The hottest new band meets the Masters. Don Rigsby and Midnight Call, a head-turning new band in bluegrass, meets Allen Mills and the Lost and Found, among the most revered band of bluegrass masters. Trained in the Bluegrass Cardinals and J.D. Crowe’s New South, brilliant musician Don Rigsby is Ricky Skaggs’ first cousin, and his rival as a singer and mandolin player. The composer of some of the finest songs in bluegrass, Allen Mills has led the Lost and Found throughout their storied career. Kylene Barker, a Galax-born Miss America, will open the show singing, God Bless America. Youth Spotlight featuring award winning siblings, Zeb & Samantha Snyder.
A Flatt and Scruggs TV show video will be shown in the indoor auditorium at 5:30. All for $10
Don Rigsby
From remote Isonville, Ky., to an international following in Bluegrass music, Don Rigsby has remained true to his mountain roots and made his own marks as a powerful tenor and distinctive mandolin player.
He has sung since he can remember, started playing guitar at age 12, added the mandolin and fiddle, and plays the dulcimer. For his sixth birthday Don was taken to the Paramount Arts Center in nearby Ashland, Ky., to hear his hero, Ralph Stanley, perform “Little Maggie,” and got an unforgettable bonus when Keith Whitley came out to the audience, hoisted young Don on his shoulders, can carried him backstage to meet Ralph for the first time.
Rigsby has released three solo albums. His first, “A Vision,” won the Association of Independent Music’s “gospel album of the year” award and was nominated for an IBMA award. He received the 1999 Bluegrass Now Magazine Fan’s Choice Award for vocal tenor of the year and the 2001 Governor’s Kentucky Star Award. “Empty Old Mailbox,” the title track from his third album, won the 2001 Song of the Year award from SPGBMA. In 2005, Rigsby was awarded two IBMA awards for his role as producer of the Larry Sparks project “40” for Recorded Event of the Year and Album of the Year. He has recorded two albums with Dudley Connell, with plans for a third, and continues to perform and record with Midnight Call and Longview.
Lost and Found
Formed in Martinsville, Virginia in 1973, the Lost and Found doesn’t mind performing material considered classic country right along side traditional bluegrass, if they feel they can make it there own. With exceptional instrumentation and tight vocal harmonies, the group has sound that is sure to please any audience. the band recorded their first album in 1975 for a local label, which produced the now classic song, "Love of the Mountains", written by band founder and original member, Allen Mills. In 1980, they joined Rebel Records, for whom they still record. Their first release with Rebel produced another signature song, "Leftover Biscuits" and later "Wild Mountain Flowers for Mary", "Ida Red", and "Harvest Time". Their latest CD titled "It’s About Time" produced a number one song, "Johnston’s Grocery Store", in Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Survey. The band enjoys a steady touring schedule throught the United States and Canada and they look forward to performing in your area.
Zeb & Samantha Snyder
Getting started on the violin at the tender age of three in the Suzuki method has given Samantha an ear for tone and beauty. She has continued in the Suzuki program learning classical standards along the way. It was not until the summer of 2006 that she began to learn bluegrass fiddle.
The quick fiddle strokes and bouncing melodies sparked an even deeper love of music which is reflected in her smile as she plays. Also a singer, her voice is both delicate and expressive
as she sings lead or blends a harmony line. A favorite family outing is attending festivals and competitions where Samantha has placed and won prizes including a handmade fiddle by
Jimmy Edmonds.
Zeb began his music training at age seven taking classical guitar lessons. A year later he switched to the Suzuki approach and moved through the Suzuki program developing his skill and musical touch on the classical guitar. In 2006 he turned his interest toward flat picking and truly blossomed as a player. The ability to improvise and make a melody his own opened a world of enjoyment for this young guitarist. Meanwhile he developed as an accompanist for his younger sister, Samantha. His skill at picking a fast detailed break and his smooth backup rhythm playing make him a delight to the listener. He can also be heard singing a lead now and then as well as backup harmony. Fiddlers conventions and competitions have given him an opportunity to earn awards including his prized possession, a Wayne C. Henderson guitar.