On Friday, August 6th, the Festival starts with a bang, featuring performances by the Whitetop Mountain Band, the Whitewater Bluegrass Company, and a special performance by Patsy and Donna Stoneman, daughters of legendary Ernest "Pop" Stoneman. The music stays strong into Saturday, August 7th, featuring the talents of Big Country Bluegrass, the Dollar Brothers, the Grayson Highland Band, and an exclusive headlining performance by the iconic Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. Carter Family descendent Lorrie Carter Bennett, along with longtime family friend Ronnie Williams, will be performing on both days.

In the last years of her life, Janette Carter would often marvel at just how far the Carter Fold had come since she first began her weekly music shows nearly 40 years ago. As the Carter Family Fold has grown, there have been literally thousands of people who have done so much to make sure that the Fold stays true to its mission of providing a strong sense of Appalachian community for all who enter. We hope to see you at this year's festival. It is your continued support that has kept us going strong for 36 years.

Tickets are available at the gate only; all seats are festival seating. Tickets are $10 for adults on Friday, $20 for adults on Saturday, or both days $25 for adults. Children's tickets (ages 6 to 11) are $2.00 a day; under age 6 free. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Friday and at noon on Saturday. Music on the stage gets underway at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night and at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

A slight change from past years, all artists will perform one set. The Carters will open each set, and Dr. Ralph Stanley will close out the festival. The music begins at 6:00 p.m. Friday and lasts until 11:00 p.m. On Saturday, it begins at 3:00 p.m. and runs until 6:00 pm, with a supper break from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Saturday evening's performance starts at 7:00 p.m. and lasts until 10:30 p.m.

Craft and outside food booths open at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and at noon on Saturday. Soup beans, cornbread, chicken, funnel cakes, and soft serve ice cream will be available as well as hot dogs with homemade chili, barbecue, and nachos. A homemade quilt will be raffled off during the festival and given away at the beginning of the evening performance on Saturday. The A.P. Carter Cabin Birthplace and the newly renovated Carter Family Museum will be open from the time the gates open each day until 8:00 p.m. There will be lots of music and jamming on the grounds in addition to the scheduled performers inside the Carter Fold. Limited rough camping is available.

If you've ever witnessed a Carter Family Memorial Festival at the Fold, you know you're going to have a great time. However, if you've never been to one of the annual festivals or the Fold itself, we encourage you to stop on by, do some dancing, sing a few songs, and have a piece of homemade cornbread. After only a few minutes, you will surely agree that the music and traditions of Appalachia are by no means fading away – they're stronger than ever.

PERFORMER INFORMATION (Alphabetical Order)

LORRIE CARTER BENNETT
When Mother Maybelle Carter began touring with her three daughters in the 1940s, listeners everywhere fell in love with the beautiful singing of Anita Carter, whom many consider to be the greatest voice in the history of country music. Anita shared the stage and recorded true country masterpieces with several music legends, including Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Snow. And though she passed away in 1999, her daughter Lorrie Carter Bennett, carries on the Carter tradition with a voice that is every bit as heartbreakingly stunning as that of Anita herself.

Lorrie Carter Bennett was born with country music in her blood. As soon as she learned to walk, she toddled onstage with her mother, her grandmother, and her aunts - Helen and June. As a child, Lorrie had the unique opportunity to learn the music business from both her celebrated mother and her father Don Davis - a steel guitarist, producer, and Alabama Music Hall of Fame member. By age 14, Lorrie was touring with the Carter Sisters and soon with Johnny Cash, who made a point to tell the masses how Lorrie's voice was every bit as breathtaking as her mother's.

Lorrie's vocals have been in high demand for many years, and she has been an active performer at the Carter Fold. Since the deaths of Joe and Janette Carter, Lorrie has taken as much time out of her schedule as possible to make more frequent appearances at the Fold and do everything she can to showcase the beauty of the Carter Family's music. So when you get a chance to hear Lorrie sing, make sure you take it, cause one listen is all it takes before you're anchored in love divine.

BIG COUNTRY BLUEGRASS
Big Country Bluegrass was formed by husband and wife Tommy and Teresa Sells in the late 1980s and took its' name from Tommy's coon-hunting buddy Jimmy Martin's instrumental Big Country. In the ensuing years, the group has played numerous fiddlers conventions, capturing their share of individual and band honors while also performing at festivals in the southeastern U.S. They have long since abandoned the competition circuit and concentrated on festivals and their concert dates. They've developed a large and devoted following throughout the U.S. and abroad in countries like Great Britain and Australia. Their consistent showing on the national bluegrass charts is very impressive.

