'Appalachia in the Bluegrass' Presents Old Time Music Duos Cari and Mike Norris, Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 23, 2015) — The next two "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concerts will showcase the power of two making music as Cari and Mike Norris followed by Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones present concerts noon Friday Sept. 25, and noon Friday, Oct. 2 respectively. The concerts will take place in the Niles Gallery of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.
Traditional Music in Their Genes
Cari Norris is a musician who performs ancient ballads as well as original songs on various instruments such as guitar, clawhammer banjo and mountain dulcimer. She has appeared throughout Kentucky at festivals, concerts, teaching workshops and school programs. She has also been featured on several Kentucky Educational Television programs such as "Kentucky Life," "Mixed Media" and "Jubilee." Norris has not only produced three solo recordings, "Morning and Night," "Cari's Old Christmas" and "In and Out of the Garden," but she also co-produced the solo recoding of her grandmother Lily May Ledford's "Gems."
Mike Norris, who will be performing with Cari, is her father. He is not only a talented musician but he is also an author. Mike has a new children's book of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, "Mommy Goose," that is being published by University Press of Kentucky next year.
A Couple of Old Time Music Lovers
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones are not only a couple on stage, but also in life. The married couple are old time musicians and inspired tunesmiths.
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones' performance.
Jones is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his instrumental talents and original songs about day-to-day life in the South. His songs have been recorded by The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Kate Campbell, Rickie Simpkins with Tony Rice, and many others. Jones has recorded many CDs, as well as an old time mandolin DVD. He is a regular educator at music camps all over North America and Europe.
Jones' wife and music companion, Marshall, is a talented fiddler. She has been playing for 35 years, and just like her husband, has performed and taught at many music camps in the U.S., Canada and England. Marshall has also authored the book, "Music in the Air Somewhere" about West Virginia fiddle and song traditions. She has filmed an instructional DVD and recorded four CDs: "Calico," "Meet Me in the Music," "Shout Monah (Haints)" and "Tune Tramp." She has received many awards including a prestigious first place award in fiddle at The Appalachian String Band Festival in West Virginia. Marshall was the first person from outside of the U.S. to win the award.
Both Jones and Marshall teach and perform in Galax, Virginia, in the old time string band, The Bow Benders.
The "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series celebrates the old time roots of American folk music by featuring a diverse range of traditional musical expression. The concert series will showcase 12 different artists, duos and groups from Southern Appalachia ranging from artists straight off their front porch to those who have earned international acclaim.
The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, host of the concert series, is a collaborative research and performance center maintained by the UK College of Fine Arts, UK School of Music and UK Libraries.
For more information on the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series or the concerts featuring Cari and Mike Norris or Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by email to Ron.Pen@uky.edu or visit the website http://finearts.uky.edu/music/niles.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu