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In celebration of famed flat-picker Doc Watson’s centennial birthday in March, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge is hosting the first-ever Blue Ridge Jamboree on March 25 at the Wortham Center in Asheville.
Performing at the “Doc Watson at 100” concert are guitar legends in their own right: T. Michael Coleman, Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood.
“Part of our mission is celebrating the cultural uniqueness and environmental beauty of the Blue Ridge region,” said FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge executive director Julie Whalen. “Our vision for the Blue Ridge Jamboree is to create an annual event featuring our Blue Ridge musical heritage, with multiple shows throughout our region where FRIENDS chapters are located.”
“Doc Watson at 100” celebrates Watson’s life and legacy by those who performed with him and were profoundly influenced by his music. T. Michael Coleman and Jack Lawrence both performed, recorded and toured with Watson longer than any other musician with whom he worked. Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood were both heavily impacted by Watson’s music through his many recordings and performances. Henderson counted Watson as a close friend, especially in his later years when he enjoyed visiting Henderson in his guitar-making shop in Rugby, Va.
Tickets are $45 and available at worthamarts.org. A $50 VIP event add-on includes dinner, two drink tickets, and a pre-concert talk on Watson’s legacy led by host East Tennessee State University Appalachian Studies professor Ted Olson.
The Blue Ridge Jamboree is being presented by Mast General. All proceeds benefit FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge, a volunteer and membership nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the quality of life and ecological and cultural vitality of the Blue Ridge region of North Carolina and Virginia.