All the band's members live in communities along the Virginia/North Carolina border in close proximity to Galax, Virginia – the mecca of traditional music. Tommy Sells plays mandolin and handles most of the emcee work. Teresa Sells plays rhythm guitar and sings lead and tenor parts. Tommy and Teresa live near Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Alan Mastin lives near Fries, Virginia, and plays acoustic upright bass fiddle. Johnny Williams of Danville, Virginia, plays rhythm guitar and sings both lead and harmony parts. Jeff Michael of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, plays fiddle and lead guitar. He also does most of the lead singing and sings harmony to Teresa's and Johnny's leads.

Big Country Bluegrass plays music that has become known to many as Galax or Mt. Airy style of bluegrass. Their music is reminiscent of the music of Bill Monroe or Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. The band's rhythm and timing are solid, their instrumental work is clean and tasteful, and their vocals are from the heart. For more information, go to www.BigCountryBluegrass.com.

THE DOLLAR BROTHERS
The Dollar Brothers provide a high energy, family-oriented bluegrass show. A traditional bluegrass band, they are from Watauga and Ashe Counties in North Carolina. Darrell Dollar, lead singer and older brother to Barry and Wade, plays mandolin and has written several songs for the group. Barry Dollar plays fiddle and banjo and sings lead and baritone. Wade Dollar, youngest of the three brothers, sings tenor and lead and also plays claw hammer banjo and dobro. Tim Norris, banjo player, is a cousin to the Dollars. Tim also sings, and he plays guitar and piano. From Ashe County, Kevin Miller plays bass and guitar for the band and helps out on vocals.

The Dollar Brothers have shared the stage with such luminaries as Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, the Seldom Scene, Doyle Lawson, and the Osborne Brothers. The group loves doing the old standard bluegrass tunes as well as some of their own compositions and some gospel music. Having been in bluegrass music for over twenty years, this group really loves sharing their music with others. They've been performing at the Carter Fold for over fifteen years. For more information on the band, go to www.TheDollarBrothersBand.com.

THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN CLOGGERS
The Great Smoky Mountain Cloggers of Asheville, North Carolina, was formed more than 30 years ago by Mr. Floyd King with the mission of giving its' audiences a riveting dosage of traditional Appalachian dancing. Though Mr. King passed away in 2004, the Cloggers show no signs of stopping, maintaining a heavy performance schedule and continuing to showcase only the best in mountain clogging.  

The Great Smoky Mountain Cloggers have performed for many local conventions throughout the southeast, including shows at the Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore Estate. They also travel to Arkansas every summer to perform at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View. The Cloggers forged a special friendship with Janette Carter over 30 years ago, and have performed regularly at the Carter Family Memorial Music Festivals. To see the Cloggers perform is the chance of a lifetime, as there are few clogging groups out there that can perform a traditional mountain clogging routine with such fierce, unyielding energy.

GRAYSON HIGHLAND BAND
The Grayson Highland Band celebrates a style called progressive old-time music - using the musical traditions of the past to inspire the musicians of tomorrow. The group includes Jerry Smith, Paul Trianosky, Susan Trianosky, Tina Trianosky Steffey, Rhoda Kemp, and Meredith Goins.  The band's members are no strangers to performing, and they have been seen and heard at many local events including Christmas in July, the Albert Hash Festival, the Rugby Fall Festival, the Greater

Lansing Area Festival, the Wayne Henderson Festival, and the Olla Bell Reed Festival. The group has won several awards and has participated in the Galax Fiddlers Convention, Grayson County Fiddlers Convention, Ashe County Fiddlers Convention, and many more. 

Tina Trianosky Steffey plays the claw hammer banjo and does vocals. Susan Trianosky plays bass and guitar and does vocals. She was a founding member of the Appalachian Mountain Girls – an all-girl old time band – prior to joining the Grayson Highland Band. Paul Trianosky plays the mandolin and sings lead and harmony. Jerry Smith is the band leader. He plays guitar and bass. Rhoda Kemp plays bass, banjo, autoharp, and guitar – and helps out on vocals. Meredith Goins will be doing the fiddling for the group. One of only a handful of old time, family bands left - the Grayson Highlands Band exemplifies all the best of old time music.

