North Carolina String Music Masters

North Carolina musicians pioneered and mastered the genres of old-time and bluegrass music. The roots of American music are deeply grounded in North Carolina's music history. Doc Watson played mountain fiddle tunes on guitar. He emerged as the father of flatpicking and forever changed the role of the guitar in American music. Charlie Poole created techniques that eventually defined bluegrass, and folks around the state heard his banjo on some of the most important old-time recordings. Rising star Rhiannon Giddens keeps the music alive today through new interpretations of classic old-time and bluegrass songs. Elizabeth Carlson profiles these and other masters of string music in this fascinating record of North Carolina's musical past, present and future.

Tour the Old North State's famous--and not-so-famous--historic sites. "First in Freedom," "First in Flight," and "First, Farthest and Last" are all honorifics that have been used to describe North Carolina's well-known history. Learn the truth behind each of these epithets and other tales from the sands of the Outer Banks to the bustling cities of the Piedmont and the western mountains. Tour the state's famous historic homes, gardens and cemeteries. Dive deep into its military conflicts, from the golden age of piracy to the Second World War. "Join North Carolina's veteran historian, Michael C. Hardy, for an exploration of the many sites, monuments, museums, and public spaces that tell story of North Carolina's history.

This book is a love letter to the artists, scenes, and sounds defining North Carolina's extraordinary contributions to American popular music. David Menconi spent three decades immersed in the state's music, where traditions run deep but the energy expands in countless directions. Menconi shows how working-class roots and rebellion tie North Carolina's Piedmont blues, jazz, and bluegrass to beach music, rock, hip-hop, and more. From mill towns and mountain coves to college-town clubs and the stage of American Idol, Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk, Step It Up and Go celebrates homegrown music just as essential to the state as barbecue and basketball. Spanning a century of history from the dawn of recorded music to the present, and with sidebars and photos that help reveal the many-splendored glory of North Carolina's sonic landscape, this is a must-read for every music lover.

Instrumentation: Flexible String Ensemble

Tommy Thompson arrived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1963, smitten by folk and traditional Appalachian music. In 1972, he teamed with Bill Hicks and Jim Watson to form the nontraditional string band the Red Clay Ramblers. Mike Craver joined in 1973, and Jack Herrick in 1976. Over time, musicians including Clay Buckner, Bland Simpson and Chris Frank joined Tommy, who played with the band until 1994. Drawing on interviews and correspondence, and the personal papers of Thompson, the author depicts a life that revolved around music and creativity. Appendices cover Thompson's banjos, his discography and notes on his collaborative lyric writing.