“A History of Appalachian Music†will be presented by William Ritter, an Appalachian musician and "songkeeper," on Tuesday, July 9, at the Ebbs Chapel Performing Arts Center.Â
“A History of Appalachian Music†will be presented by William Ritter, an Appalachian musician and "songkeeper," on Tuesday, July 9, at the Ebbs Chapel Performing Arts Center.Â
“A History of Appalachian Music†will be presented by William Ritter, an Appalachian musician and "songkeeper," on Tuesday, July 9, at the Ebbs Chapel Performing Arts Center in Mars Hill, North Carolina.
Ritter’s free program is sponsored by the Wolf Laurel Historical Society and the Ebbs Chapel Performing Arts Center and will begin at 7 p.m.
This program looks back even before Wolf Laurel to when these mountains rang with the sounds of ancient music. Passed down through voices in the fields, in the kitchens, on the porch, with and without fiddle, guitar or banjo, the Southern Appalachians were the home to a musical tradition that stretched back across the ocean to Ireland and Scotland and even old England. Ritter’s program focuses on that music.
Ritter was born and raised in these mountains. He plays the fiddle and guitar and sings the true traditional music of the Southern Appalachians. He describes himself as a “songkeeper†in the spirit of the “songcatcher†tradition.
During his time as a student at Appalachian State University, he also made the connection between old-time traditional music and heirloom seed saving, both of which are having a renaissance.
“Keepers of both traditions carry stories and memories,†he noted in a press release.
Ritters raises heirloom plants on his farm in Mitchell County, North Carolina, and performs throughout the Southern Appalachians. He will perform and share the stories of many of those traditional songs and tunes to help celebrate the history of the region captured in its trademark music.
Ebbs Chapel Performing Arts Center Auditorium is located at 281 Laurel Valley Road, Mars Hill.