RALPH STANLEY & THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS
Ralph Stanley really needs no introduction. He was born in Dickenson County, Virginia, where he still resides when he's not on the road. After 55 years in the music business, he's still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass today. As a recording artist, he's performed on more than 170 albums, tapes, and CDs. He's written many songs himself and with his brother, the late Carter Stanley. Ralph has played throughout the United States and in many foreign countries – traveling numerous times to Japan. He has received numerous honors as a bluegrass musician, including membership in the Grand Ole Opry. In addition, he's a Shriner, a member of the Primitive Baptist Universalist Church, and former member of the Dickenson County School Board. Active in his local community, he's married to Jimmi Stanley. They have two daughters, Lisa and Tonya; and one son, Ralph II.

Clinch Mountain Boy Dewey Brown is the most recent addition to the group, joining the band in 2005. From Graham, North Carolina, Dewey is an accomplished fiddler who began his career with the band Blue Ridge while still in high school. He's performed with Honi Denton, Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen, and IIIrd Time Out. Dewey started playing fiddle at age nine, and he placed first in the Galax Old Time Fiddlers' Convention at age 17. He sings harmony with the group.

Jimmy Cameron from Sanford, North Carolina, is no stranger to the bluegrass music scene and brings many years experience to the job of bass player for the Stanley band. He has played mandolin with the Bluegrass Reunion and bass for Continental Divide. An accomplished driver, he gets the band to their shows safely and on time.

Steve Sparkman, from Harlan, Kentucky, grew up surrounded by old time music. His father played claw hammer style banjo. Steve began playing at age eleven. Originally hired to fill in when Ralph Stanley suffered a broken leg, Ralph found he simply couldn't let him go when he recovered. He's been a Clinch Mountain Boy for eleven years now. Steve has received several IBMA awards and a Grammy.

James Shelton joined the Clinch Mountain Boys in March, 1994, as a lead guitarist. From Scott County, James has served as the group's road manager and booking agent. He has recorded several

solo projects and is responsible for several publications and instructional videos on guitar. An avid collector, James owns several vintage guitars. Huss and Dalton produces a "James A. Shelton Signature TDR-Model" guitar.

If their schedules permit, Nathan Stanley and Ralph Stanley II may also perform with Dr. Ralph. Although he has performed at the Fold several times, this will be Ralph Stanley's first Carter Family Festival performance. He and John Carter Cash have collaborated on several recording projects, and he has issued a Carter Family tribute CD. The Fold is exceedingly proud to feature Ralph Stanley for this year's festival. For more information on Dr. Stanley and his band, go to www.drralphstanley.com.

PATSY & DONNA STONEMAN
Descendants of the legendary Stoneman Family, Patsy and Donna Stoneman grew up surrounded by old time music. Their father, Ernest Stoneman, was born in Carroll County, Virginia. He was raised by his father and three cousins who taught him traditional Blue Ridge Mountain songs. Ernest married very young. When not working at various odd jobs, he played music for friends and neighbors. After hearing a Henry Whittier record, he swore he could do better and set off to New York in 1924 to get a recording contract and prove it. His first cut, Sinking of the Titanic, came out on the Okeh label later that year and became one of the biggest hits of the 1920s.

Ernest played autoharp, guitar, Jew's harp, and claw hammer banjo. In 1926, he formed a band of relatives and neighbors. Stoneman was instrumental in convincing Ralph Peer to do the field recordings in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927 that are now referred to as the Bristol sessions. Ernest and his family recorded over 200 songs through 1929. Hit hard by the Great Depression, Ernest moved his wife and nine children to Washington, D.C., and went to work in a munitions plant. He and his wife, Hattie, had 23 children together. At the end of the 1940s, he and his family began performing as the Stoneman Family. By 1956, he was referred to as "Pop," and he appeared on NBC's The Big Surpirse. His children performed as the Bluegrass Champs. Pop performed with his family through the early 1960s. In 1965, the Stonemans signed with MGM in Nashville and hosted a syndicated TV show. Pop passed away in 1968. Several of the Stoneman children still perform today. Patsy, in particular, has worked tirelessly to preserve her family's musical legacy. Her hard work paid off when Pop Stoneman was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. The Stoneman and Carter families' legacies are forever linked, and the Carter family is particularly honored to have Patsy and Donna as featured performers at the festival.

