Carson Peters, with fiddle in hand, has made his way across the country and back. And now, this Fourth of July, the Piney Flats native will perform at this year’s 55th Annual Jonesborough Days festival.
You can catch Carson Peters & Iron Mountain on the Jonesborough Days main stage from 8 to 10 p.m., Friday, July 4, beside the Washington County Courthouse in Downtown Jonesborough. The show is free.
Peters grew up with a fiddle in his hand from the age of 3, with performances throughout his childhood on the Grand Ole Opry stage and on national television shows such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno†and Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots.†In 2021, Peters was featured on the hit singing show “The Voice,†where he warranted a four-chair turn from John Legend, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and his future coach on the show, country star Blake Shelton.
“(Competing on the show) definitely pulled some strings I wouldn’t have been able to by myself,†Peters said in a previous interview. “The phone has been ringing a lot more since that happened. It sort of started this whole tumbleweed that turned into the record label.â€
Peters and Iron Mountain signed a record deal in 2023 with Billy Blue Records, which Peters said allows himself and the band to continue its bluegrass music endeavor while giving Peters room to release solo country tunes as well.
“We were making sure we were picky about who we signed with,†Peters said.
Peters has played numerous venues with his band, Iron Mountain, throughout the U.S. and around the world. That list includes Dollywood’s Bluegrass and Barbeque, Song of the Mountains, the Carter Family Fold, Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival, and Bluegrass Island and many others.
Iron Mountain includes Peters on the fiddle and offering lead vocals; Eric Marshall, a Mount Airy, North Carolina, musician who plays banjo in the group; Ben Marshall, also from Mount Airy, North Carolina, who serves as the lead guitarist; Austin Tate, from Marion, Virginia, who plays the mandolin and sings for the band; and the newest addition, James McDowell, from Henderson County, North Carolina, who plays banjo for the group.
Peters now calls Nashville home, but often returns to the region for a smattering of shows.
“I’ll be back as much as I can,†Peters said just before moving to Music City in 2023.
Among many other tour dates across the U.S., Peters and the band are set to perform at Elizabethton’s Covered Bridge on Saturday, June 28; Grace Baptist Church in Bristol, Virginia, June 29; the Country Music Mural Stage in Bristol, Tennessee, Wednesday, July 2; and Glade Spring Baptist Church in Glade Spring, Virginia on July 12. The group will also return to the region at Troyer’s Mountain View Country Market on Aug. 5.
Peters’ latest solo release, written by Peters and Ethan Phillips and produced by Harry Smith, came out March 14 of this year. The song “The Mirror,†blends a crying fiddle with Peter’s twangy vocals to create a heartbroken country tune. Meanwhile, Peters, along with Iron Mountain, most recently released the upbeat, rolling bluegrass tune, “Used To Be,†on May 16 of this year. The song was written by Peters and Eric Marshall and produced by Peters and Jerry Salley.
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