Arts & Culture

Local Legend Anne MacFie Opens Appalachia Concert Series

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2014) — The sounds of traditional folk music will fill the air in Lexington once again as local artist Anne MacFie kickstarts the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series this fall. The first concert will feature this accomplished folksinger/songwriter, whose music has been heard all over the state of Kentucky. MacFie will perform noon Friday, Sept. 5, at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky’s Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

A native of Portales, New Mexico, MacFie held her first professional folk singing gig in 1966. Later in 1969 she began to perform in the duo, Dick and Anne Albin, and then went on to launch her solo career in 1988. MacFie has performed at music festivals in the Kentucky State Parks, and she also directs the Pine Mountain State Resort Park Great American Dulcimer Convention.

In January 2013, MacFie performed at the Kentucky Music Winter Weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, a classic track named "Every Day is Saturday Morning to a Dog." 

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A transcript of this video can be seen here.

"Her sweet southern voice is complemented by her guitar and mountain dulcimer accompaniment," said Ron Pen, director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, which organizes the concert series.

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.

This year’s other series artists and their performance dates are:

· Lee "Boy" Sexton, folk legend from Letcher County, Kentucky, and his son Johnny Sexton, Sept.12;

· The Red State Ramblers, native and adopted Kentuckians with UK ties, Sept. 19;

· Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, internationally recognized musicians, authors and storytellers, Sept. 26;

· SkiPdiPPerS, Letcher County's only female fiddle duo, Oct. 3;

· The Local Honeys, female trio specializing in old time music, Oct. 10;

· "A Kindly Visitation," a play based on the music of North Carolina musician Thomas Jefferson Jarrell by James Leva, Oct. 17;

· "Singing Family of the Cumberlands: The Ritchie Family," Oct. 24;

· Julia Weatherford and Pearl Angeline Shirley, folksong mother-daughter duo, Oct. 31;

· Rich Kirby, a virtuosic fiddle, banjo player and mandolinist, Nov. 7;

· The Rail Splitters, an old time string band with deep roots in Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky, Nov.14

· United Baptist Church of Lexington, a congregation and its distinctive musical worship, Nov. 21; and

· Don Pedi, legendary dulcimer player, Dec. 5

The Niles Center for American Music, host of the concert series, is a collaborative research and performance center maintained by the UK College of Fine ArtsUK School of Music and UK Libraries.

For more information on the Anne MacFie concert or the “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” concert series, 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

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