Mountains of Music Homecoming

The Crooked Road’s Mountains of Music Homecoming is an annual nine-day, region-wide celebration of the communities in Southwest Virginia – their traditional music, and all their many cultural and natural assets. The event includes Crooked Road marquee concerts in over 20 communities and many dozens of cultural experiences throughout the region.

The second annual Mountains of Music Homecoming will be held Friday, June 10 through Saturday, June 18, 2016. Annually, it will take place from the Friday of the 2nd weekend in June to the Saturday of the 3rd weekend in June.

Each night, visitors and residents will have from two to three Crooked Road marquee music concerts in different communities to choose from. By the end of the nine days, Crooked Road concerts will be presented in over 20 different communities in outdoor and indoor venues like downtown theaters, state parks, colleges, and arts centers.

The Crooked Road region of Southwest Virginia is home to one of the richest traditional music traditions in the world. The Crooked Road concerts during the Mountains of Music Homecoming include the finest traditional artists the region has to offer including recipients of the National Heritage Fellowship Award, the highest recognition America bestows on its traditional artists. The concerts include national and international touring artists that exemplify and compliment the rich bluegrass, old time, gospel, traditional singing, traditional dance, and other music forms that The Crooked Road celebrates. Artists performing for the 2016 Homecoming include Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Wayne Henderson, Blue Highway, Whitetop Mountain Band, Lonesome River Band and three performances just for the 2016 Homecoming by The Crooked Road All Star Bluegrass Band – Sammy Shelor of the Lonesome River Band on banjo, Junior Sisk of Ramblers Choice on guitar, Shawn Lane and Wayne Taylor of Blue Highway on mandolin and bass, and former Bill Monroe fiddler Billy Baker.

Each year, the Mountains of Music Homecoming will also present at least one concert that features exemplary artists from another unique musical heritage such as Mississippi blues, Louisiana Cajun, or last year’s music from Cape Breton. The 2016 Mountains of Music Homecoming will feature music of Ireland with two concerts by the John Doyle Trio. Dublin, Ireland-born John Doyle is a master guitarist and on anyone’s list of the greatest Irish guitarists on the planet.

For a complete list of events visit mtnsofmusic.com.