WHITETOP MOUNTAIN BAND
The fast-paced mountain music of the Whitetop Mountain Band of Grayson County is definitely a family affair, dominated by the presences of the nationally known Spencer family. While not every member of the group is of the Spencer clan, they may as well be, as the band is just as personally close as they are professionally solid. Whitetop, Virginia is an area rich in the old time music tradition. This band has deep roots in mountain music. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region's style of old time fiddling and banjo picking, and they are legendary teachers of the style.

Whitetop Mountain Band shows are very versatile and entertaining, containing everything from fiddle and banjo instrumentals to powerful solos and harmony vocals on blues, classic country, honky tonk, traditional bluegrass numbers, old timey ballads, originals, and four-part mountain gospel songs. Shows also include flat foot dancing. The band is well-known for their high energy and charisma on stage.

The Whitetop Mountain Band has been performing for over three decades, first making a name for themselves at the Carter Family Fold back when the famed concert series took place in A.P. Carter's general store. The band features the masterful fiddle playing of Thornton Spencer, who learned to play from his brother-in-law, legendary fiddler (and band founder) Albert Hash. Thornton's wife, Emily, picks a driving old-fashioned claw hammer banjo, while their daughter Martha Spencer plays everything from guitar to fiddle to banjo. Martha can't resist the urge to join in on the dancing during the fast numbers, either. Jackson Cunningham plays mandolin and guitar and does vocals for the band. Debbie Bramer plays bass for the band and dances. All five band members grew up immersed in old time Appalachian musical tradition from birth. Anyone can pick up a fiddle or banjo and learn to play, but the Whitetop Mountain Band proves that to truly excel at mountain music you must be "born into it."

The Whitetop Mountain Band has a dedicated fan base and receives high critical acclaim throughout the nation. They've had the honor of playing such recognized events as the World's Fair, the National Folklife Festival, Merlefest, and the Smithsonian Institution. The band has toured England, Wales, Ireland, and Australia. The group has a variety of recordings to their credit, and several members of the group have taught classes and programs on old time music. For more information on the group, go to: WhiteTopMountainBand.tripod.com.

WHITEWATER BLUEGRASS COMPANY
For over 25 years, the Whitewater Bluegrass Company of Asheville, North Carolina, has captivated audiences throughout the southeast with a blend of bluegrass music, country ballads, mountain swing, and down-home humor. With Whitewater, mountain culture is a celebration of music, song, and dance.

With true southern charm and manners, Whitewater's emcee, square dance caller, and bass man, "Uncle Ted" White, will put you right at ease. His country wit and solid delivery on the bass make him an audience favorite. The driving rhythm of Bill Byerly's Martin guitar provides the backdrop against which the group's melody of sound is woven. These two founding members have brought together some of the finest musicians North Carolina has to offer. David Pendley plays mandolin, and Steve Sutton does the banjo playing for the group. Gary Mackey is one of the most animated fiddlers in bluegrass today.

Whitewater Bluegrass Company has served as the host band for Folkmoot USA, the Smokey Mountain Folk Festival, Kanuga Conference Centers, and the historic Horse Barn on the Biltmore estate. They have been featured entertainers at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University and the Grove Park Inn. They are the house band for the Fiddlin' Pig in Asheville. For more information on the group, go to: WhiteWaterBluegrassCo.com.

RONNIE WILLIAMS
Ronnie has been playing since 1975. One of his best memories is playing for Sara and Maybelle at the Fold in 1976. He remembers playing Gold Watch and Chain and Black Mountain Rag for "Mommy and Maybelle" at Janette's request. Ronnie plays a Gibson guitar similar to Maybelle's, and he also plays autoharp and sings beautifully. He's been a friend of the Carter Family for years, and often visited various members of the family – a tradition he continues to this day. A great cook, Ronnie often helps make cornbread for the festival. You won't find anyone who knows more about the Carter Family and their music or anyone who plays it with more reverence than Ronnie Williams does.

Performing on Friday, August 6, 2010:

• Patsy & Donna Stoneman
• Whitewater Bluegrass Company
• Whitetop Mountain Band

• The Dollar Brothers
• Big Country Bluegrass
• Grayson Highland Band
• Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
• Great Smoky Mountain Cloggers

• Lorrie Carter Bennett
• Ronnie Williams

Seed Newsvine