Song Of The Mountains Archives

July 1 Song of the Mountains taping to be a family affair

Song of the Mountains, a public television program presented by PBS NC., will, on July 1, 2023, host a Bluegrass Celebration involving acts with family connections. Set to perform at the taping are Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricius, Marc and Anita Pruett, the Lilly Fame (Songcathers), Cabin Creek Boys, and Williamson Branch.

This live taping will provide content for several of the hour-long episodes for Song of the Mountain.

Everett Lilly, Jr., volunteered ….

“I have organized a musical celebration of bluegrass music and heritage involving our Songcatchers, featuring Ashley Rose Lilly, Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricius, and Marc and Anita Pruett. All are my friends and we enjoy playing together on the rare occasions that can happen. Rather than ‘bluegrass,’ I actually prefer what my father called American Folk Mountain Country Music but, you know, bluegrass is the more popular term. Anyway, my dad always opened the Lilly Brothers shows by saying ‘Welcome to a friendly gathering…………’ and that’s surely what this collaboration is.”

Also appearing are old-time band the Cabin Creek Boys, featuring Erika and Chris Testerman.

Multi-Grammy award winner singer/song writer Tim O’Brien (Hot Rize) and his wife Jan Fabricius have performed together nationally and internationally either as a duo or as part of the Tim O’Brien Band since 2015. Fabricius grew up in WaKeeney, Kansas, and from an early age sang in church and school, taking up clarinet and then mandolin.

In a duet setting with a guitar, a mandolin, and their two voices, they bring an intimate and warm acoustic music roots repertoire that’s at once both original and traditional.

O’Brien’s 2021 CD He Walked On, and his recent release, Cup of Sugar, both feature original songs co-written by the couple.

Marc (Balsam Range) and Anita Pruett have a deep history in mountain music and mountain culture and love to share their heritage through songs, stories, and instrumentals. Marc’s wife, Anita Pruett, is a gifted musician who plays both banjo and guitar and has deep experience in singing bluegrass, gospel and the traditional styles of country music.

The Songcatchers are a multi-generational, traditional country/folk music group and are led by Dr. Everett Lilly, a long-time professional musician.

The lead singer of the group is Everett’s 23-year-old daughter, Ashley Lilly, who is rapidly rising in the world of country music. She is both a singer and a songwriter with many recordings to her credit including her own original songs. She is a country singer who is also at home with folk, pop, gospel, and bluegrass music.

The Songcatchers have played numerous venues from Boston to Los Angeles and many points in between.

As well as having her own more recent solo recordings Ashley Lilly can be head on the band’s Baby Blue Eyes CD (2015).

When it comes to music, there’s a closeness among family members that cannot be overstated. Harmonies are sweeter, rhythms are tighter, and emotions are heightened. For Williamson Branch, formed in 2014, music and family have been melding for three generations.

Despite a varied background that incorporates bluegrass, country, gospel music, and dance, this family band are traditionalists in every sense, carrying on a sound that springs from the very roots those archival styles imply.

Pinecastle recording artists, they have a handful of CDs to their credit, the latest being Very Merry Christmas.

The Cabin Creek Boys play old-time hillbilly music from the mountains of south-west Virginia and north-west North Carolina, and for 15 years have been performing at area fiddlers’ conventions, festivals, square dances, and other community events.

The Song of the Mountains Bluegrass Celebration takes place this coming Saturday (July 1, 2023) at 7:00 p.m. at The Lincoln Theatre on Main Street in Marion, VA. The July 1st tickets are available online and at the box office.

For information visit the website at www.songofthemountains.org or call 276-783-6092.

Song of the Mountains, hosted by Executive Coordinator Tim White, presents concert tapings every month for broadcast across America on Public Television.

The show is supported by tax-deductible contributions to Song of the Mountains.

Song of the Mountains receives major cash grant

Big news last week for one of the few nationally-syndicated television programs that regularly features live bluegrass music. Song of the Mountains, produced this past 18 years in Marion, VA, was awarded a grant of $120,000 from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

The stated purpose of this cash award is to help the series pay the booking fees for top line acts to appear on the show. Song of the Mountains is recorded on video as a live concert with multiple artists, and then edited into segments for airing the following season on 190 PBS affiliate stations around the country.

Hosted by Tim White, a popular performer, entertainer, and radio host in western Virginia and east Tennessee, the show has long been hampered by the difficulty of financing these concerts outside a major population center. Despite the loyal support of the town of Marion and Marion Bank, along with a number of other long term underwriters, White has regularly found himself with hat in hand, attempting to keep the show on the air, especially during the COVID shutdowns.

