'Appalachia in the Bluegrass' Series Closes With Dulcimer Artist Don Pedi

Don Pedi performing earlier this year in Townsend, Tennessee. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2015) — The 2015 "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series will end this week with the sweet sounds of the dulcimer in a performance by celebrated musician Don Pedi. The free public concert will begin noon Friday Nov. 20, 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.

A talented dulcimer player, who grew up in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Don Pedi was born to a musical family. Pedi's grandfather played guitar, mandolin and banjo, his uncle sang and played music for a living, and his father was a talented singer. He eventually got involved with the folk music scene himself in the early 60s. It wasn't until 1964, however, when Pedi first laid eyes on a dulcimer at a live performance by Richard Farina. The sound of the dulcimer and a conversation with Farina is what sparked an interest and made him want to play the instrument himself.

Contemporary performers like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Joan Baez and others are what attracted Pedi to the Newport Folk Festival. It was there where he was exposed to various traditional musicians like Frank Proffitt, Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Almeda Riddle and others, who would become a major influence on his musical tastes.

By 1966 Pedi started traveling, he lived for various periods of time in different parts of the country. In 1973, while living in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, Pedi met Tad Wright and Keither Zimmerman, musicians from Asheville, North Carolina. After hearing Pedi play, they invited him to join them. He took them up on the offer and together they drove to North Carolina. After Pedi's arrival in Asheville he instantly fell in love with the place. Ever since then he has lived in and around the area.

Since settling in Western North Carolina, Pedi has been recognized as the man who could "really play" a dulcimer. His music has broken new ground and cleared a path for others. In Pedi's hands, the dulcimer has been accepted as an instrument well suited to playing traditional southern dance music. This was at a time when most old time musicians thought a dulcimer should be used for decoration.

In 1991, Pedi and his wife Jean moved to a little farm in the mountains of Madison County, North Carolina, an area rich in traditional music and customs. Pedi is still performing and making music there, his most recent recording is "Stranger on a Mule" with acclaimed fiddler Bruce Greene.

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 showcases 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 concert featuring Don Pedi, 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