Since 1970, during their annual October fiddlers’ convention, the Granite Quarry Civitan Club in central North Carolina has honored individuals who have made significant contributions in the promotion and preservation of traditional old-time and bluegrass music.
This year’s honoree is Buddy Michaels of Burlington, NC. He will be recognized in a special presentation this Saturday at 6:00 pm at East Rowan High School near Rockwell, NC. A band of long-time bluegrass friends will join him on stage for a half-hour performance honoring the man and the music he loves prior to the fiddlers’ convention’s adult competition.
A veteran radio broadcaster and festival MC, Michaels is celebrating 50 years in the music industry. He has grown in popularity over the years and has become a household name to followers of bluegrass music throughout the southeast. The beloved radio host is known and considered a friend by artists, producers, record labels, and promoters within the genre.
“It’s more than just a job,” Michaels noted. “It’s the friendships that I really value.”
Michaels can be heard on the world wide web presenting his weekly Hometown Festival program, and is syndicated on numerous radio stations in North Carolina. He blends his folksy-style banter into playing songs of the past and present, along with informative bluegrass history lessons. His shows are not only entertaining, but educational for listeners.
Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Michaels was attracted to his grandfather’s fiddling and his daddy’s buck dancing. That musical heritage helped navigate him toward a career in bluegrass.
“Around 7 or 8 years old, I remember seeing Flatt & Scruggs on TV. I’ve been hooked on bluegrass ever since,” Michaels said.
In 1973, Michaels debuted on radio playing a variety of formats, including country, gospel, and rock ‘n’ roll, but it was a bluegrass show in 1978 on Burlington’s WPCM-FM where he found his true calling. Since then, Michaels has promoted bluegrass music by playing records, conducting interviews, and MCing area festivals. For 27 years, he announced for the Bass Mountain Festival, as well as MCed at MerleFest, Willow Oak, PreddyFest, and other regional bluegrass events. In 2022, Michaels was nominated for SPBGMA’s Bluegrass DJ of the Year.
Buddy Michaels’ Hometown Festival airs on Saturday mornings, 7:00-9:00 a.m., and evenings, 6:00-8:00 p.m., on LIFE 103.1 Sanford, NC, LIFE 103.1 in Rocky Mt, NC, and streaming online. He can also be heard on Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.-noon, on both WBAG 1150 AM and 105.9 FM in Burlington, NC, plus Monday nights, 6:30-10:00 p.m., on WKRX 96.7 FM in Roxboro, NC as well as online streaming.
Granite Quarry Civitan’s 58th annual Fiddlers’ Convention offers $2,400 in cash prizes, with trophies and rosettes awarded to the best bands (bluegrass and gospel), and in individual categories (instrument and vocal) for both youth and adult.
Registration opens at 4:00 p.m. Youth competition begins at 4:30. Adults must be registered by 6:00 p.m. to be eligible to draw a number for performance time in a lottery style drawing. Youth winners will be announced at 7:00 prior to adult competition.
The Civitan Club will serve BBQ ½ chicken plates, hamburgers, hotdogs, and homemade desserts in the school cafeteria from 11:00 a.m. until sold out.
Admission is $12. Children under 12 are free with a paid adult. For more information, call 704-633-2995 or 704-267-9439. Registration rules and more details can be found on the event Facebook page.