He tells us that these fundraising efforts are made more difficult by an assumption that since the show is nationally syndicated, resources are available from PBS.

“Song of the Mountains is starting season 19 on February 4. For 18 seasons we have survived on a shoestring budget. Many folks mistakenly think we are funded by PBS, but that’s not the case. We must raise our own dollars to make this happen.

We are a nonprofit 501c3, and depend on generous tax deductible donations from viewers and underwriters. This recent grant is a matching grant so any donations are much needed and appreciated.

Info on how to donate is at our website. Please support us in ‘Keeping the Music Alive.'”

For those unfamiliar with the term, a matching grant means that the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission will donate dollar-for-dollar the amount that Song of the Mountains is able to raise, up to $120,000.

Nearly every top bluegrass band and artist has appeared on the show over the past 18 years, filmed before a live audience with high quality audio and video. In addition to providing enjoyment to dedicated fans of bluegrass music, the program serves as a tremendous outreach to potential new music lovers.

The history of Song of the Mountains is told in this brief mini-documentary.

As White has said many times, if everyone who enjoys Song of the Mountains on their local PBS station or cable/satellite provider would make a small donation of $10, most of their financial worries would be over. Many folks think that such a small contribution wouldn’t make a difference, but it certainly does.

Tax deductible donations of any size can be sent to Song of the Mountains at this address: Song of the Mountains P.O. Box 304 Marion, VA 24354.

Tickets for the live concerts are also available from the web site.

Here’s to another 18 years!

Song of the Mountains fundraiser on GoFundMe

Song of the Mountains, the popular bluegrass television program syndicated on PBS affiliates nationwide, needs your help.

Produced since 2005 at The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA, the show had to go on hiatus during 2020, with the live shows where new episodes are recorded shut down by COVID-19 restrictions in Virginia.

They have been able to resume filming again this year, but after a full season of cancelled concerts, which provide a major source of their funding, the producers have decided to launch a crowdsourcing campaign. A GoFundMe page has been established with a $100,000 goal to both help with ongoing production costs, and allow the show to set up a streaming service to make their 15 seasons of programs available on demand.

Program host Tim White created this video appeal to explain the situation at Song of the Mountains, and their plans for the future.

A number of live tapings are already scheduled for 2021, which will make up the 2022 season on television. Tickets are available online to attend in person, at reduced capacity.

February 6 – Carolina Blue, Broken Angels
February 20 – Kody Norris Band, Fish Fisher w/ James Adkins and Alexis Wilkins
March 6 – Lightnin’ Charlie, Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express
March 20 – Nick Chandler & Delivered, Val Storey
April 17 – Red Rocking Chair
May 1 – Music of The Mountain Minor
June 19 – Grant Maloy Smith

If you have enjoyed this program on TV, with performances from top bluegrass and Americana artists over the years, please consider making a tax deductible donation to their GoFundMe campaign.

Song of the Mountains to resume live taping this month

Here’s some good news on the live music front.

Song of the Mountains, the nationally syndicated bluegrass television concert series, will return to taping before a live audience later this month. Nine months after being shut down by COVID-19 restrictions, the producers are ready to resume, following CDC and Commonwealth of Virginia guidelines.

As a result, all audience members will be required to be masked, and only 125 tickets to attend the January 16 show at The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA will be made available.

Show host Tim White said that the situation isn’t ideal, but he is glad to see production of the show continue.

“We’re looking forward to getting back to almost normal. There won’t be as many folks in the audience because of social distancing, but the show will look the same on television.”

The January 16 show will feature performances by Carson Peters & Iron Mountain and the Lonesome Pine Bluegrass Band. Peters has become something of a sensation as a fiddler and a vocalist, though still only 17 years old. He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with Ricky Skaggs, and was featured as a preteen on Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots program.

Tickets for the January 16 taping are available online.

A partial schedule for future 2020 shows has been posted, though more tapings and additional artists are likely to be added.

February 6 – Carolina Blue, Broken Angels
February 20 – Kody Norris Band, Fish Fisher w/ James Adkins and Alexis Wilkins
March 6 – Lightnin’ Charlie
March 20 – Nick Chandler & Delivered
April 17 – Red Rocking Chair
May 1 – Music of The Mountain Minor
June 19 – Grant Maloy Smith

Those who have been watching Song of the Mountains regularly may have noticed that many of the artists who appear are not really bluegrass performers, something that White wanted to address.

