LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2014) — From an old-time string band with roots across central and south-central Appalachia to the more gospel sounds of United Baptist Church, the next two concerts in the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series demonstrates some of the diversity of traditional music. On Friday, Nov. 14, the Rail Splitters, including University of Kentucky doctoral candidate Julie Shepherd-Powell, will perform. The next week, on Friday, Nov. 21, members of the congregation for United Baptist Church of Lexington will share their sound. Both free public concerts will take place at noon, at the Niles Gallery, located in the UK Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

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The Rail Splitters perform "Grey Eagle" and "John Henry" at 2013 Old Time Fiddlers Convention. 

Feet and Fiddle in Focus at Niles Gallery

The Rail Splitters are an old-time string band with deep roots in the musical traditions of Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky. Fiddler Adrian Powell, banjo player and dancer Julie Shepherd-Powell and vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brett Ratliff make up the trio.

Adrian Powell, a native of Crimora, Virginia, has won contests at fiddler's conventions all over the Southeast from Hillbilly Days in Pikeville, Kentucky, to the Old Time Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia. His fiddle style is straight forward with a hard drivin' bow, and he currently plays with several groups including the Pea Ridge Ramblers, Matt Kinman's Old Time Serenaders and the Cabin Creek Boys, in addition to the Rail Splitters. 

Julie Shepherd-Powell is an award-winning clawhammer banjo player and flatfoot dancer originally from North Carolina. She previously taught beginning and advanced old-time banjo at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. In addition to the Rail Splitters, Julie has also played with Letcher County band Rich and the Poor Folks. She competes in flatfoot dance competitions at fiddlers' conventions all over the southeast and calls square dances anywhere from Knoxville to New York City. Julie is currently completing her doctoral degree in anthropology at UK.

Raised by a coal miner and teacher in Van Lear, Kentucky, Brett Ratliff grew up with a love for the mountains, its people and its culture. As a youngster, he started singing in church and sang along to recordings of Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams. As a teenager he began playing guitar for bluegrass bands. But when Ratliff met musical father-and-son duo Jamie and Jesse Wells he became hooked on the moving, emotionally charged mountain music of his home. Since then, he has learned banjo tunes and ballads from some of the masters of old-time music, like knock-down banjo player George Gibson of Knott County and Pike County fiddle and banjo player Paul David Smith. Ratliff’s solo album, "Cold Icy Mountain," was released on June Appal Recordings. A previous  music director for WMMT Radio in Whitesburg, Kentucky, he currently serves as program director for the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County, Kentucky.

Elder Jason Lowery of Lexington's United Baptist Church performs "How Many Times."

United in Appalachian Gospel Sound

Appalachia embraces Sunday morning every bit as much as Saturday evening. Religion is a powerful force in Appalachian culture and few denominations are as distinctive as the Old Regular Church and the United Baptist Church. The United Baptist Church of Lexington preserves a worship style that draws on a long lineage of lined out hymnody and gospel. Elder Jason Lowery and members of the United Baptist congregation will present. 

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 13 different artists, duos and groups from southern Appalachia ranging from artists straight off their front porch to those who have earned international acclaim. The concert series is generously presented by the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, 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 the Rail Splitters or United Baptist Church, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by email to Ron.Pen@uky.edu or visit the website at http://finearts.uky.edu/music/niles.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu