Step into the heart of Appalachia at the Ashe Civic Center and immerse yourself in the soul-stirring melodies of some of the region’s most renowned musicians. Join us for an extraordinary evening featuring the Jeff Little Trio alongside the legendary Wayne Henderson.
Saturday, June 8th, 7:30 PM
Ashe Civic Center
Tickets: $20 Adult, $7.50 Student
Jeff Little / Piano – Vocals – Harmonica
Jeff Little is an award-winning musician from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. With few exceptions the piano does not play a prominent part in Americana or Appalachian music and is rarely the lead instrument. But Jeff Little is an exception and a remarkable one. Jeff has not only been recognized as a critically acclaimed musician but also a true music innovator.
Jeff as well as his trio stay busy traveling the country performing concerts with an energy and dedication to their music that is evident at every show. Performances include The Smithsonian Institution, The National Folk Festival, American Piano Masters, The Barns of Wolf Trap and many theatres, performing arts centers, and festivals.
Jeff has been featured on National Public Radio and PBS many times and has also taken his music around the world for the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs performing in Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman, France and Tanzania. In 2014 Jeff was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. In addition, Jeff is Artist in Residence for the Popular Music Program at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.
Steve Lewis / Acoustic Guitar – Five String Banjo – Vocals
Steve Lewis is an award – winning guitar and banjo player from Todd NC and is one of the most respected acoustic musicians in the country. Steve is well known for his flat picking on guitar and his mastery of the five – string banjo. Steve has won many championships for his guitar and banjo playing. Some of the prestigious events include the Walnut Valley Nationals, Merlefest, the Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention, Renofest and the Wayne Henderson Guitar Competition. Steve is also a two-time national champion on the banjo. He remains an in-demand guitar and banjo teacher and is dedicated to sharing his love of music with the next generation.
Luke Little / Mandolin
Luke Little is a young and talented mandolin player whose musicianship and style expand well beyond his years. Luke’s performances include the National Folk Festival, PBS Song of the Mountains, The Richmond Folk Festival and The Moss Center for the Performing Arts at Virginia Tech.
Wayne Henderson’s top-notch finger-picking is a source of great pleasure and pride to his friends, family and neighbors in Grayson County, Virginia. His guitar playing has also been enjoyed at Carnegie Hall, in three national tours of Masters of the Steel-String Guitar, and in seven nations in Asia.
In addition to his reputation as a guitarist, Henderson is a luthier of great renown. He is a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts. He produces about 20 instruments a year, mostly guitars; he is almost as well-known for the mandolins he has made. Good friend Doc Watson owned a Henderson mandolin. He said, “That Henderson mandolin is as good as any I’ve had my hands on. And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve picked up some good ones.”
Some of Henderson’s instruments are intricately decorated but are most respected for their volume, tone, and resonance. Blues guitarist John Cephas said that Wayne Henderson “is probably the most masterful guitar maker in this whole United States.” There is a waiting list for Henderson’s guitars made up of the famous (and not-so-famous).