“We want to broaden our viewing audience, without changing the overall feel of the show. Americana goes hand-in-hand with bluegrass. There will still be a strong bluegrass component.”

Very good news that the show can resume with new programs.

Song Of The Mountains to be Virginia’s official TV series

While there are several current television shows featuring live bluegrass music, including Bluegrass Underground and a number of programs on RFD-TV, one of the most popular is surely Song of the Mountains, the monthly concert series at Marion, Virginia’s Lincoln Theatre. Recorded live each month and broadcast in a seasonal format on over 150 PBS affiliate stations throughout the country, it now reaches approximately 52 million viewers each year.

The show’s success has been noticed by legislators in its home state, leading Delegate Jeffrey L. Campbell, a Republican from Marion, to sponsor a bill in the House of Delegates naming Song of the Mountains Virginia’s official television series. Marion Ellis, the show’s executive producer, and Tim White, the show’s host, approached Campbell last year about sponsoring such a bill in hopes that it would raise awareness of the important role the region has played in the history of bluegrass and country music, as well as increase tourism in the area. White recently told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that “The music in this region is big, not just because of its historical value. We have a real opportunity to not just spread the gospel about bluegrass and country music, but to make an economic impact.”

Campbell’s legislation summarizes the benefits of Song of the Mountains, stating that the program “promotes and preserves the music, heritage, and culture of the Southwest region of Virginia.” It also touches on the possible economic effect of the show, noting that audiences in 29 different states are able to watch it – leading to “a potential audience of 93 million viewers.” If just a small fraction of those viewers chose to visit Marion and the surrounding area, it could certainly have a positive effect on the region’s tourist industry.

HB 1927 (perhaps a nod to the famous 1927 recording sessions just down the road in Bristol?) easily passed in the House of Delegates on January 25, with a 99-0 vote. It then passed 32-7 in the Senate yesterday (February 9), and is now headed to the desk of Governor Terry McAuliffe for his signature. It will join other official state emblems such as milk (the state beverage), American dogwood (the state tree), and square dancing (the state folk dance).

Congratulations, Song of the Mountains!

Remembering Miss Dixie on Song of the Mountains

This past weekend in Marion, VA, a special edition of the PBS program, Song of the Mountains was recorded at The Lincoln Theatre. Its theme was Remembering Miss Dixie, and all the artists on the program performed songs written by Dixie and Tom T Hall.

Included were sets from Heather Berry & Tony Mabe, The Ridge Runners, The Larry Stephenson Band, and Chris Jones & the Night Drivers. These were all special friends of Miss Dixie, whose passing in 2015 left a large hole in the hearts of the bluegrass music community.

Also featured was a special tribute from three ladies who had worked closely with Miss Dixie during the later years of her life, calling themselves the Dixie Trio. They are Nancy Cardwell, former Executive Director of the IBMA, Annette Kelley, Business Manager for Tom T. and Dixie Hall at Fox Hollow, and Melissa Lawrence Buck, graphic designer and personal assistant to the Halls. All three grew up singing bluegrass music in their family bands, and serve on the Remembering Miss Dixie Committee who are involved in Dixie Hall’s charitable giving towards helping young musicians fulfill their bluegrass dreams.

Cardwell said that their group started when she brought her dad’s old guitar out to the office where Annette and Melissa were working on the Hall’s property one day, and the three of them got to singing, swapping out parts and just having a grand old time.

“Tom T. was taking a cat nap down the hall with a movie on TV, and heard us singing, which he thought was part of the soundtrack of the movie that was on. When he figured out that it was coming from inside the house, he tracked us down and said that we absolutely should be involved in the upcoming Song of the Mountains tribute show.

He was very instrumental in putting this show together, and in suggesting who should sing which songs on the program.

We were all honored to be there; we did it for Miss Dixie and her memory.”

Nancy said that they did one song of the Halls’ that has never yet been recorded, or even performed publicly before.

Each of the artists on the show also took part in an interview session on stage, sharing their own remembrances of Miss Dixie. It’s expected that at least two episodes of Song of the Mountains next season will be dedicated to this special event.

The performances captured on May 7 won’t air until next season on television, but thanks to David Johnson, we have this gallery of images from Saturday night’s show.

Tim White keeps his promise

Regular Bluegrass Today readers will have seen our coverage throughout the summer of the rift that developed between the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA and the staff of the popular bluegrass television program, Song Of The Mountains.

The split occurred in the midst of financial difficulties that were plaguing the show, which is broadcast on dozens of PBS affiliate stations in the US, and also threatening its ability to remain on the air. The theatre board, which owned the rights to the name, terminated their contract with Tim White, who had hosted the show from its inception as a cost-saving measure.

In a set of quickly cascading events, the Song Of The Mountains technical team quit, and most of the guests booked for future shows indicated that they would decline to perform unless White returned. Soon a group of Marion businesspeople formed a new non-profit and arranged for a transfer of ownership of the program from the theatre to themselves, and returned Tim to his previous position as host.

The show had been boon to the town of Marion, not only from visitors staying over when attending the regular tapings, but also from its name being so closely associated with with a widely broadcast PBS property. Everyone seems to be happy with the new arrangement, with White returning to the stage of The Lincoln Theater once again on September 5.

He shared the photo above, along with this brief remembrance of him keeping a promise he made a few months ago.

“The crowd enjoyed the moment as did I. My friend and fellow musician from Bristol, Lightnin’ Charlie was positioned stage left at the opening of the concert taping. He sang one verse of the song I’m Back in the Saddle Again and introduced me as ‘Host of Song of the Mountains.’ I was touched by the huge response and standing ovation.

As I promised in promotions leading up to the concert, I immediately walked to the front of center stage, knelt down and kissed the stage. The show went great too, with artists Lightnin’ Charlie, Emi Sunshine, The Ransom Notes, and Jesse McReynolds.”

The next live taping is scheduled for October 5, and is being billed as the Sammy Shelor Birthday Bash with Lonesome River Band, Kody Norris, Judge Talford Band, Ashley Lewis, and Giles Mountain String Band.

Welcome back, Tim White!

Tim White to return to Song Of The Mountains

The various disagreements and agendas at the root of this summer’s interruption in the tapings of Song Of The Mountains at The Lincoln Theatre appear to be resolved. The Theatre, which had owned the rights to the name of the show, has turned them over to a new non-profit organization, Appalachian Music Heritage Foundation, in an agreement that will separate the Lincoln Theatre Board from the show, but keep its production there at the Theatre.

In the process, Tim White has agreed to return as host, starting with the September taping.

Song Of The Mountains has been a popular program, syndicated nationwide through PBS affiliate stations. Its focus has been live performances of bluegrass, Gospel, and traditional mountain music recorded at the lavishly-restored Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA. The show had been produced successfully since 2005, until a dispute in May surfaced between the Lincoln’s Board of Directors and White, resulting in the termination of his contract.

The Board then announced that the show would go on hiatus following the August taping, during which time a reorganization committee would look at new directions, including new sources of revenue, a recurring issue for the show.

Subsequently, the show’s TV production company, Horse Archer Productions, dropped out citing their desire to continue working with Tim White, and artists scheduled to appear at tapings in June and August began to cancel. Fortunately, a June show was able to be held, and was taped for editing and eventual broadcast. An August show, headlined by Jim Lauderdale, is set to be taped on August 1.

Joe Ellis, a Marion area businessman who helped found the show with White, and two associates, Sam Russell and Ed Stringer, formed the Appalachian Music Heritage Foundation expressly to assume management of Song Of The Mountains. The brand now resides with the Foundation.

Starting with the September 5 concert, White will be back as host. He told us this morning that he had been able to rearrange artist appearances so that everyone initially booked for this year will be able to appear, and they will be able to deliver all 24 episodes for Season 11 in 2016.

“I’m really tickled that everything worked out. These troubles are behind us, and I’m prepared to work for the benefit of the Lincoln Theatre and Song Of The Mountains. I’m fired up and ready to go another 11 years!”

Season 11 may need to start airing a few months late next year, but a full season will be available for syndicators. Each scheduled taping at The Lincoln can yield up to four episodes of the show, and there will be tapings yet in September, October, November, and December.

White’s opening segments for each program are taped after the concerts are held, so he will be able to appear in each episode for 2016. Viewers who hadn’t followed this dust up and resolution won’t even notice anything different in Season 11.

A donation of $50,000 to The Lincoln Theatre from the Appalachian Music Heritage Foundation is expected to be made when contract details are finalized.

An update from Tim White about Song Of The Mountains

We received a statement this afternoon from Tim White, former host of the Song Of The Mountains television program, syndicated to dozens of PBS affiliates around the US.

