Award-winning bluegrass bands are coming to Blue Ridge July 31-Aug. 1 to perform at the third annual Ridge Jam festival.
The two-day festival serves as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and last year raised thousands of dollars for the charity.
Music starts at noon on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the old farmers market, a covered pavilion that offers shade and shelter at 787 Summit St., Blue Ridge.
Headliners include bluegrass legend Junior Sisk, 2013 International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year, who announced he is retiring in September of 2027. The Grascals, two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, close out the show on Friday night led by stellar banjo player Kristin Scott Benson.
Saturday is jam-packed with music, including a 90-minute closing performance by high-energy Appalachian Road Show, an all-star band led by Ellijay’s own Barry Abernathy. The band was named New Artist of the Year and Instrumental Band of the Year in 2021.
Southern Legacy, a band formed in honor of the late banjo player J.D. Crowe, will perform at 6:30 p.m. Another featured artist is Blue Ridge-area band Brad Kaylor and Mineral Bluff Revue. The band has been turning heads with a new release “My Last Name,” which has been getting national air play.
Mason Tractor Co. is a major sponsor of the annual event, which offers vendors, food trucks and band merchandise for purchase.
“Being a mountain town at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, bluegrass is only fitting. It is truly mountain music from our roots,” event co-founder Chris Pope said.
Admission is $60 for both days; one-day tickets are $30 on Friday and $40 on Saturday. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Buy tickets online at RidgeJamMusicFest.com
Bring a chair. No coolers or pets are permitted. The festival offers jamming and camping information is available by calling Jamie Elliot706-455-6255.
For more information, call Brad Kaylor or email [email protected].
The schedule:
Friday, July 31
Noon: Silver Valley Boys
1 p.m.: Junior Sisk
2 p.m.: Throwdown Thursday
3 p.m.: Backline
4 p.m.: Supper break
5 p.m.: Junior Sisk
6 p.m.: Throwdown Thursday
7 p.m.: Backline
8 p.m.: The Grascals
Saturday, Aug. 1
11 a.m.: Silver Valley Boys
Noon: West Liberty Mountain Boys
1 p.m.: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run
2 p.m.: Lonesome Express
3 p.m.: Supper break
3:30 p.m:. West Liberty Mountain Boys
4:30 p.m.: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run
5:30 p.m.: Brad Kaylor and Mineral Bluff Revue
6:30 p.m.: Southern Legacy
8 p.m. Appalachian Road Show
