution to keep it going, please know that it will be greatly appreciated.
