Originally founded in 1988, Merlefest was created to honor the memory of the son of the late Doc Watson. Eddy Merle Watson was a renowned guitarist in his own right, and traveled and performed often with Doc. The festival is traditionally held at the end of April every year on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC. (4/23 ...

MerleFest, an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC has announced the judges for their 28th Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest—a well respected contest for writers of roots and Americana music—held annually in memory of Chris Austin. Austin was an acclaimed musician and songwriter who died in a plane crash ...

Every year, at the famed Merlefest, songwriters enthusiastically via for a chance to compete for the crown as the best songwriter at the Chris Austin Songwriting contest. Now in its 27th year, the contest allows up-and-coming songwriters to perform for a panel of music industry professionals and serves to give talented songwriters exposure. In the Bluegrass category this year, Tellico’s Anya Hinkle took ...

A few years ago my wife and I made our annual trek to MerleFest, where thousands gather every April for this premier music event. As you might imagine, like any outdoor festival, you’re either in a camp chair or spread out on the ground. And as often happens in April, there are rain showers, which leave the ground constantly damp. ...

Brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger, originally from Switzerland, began singing and playing instruments at a very young age. “I always wanted to be a musician and a composer,” Jenz told me recently. “I had great encouragement when I was growing up. Although I never had formal training, I always had the opportunity to play with really good people.” German Folk ...

Being part of the writing effort for a magazine that focuses upon Americana music means we are blessed with the chance to attend some exceptional music festivals throughout the year. Even when the official editorial call to attend is not there, my wife and I often find ourselves heading off for a whole weekend here or a single day there ...

The 30th installment of Merlefest came to a close Sunday afternoon, April 30th, with a crowd pleasing set from one of Country Music’s more popular artists, the Zac Brown Band. It is estimated that well over 80,000 folks attended the celebration over the four days. This festival is the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation which funds scholarships and capital ...

Upon realizing that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Merlefest, and knowing that this fest provided significant inspiration for us here at Americana Rhythm, I felt it only fitting to give an extra shout out to this phenomenal music festival. Created as a tribute by Doc Watson and Wilkes Community College to his late son, Merle, Merlefest has become ...

Some 10 or 12 years ago, I accompanied my son to a music festival in North Carolina to help him staff a trade booth for a magazine for which he worked at the time. We joined 70,000 music fans for four days of string-music greatness of a type that is now known to many as Americana. That experience led to ...

Back in 2004, while attending Merlefest, I had the idea for creating Americana Rhythm Music Magazine. One of the artists performing that weekend was a guy named Jim Lauderdale. He was (and is) an integral part of that fabulous event; and I remember thinking that if there was any one guy that exemplified the definition of an Americana artist, it ...