the magazine | Mountain Fiddlers |
| Written by Wendy W. Jackson | |||||
| Wednesday, 27 August 2008 | |||||
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A musical tradition continues as the Loudon Rotary Club prepares to host the 26th Annual Smoky Mountain Fiddlers Convention. The event will be held Friday and Saturday, September 5-6 in historic Loudon, Tennessee.
Friday's activities begin at 6:00 pm with a concert featuring bluegrass bands Hiwassee Ridge, Paul Williams & the Victory Trio, and Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier. Friday's activities also include an Arts and Crafts Festival. Saturday is jam-packed with events, including a continuation of the Arts & Crafts Festival beginning at 9:00 am. The Memories on Mulberry Antiques Show & Sale will be held on the courthouse lawn in Loudon from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Individual bluegrass competitions begin on Saturday at 9:00 am. Areas of competition include bluegrass bands, juvenile musician, guitar, clogging, senior fiddle, banjo, buck dancing, junior fiddle, mandolin, miscellaneous and Smoky Fiddle Champ. Bluegrass band competitions begin at 7:00 pm on Saturday. Contestants will be competing for over $5500 in prize money. Jammers are welcome at the Fiddlers Convention and concessions are available. The event will be held under the big tent on Legion Field, rain or shine. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a day of fun, food and music. Friday's admission is $15. Admission on Saturday is $10 per person over 12. Visitor and advance ticket information is available from the Loudon County Visitors Bureau by calling 865-986-6822, 1-888-568-3662 or on the web at www.visitloudoncounty.com. Those interested in competing should contact Larry Smith at 865-458-3036 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Featured Bands Performing at the Smoky Mountain Fiddlers Convention
Paul Williams is a quality singer and mandolin player. Paul formed the Victory Trio in 1995. The group was an immediate regional success and within four years they mushroomed into a national success. The group was nominated in 2001, 2002 and 2003 by SPBGMA and IBMA for Bluegrass Group of the Year, Bluegrass Vocal Group of the Year and Bluegrass Gospel-Traditional Group of the Year. In 1999, Paul was inducted into the SPBGMA Hall of Greats. In 2007 and 2008, Paul and the Victory Trio won SPBGMA's Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year. In 2008, their latest CD, Where No One Stands Alone, was nominated for a Dove Award.
          
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Every year since the first Smoky Mountain Fiddlers Convention, during the 1982 World's Fair, bluegrass musicians have been coming to Loudon, Tennessee to play, listen and compete in this annual event. Started by the Loudon Rotary Club as an official event of the World's Fair, it has continued to grow and has become the premier bluegrass competition of the area.
Hiwassee Ridge has been performing for over twenty-five years as one of East Tennessee's top regional bluegrass bands. The group originated from a jam session on the Hiwassee River in 1981. Hiwassee Ridge serves as the "Host Band" at the annual Cousin Jake Tullock Memorial Bluegrass Festival in Etowah, TN. The band played 28 days at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, performed at the Chattanooga Riverbend Festival in 1989 and 2001, and three days at the 1996 Olympic Whitewater Event on the Ocoee River. The group works annually at the Steve Kaufman Acoustic Camps at Maryville College.
Singer and songwriter Jimbo Whaley grew up in Pigeon Forge. He currently performs with the bluegrass band Greenbrier, although some remember him for his time with the band Pine Mountain Railroad which he co-founded in 1998. Whaley helped lead this band to become an IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year nominee for two years in a row. His songwriting has garnered him well deserved recognition including being chosen to perform at the prestigious IBMA's Songwriter Showcase at the 2002 and 2003 IBMA convention. Add film to his credit as well, with four original tunes appearing on the soundtrack of "Bell Witch: the Movie" where he also made his film debut.
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