James Howell
Staff Writer
jhowell@jeffersonpost.com
A who’s who of bluegrass music, including Brandy Miller, Steve Lewis, Josh Scott, Wayne Henderson and Helen White, will take the stage for a special mountain music concert on Friday, Sept. 21 at the Ashe Civic Center.
This concert will be held in celebration of Brandy’s invitation to the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Kids Program in Nashville, Tenn,. on Sept. 26. The concert is also being held to assist the Miller family with funding for the trip.
Brandy, a 14-year-old native of Ashe County, is the only musician representing the high country at this year’s IBMA Kids Program.
Brandy has already received a few donations for her trip, for which she expressed appreciation.
“I want to thank everyone who gave me donations and the community for supporting me,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to the show on Friday.”
Joy Miller is Brandy’s proud mother. “It is an exciting opportunity for the Miller family to travel to Nashville and showcase Brandy’s talent in front of Nashville’s finest musicians and producers,” she said. “The area has a lot of talent, not just in music either. We should do a better job of cultivating our young people’s talent.”
At an early age, Brandy became fascinated by a banjo her father had in their home. At just six years old, she began taking lessons from local musician Steve Lewis.
In the fall of 2005, she entered her first fiddlers’ convention in Ashe County and placed third in the youth division. Since then, Brandy’s skills and recognition have both blossomed. She has won numerous awards at fiddlers’ conventions across North Carolina and Virginia.
In her latest win, Brandy entered as an adult and walked away with first place in the world’s oldest fiddlers’ convention, the 77th Annual Galax Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Va.
In June, she went to Tom T. and Dixie Halls’ recording studio in Franklin, Tenn., to record on the new “Daughters of Bluegrass” cd project. Brandy has also released a solo cd called “Brandygrass Vol. 1.”
At such a young age, Brandy is already the ambassador for the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, operating out of Dallas. She is also the spokesperson for a program called “Play it Forward,” which is an instrument lending program for children who do not have the means of purchasing instruments.
The doors for the concert will open at 6 p.m. for meet and greet and to begin a silent auction. Items for auction will include zip lining, Daniel Boone Inn and Stickboy meal tickets, Tweetsie Railroad tickets, Grandfather Mountain tickets, and many other prizes.
The concert will begin at around 7 p.m. During the intermission, the audience can buy concessions and complete their bids on the silent auction items.
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