Tribute to Willard Gayheart
Tribute to Willard Gayheart
VENUE CHANGE: REX THEATER IN GALAX
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 5 to 7 p.m.
Rex Theater, 113 E Grayson St, Galax, Va.
$15 Adults, Children 12 and under free of charge
Join us for a tribute to local legend Willard Gayheart. From Woodlawn, Virginia, Gayheart is a folk musician, pencil artist, and a founding musician of the Midday Mountain Music concerts at the Blue Ridge Music Center.
Originally scheduled for Blue Ridge Music Center indoor theater, this event has been moved to Galax due to the temporary closure of the Music Center and the southern portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway – from Milepost 167 to the Virginia-North Carolina border and throughout all of North Carolina – in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.
The concert will feature performances by Willard Gayheart along with his family, including Scott Freeman, Dori Freeman and Nicholas Falk, and friends Wayne Henderson, Jack Hinshelwood, Sandy Grover Mason, and Ken Hooper.
Gayheart is an old-time and bluegrass musician recognized for the authenticity of his songwriting and musicianship. He is also a visual artist known for his evocative pencil drawings of Appalachian culture. He grew up in a coal mining town in Kentucky not far from where Loretta Lynn was born. After moving to Galax in 1962, he immersed himself in mountain music. Inspired by the “old mountain spirit,” and began writing songs and playing music for friends and tourists visiting his frame shop. He formed a number of bands over the years and toured nationally with his son-in-law Scott Freeman in the group Skeeter & The Skidmarks.
Gayheart, along with fellow musician Bobby Patterson, started the Midday Mountain Music program at the Blue Ridge Music Center in 2006. The duo performed at the center twice per week until Patterson’s passing in 2017. Since that time, Gayheart and Freeman have been performing together. They play from noon to 3 p.m. every Thursday on the Music Center breezeway. Gayheart has dedicated 18 years and volunteered more than 3,000 hours to the program.
Tickets are $15 for adults, and free for 12 and younger.
ADDITIONAL CONCERT DETAILS
• Ticket purchases are nonrefundable.
• Season passes not accepted for fall concert series.
• Assistive listening devices are available for use during concerts. If you would like to borrow a free device, email info@blueridgemusiccenter.org in advance of your visit.
