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Del McCoury Band (Photo courtesy the artist)
Del McCoury is the living link from the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams.
The Del McCoury Band performs at the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts in Owings Mill, Maryland, on Saturday, Jan. 29!
The Travelin’ McCourys (Photo courtesy IVPR)
DelFest, the festival brainchild of Del McCoury and his extended McCoury family, has just announced DelFest at Home, a streaming event celebrating musical highlights from DelFests past.
Happening during the originally scheduled festival weekend, May 21 through May 24, the free online event will feature performances from the festival’s namesake and his family as well as bluegrass and jam band luminaries such as Trey Anastasio Band, Bela Fleck and Chris Thile, Greensky Bluegrass, and more.
The Del McCoury Band performs at Ram’s Head On Stage in Annapolis in November 2017. (Photo by Casey Vock)
Ronnie McCoury, the eldest son of bluegrass legend Del McCoury and the longtime mandolin player for The Del McCoury Band, says he’s never had this much free time in the four decades he’s been performing music.
Ronnie was just a 13-year-old kid when he got his first glimpse of his father’s buddy Bill Monroe playing the mandolin, and, not long after, he was playing gigs alongside his dad. All these years later, Ronnie’s an eight-time International Bluegrass Music Association Mandolin Player of the Year and, just last year, produced the association’s Album of the Year — “Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass” — with his dad.
Keller Williams performs at Watermelon Park Festival. (Photo by Chester Simpson)
The 14th Annual Watermelon Park Fest, located in Berryville, Virginia, was held on the banks of the Shenandoah River on Sept. 21-24.
Watermelon Park Fest Sept. 24-27, 2015 (Photo by Chester Simpson)
Kick off the fall season this weekend with the Watermelon Park Festival, one of our region’s most exciting Americana and roots music festivals, at Watermelon Park Campground (3322 Lockes Mille Rd, Berryville, Virginia) on Thursday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 24. Several ticketing and camping options are available.