David Holt from North Carolina is a veteran performer on stage and television. At an early age he had the passion to become an old time banjo player and traveled to remote mountain communities searching for the best traditional musicians. Holt found hundreds of old-time mountaineers with a wealth of folk music, stories and wisdom. Holt not only learned to play the banjo but many unusual instruments like the mouth bow, the bottleneck slide guitar and even the paper bag.

For over three decades. David’s passion for traditional music and culture has fueled a successful performing and recording career. He has earned four Grammy Awards and performed and recorded with many of his mentors including Doc Watson, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff & Chet Atkins. Today he tours the country solo, with Doc Watson and with his band the Lightning Bolts. www.davidholt.com

Lou Reid and Carolina are riding high on the success of their new Lonesome Day Records album” Time”. The title cut stayed number 1 on the Top 30 Single Chart (Time) for 3 months. The album includes band members Lou Reid, Kevin Richardson, Trevor Watson and Christy Reid among a who’s who list of guests including Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Ron Stewart, Jerry Douglas, Randy Kohrs and more. Lou Reid was born on a tobacco farm in Moore Springs, North Carolina. He was surrounded by traditional music and took up the guitar at age seven. Lou held a youthful interest in rock and roll as well as country. Making music had a profound impact on the young Lou, and he found the combination of traditional tunes with progressive sensibilities a natural coupling. He made his home in bluegrass, bringing the best parts of these various styles of music with him. To this day, his music continues to mix the elements of bluegrass with the energy of rock and roll, offering a vibrant sound that still encompasses traditional values. As a musician, Lou is revered for both his distinctive high tenor vocals and instrumental prowess. As John Duffey once said, "Lou is the master of whatever you need done. There's just about no instrument he can't play. Lou was critical in bringing vocal harmonies to the forefront of contemporary bluegrass music as a founding member of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. He continued to earn acclaim with the Ricky Skaggs band. As lead singer and guitarist, he breathed new life into the already well-respected band the Seldom Scene (which he is still a full-time member as mandolinist). He recently became lead guitarist for the award-winning group, Longview, which plays select dates throughout the year. An able, if often overlooked, songwriter, Lou is the complete musician. With his band Carolina, Lou continues to further his reputation with his brand of driving North Carolina style music and stirring vocals. www.loureidandcarolina.com

Russ & Becky Jeffers are from Clinton, Tennessee, a small town just north of Knoxville near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. In 1971 after Russ was discharged from the U.S. Air Force, he and his wife Becky decided to pursue their dream of music. With little else but a guitar, an upright bass and two tiny children they moved to Nashville. Very few people move to “Music City” and live their dreams. This year they are celebrating their thirty fifth year of entertaining and playing music. Russ & Becky performed over 15,000 shows at Opryland USA from 1974 thru 1997 where they introduced “Bluegrass Music” to people from all over the world. Now they travel the world to bring their unique style of harmony, comedy and “down home” music to others. www.russandbeckyjeffers.net

Kody Norris was born high in the mountains of East Tennessee. With the abundance of old-time and bluegrass music in the area, it seemed predestined that Kody would become a bluegrass musician. Kody began playing bluegrass music in the late 1990s. Since that time he has established a hard driving blend of music with his unique lonesome mountain sound. Although he is still early in his career, Kody’s sound and stage presence has been rated highly among many veteran musicians. He has had the honor of traveling and performing with several bands over the past few years including his musical idol,

Dr. Ralph Stanley. Kody now has recruited a group of highly seasoned musicians, including fiddlin’ Tom Isaacs whose talents lean to the traditional side of bluegrass music. If you like solid hard driving bluegrass music you’ll love Kody Norris and the Watauga Mountain Boys.