The live bluegrass performance vehicle has been in the news of late owing to a reorganization announced by The Lincoln Theatre in mid-May, whereby White was dismissed from his host role, and the show was set to go on hiatus after the scheduled August taping. That situation was further complicated by a decision by Horse Archer Productions, who shoot and edit the live shows, to back out of any further commitments absent White’s return.

In his statement, Tim indicates two bits of news: that the acts booked for the August taping have all backed out, and that a plan to resurrect the show is circulating in Marion, VA where the show has been taped.

Here follows his complete statement…

“I want to thank all of my friends, fellow musicians and fans of Song of the Mountains for your overwhelming support over the past three weeks. Your kind words of support have meant so much to me and my wife, Penny.

Just to let you know briefly what has happened since the Lincoln Theatre board’s ‘Re-organization committee’ released me from my contract 3 1/2 years early…

The director of the Lincoln Theatre stands pretty much all alone now. Prior to my release, 4 board members including the vice president resigned. Additionally Christine Stupin, the office and box office manager resigned. Christine did practically all of the work daily in the office. Once I was released, my backstage crew resigned from the show as did John Taylor, the house sound man who has been there since we started the Song of the Mountains Concert Series across America in 2005.

Horse Archer Productions who does fabulous work producing the show has quit as well (once they tape the final two episodes in June and August 2015). The Lincoln Theatre board decided to cancel the remaining September through December concerts to ‘Re-organize.’ On that note I’m not sure how the June 13th show will work out without an experienced stage crew, but for the bands who do show up I hope they do well.

As for the August 1, 2015 taping… Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver has dropped out due to the Lincoln board’s actions and turmoil created. The VW Boys will not be coming nor will the Malpass Brothers or Bill and Maggie Anderson. In other words every scheduled band for the August show will not perform.

Also I have heard that two tour groups have canceled their trips to Marion, VA on August 1st. Lots of folks ask me ‘What happened?’ In my opinion, the director of the Lincoln Theatre as well as the ‘executive committee’ of the board of directors of the Lincoln have made terrible decisions. They say they want to ‘take the show in a different direction working with other partners.’ From what I have seen they have no plan. I hope they wake up before it is too late for the merchants in Marion, VA as well as the entire Town of Marion, VA.

A group of businessmen in Marion have offered to buy the Song of the Mountains brand from the Lincoln Theatre, reinstate me as executive coordinator and bring back my backstage crew, sound man and Horse Archer Productions to work for them (as a new non-profit), and rent the Lincoln Theatre for continued tapings in Marion. This plan has legs and I firmly believe it will work. I hope the board of directors at the Lincoln Theatre will take them up on this offer and save SOTM before it is too late.

The clock is ticking pretty fast now. Once again, I love Marion, VA, I love the Lincoln Theatre and I love bluegrass, old time and Americana music and the people who play it. I’ll keep you posted.”

Song Of The Mountains update

We reached Sean Kotz with Horse Archer Productions again this afternoon, and he shared a minor update on the situation with The Lincoln Theatre Board and the status of Song Of The Mountains, the PBS-syndicated, live-performance television program. Production of unaired episodes was halted last week when host Tim White’s contract was terminated, and the Theatre Board announced that the show would be going on hiatus.

Horse Archer resounded to this news by announcing that they would not continue working with the show absent White’s return, and had a meeting with the Board last night to seek solutions to this impasse. Horse Archer has been responsible for audio and video production on the show since original producer André Burroughs left several years back.

Kotz left that meeting with nothing settled.

“Nothing was officially decided at the board meeting in our presence and there were certainly no definitive changes, which includes our position. Simply put, Horse Archer is with Tim White.

But that is about all that has been straight forward. Since we didn’t know it was coming and only some of the host segments were taped, when Tim was fired, we immediately stopped editing, pulled the facts together as we could and are currently waiting on a plan for completion. We did not leave the meeting with enough information to set the wheels in motion again yet.

Having said all that, I am starting to think this thing might just turn around.

After I left the meeting last night, Joe Ellis (one of the founders of the show) proposed a plan that might bring Tim back to the Lincoln stage and airwaves soon. I don’t know all the details since it is being formally drafted this weekend for review early next week, but I have talked to Joe and said we want to sign on if it will get Tim back and keep the show rolling, and I think it could.

I am not 100 percent sure how it proceeds from there, but I am hopeful anyway.”

So that’s some good news perhaps for Song Of The Mountain fans. We’ll have more information as it is available.