Arts & Culture

Next Two 'Appalachia in the Bluegrass' Concerts Feature Artists/Storytellers Sheila Kay Adams, Dan Dutton

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2015) — The "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series returns the next two weeks with performances by musicians who are known for their storytelling as well as their musical talents. Ballad singer, musician and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams is first up noon Friday Oct. 23. The following week a Halloween inspired storytelling program will showcase the talents of Dan Dutton noon Friday, Oct. 30. Both free public 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.

Shelia Kay Adams performas at Lake Eden Arts Festival in 2013. 

Ballads, Banjos and Stories

Sheila Kay Adams was born and raised in North Carolina in an area renowned for its unbroken tradition of unaccompanied singing of traditional southern Appalachian ballads. Adams learned to sing from her great-aunt Dellie Chandler Norton as well as other singers in the community. Aside from ballad singing, Adams is an accomplished claw hammer-style banjo player and storyteller.

Adams began performing in public in her teens, and throughout her career she has performed at various festivals and events, including the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, as well as the 1976 and 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival as part of the bicentennial celebration and "Appalachia: Heritage and Harmony."

As a musician and storyteller, Adams has recorded several albums of ballads, songs and stories such as "My Dearest Dear," "All the Other Fine Things" and "Live at the International Storytelling Festival." She has also appeared in the movies, including appearances in "Last of the Mohicans" and "Songcatcher," a movie where she also served as a technical advisor and singing coach.

In addition to her success in music and storytelling, Adams is the author of two books, "Come Home With Me,"  a collection of stories published by the University of North Carolina Press and a 1997 winner of the North Carolina Historical Society's award for historical fiction. Her other novel is "My Own True Love," published by Algonquin Books in 2004. Due to her devotion to preserving and perpetuating her heritage, Adams was presented with the North Carolina Folklore Society's Brown-Hudson Award that recognized her valuable contributions to the study of North Carolina folklore. She is also a 2013 NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) National Heritage Fellow.

A Halloween Visit with Aunt Lou

Dan Dutton is a talented storyteller, painter, balladeer, composer and an untraditional traditional musician. Dutton was born and raised in Wythe County, Virginia, although he now lives on a farm in the knobs of Kentucky. Dutton learned storytelling from parents when he was a child, and eventually took up storytelling himself.

As a teenager, Dutton began searching out older storytellers and singers to learn from, several of the tales were witch tales and others claimed something of those powers as their own. Thanks to his parents love of storytelling it led him to naturally devote his life to art of which he does not regret. A successful artist, Dutton's work includes the composition of the operas "The Stone Man" and the "Secret Commonwealth."

At Niles Gallery, Dutton will tell the story of the character Aunt Lou, who while she was no one's aunt was given that title. Aunt Lou was a woman that grew up and lived in Dutton's hometown. Although he never personally met her he has a lot of personal connections to her. Aunt Lou, just like Dutton, grew up on a farm. After her parent's death however, she left the farm and moved to a two-story log cabin in a little glade in a big dark pine forest. Legend said she was a witch who was feared but was accepted by the community. Although she's no longer alive, the local community gathers every year to celebrate her birthday. Dutton's family always attends the ceremony.

Dutton's performance will be accompanied by musician Kel Lovins. Lovins is a guitar player and teacher that works alongside his father at Quick Star Guitar.

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 ArtsUK School of Music and UK Libraries.

For more information on the Appalachia in the Bluegrass concert series or the concerts featuring Sheila Kay Adams or Dan Dutton, 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