Premiere: A Place in the Band Interview with Ruth Ungar Merenda

Ruth Unger Merenda is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays fiddle, ukulele, and guitar. She is the daughter of fiddler/composer Jay Ungar and singer Lyn Hardy.

Ruthy, with her husband and musical partner Michael J. Merenda Jr., are singer, songwriters who have made waves in the Americana world and beyond. In 2018 they reformed their seminal stringband The Mammals and released the self-produced, Sunshiner, which Tape-Op magazine called “some of the best folk-rock music you will ever hear.” The Mammals 2020 record, Nonet, has been hailed as one of the best of the year.

The couple produce a bi-annual music festival at the Ashokan Center in Upstate New York called The Hoot which they launched in 2013.

The full interview will premiere at 2 pm, Tuesday, January 26.

This discussion series is part of a project by the Blue Ridge Music Center that began in 2020, honoring the one hundredth anniversary of women being granted the right to vote.

North Carolina singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett speaks with female musicians, and women involved in music management and promotion, to share their stories, talk about their experiences, and express their hopes for the future.

Their individual stories highlight the collective strength and future possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.