Song of the Mountains Kicks Off 2009 Season in Marion, Va.

Marion, VA- Song of the Mountains will kick off the 2009 season of live tapings at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia this Saturday evening Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.

The award winning duo of Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little will headline the show entertaining folks with their unique brand of guitar picking and piano playing. This will make their third appearance on the nationally syndicated PBS concert series which began in 2005.

Also on the show this Saturday night will be bluegrass fan favorites Nothin’ Fancy from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. In 2008, SPBMGA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) honored Nothin' Fancy with the prestigious "Entertaining Group of the Year" award. Other awards they have been nominated for through SPBGMA include Mike Andes for Male Vocalist, Mandolin Player and Entertainer of the Year and Chris Sexton for Fiddle Player of the Year. Their strong vocals, powerful instrumentation, and energetic stage presence, along with their friendly down-to-earth charm keeps people coming back for more. Nothin’ Fancy is not just carrying on the tradition of bluegrass music; they are contributing to the creation of a new tradition within the acoustic music genre.

Making their home from different areas of Southern Virginia and bringing a contemporary twist on the music they play, Wheeler has a sound that is soothing to the ears. This new bluegrass gospel band, established in April of 2008, recently signed with Mountain Roads Recordings and has their first release scheduled for early 2009. The purest vocals and harmony reaches right down into your heart and grabs you from the moment the first note is released. Kevin Wheeler (bass/vocals), Mark Jackson (mandolin/vocals), Justin Salyer (guitar), and Steve Mounts (banjo) play their respective instruments with expertise and joy, while Tiffany Wheeler's vocals are angelic, and delight everyone who listens to them wherever they perform.

Rounding out the evening will be the beautiful Michelle Cupit. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee Michelle and her husband own Cupit Records which features bluegrass and country music. Michelle grew up in a musical family. Her grandfather played mandolin and lap steel guitar. Her father played fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. She was born in Arkansas and raised in Texas. She started out singing at church fairs, and festivals with her first performance at five years old. She received a paddling in the first grade for singing “Don’t Come Home a Drinking with Lovin’ on Your Mind” in her music class. Michelle grew up with a love for the fiddle and artists like Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, and The Whites. Her husband/producer asked her to sing some demos of some bluegrass songs he had written and the rest is history. We now affectionately call her “Bluegrass Baby.”

Song of the Mountains features bluegrass, old time, Celtic and Americana Music and is currently airing on over 170 PBS outlets across the United States. Tickets for the Christmas concert at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday, January 3rd are $15. Tickets may be purchased at the Lincoln Theatre Box Office in Marion, VA or online at www.songofthemountains.org. The concerts begin at 7:00 pm. For information or tickets by phone call 276-783-6093.

Song of the Mountains is underwritten by the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, Mountain States Health Alliance, GrahamFest, Bryant Label Co. of Blountville, TN, TEDS, the General Francis Marion Hotel in Marion, VA, Deering Banjos, the Carter Family Fold, The Bank of Marion, Alpha Natural Resources, and Emory & Henry College. Special support from Marion, Chilhowie, Saltville and Smyth County, VA.
Memberships and Song of the Mountains merchandise are available at the website and your purchases help support the concert series.

Song of the Mountains/The Lincoln Theatre is a non-profit organization.