![]() ![]() Madison County has been home to renowned traditional ballad singers and instrumentalists for generations, and the two men were part of the network of families whose musical heritage has made the county famous. Ray and Ramsey were cousins from Madison County, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Asheville. But few traditional musicians of that era had quite such a long, strange trip into the world of pop culture as North Carolina’s Byard Ray and Obray Ramsey. It’s not unusual for traditional musicians to influence artists in other styles, and that kind of cross-pollination was especially common in the 1960s and ’70s, as pop and rock musicians mined the depths of old-time, blues, and other folk styles. Soon you’ll be able to visit the North Carolina Folklife Institute’s website,, to listen to more than 100 audio tapes of mountain music, accompanied by hundreds of old photos of life on Beech Mountain, recordings and stories by the artists who carry on Beech Mountain’s traditions today. He created an enormous archive of Beech Mountain music and folklore. As they performed, Jack was often at work in the background recording the music on his reel-to-reel tape recorder. He hosted many concerts and informal jams at the shop, featuring great local bands, solo musicians, and storytellers. ![]() And while he was at it, Jack created a venue for Beech Mountain’s musicians to perform, share their music, and be recorded for posterity. He operated his business out of a small log cabin, selling classic mountain toys like limberjacks and gee-haw-whimmy-diddles, alongside many other items, including musical instruments made by renowned local luthiers. In the 1960s, Jack Guy began selling mountain handcrafts and folk toys to tourists, helping local artists make a living through their heritage crafts. Perhaps the most prolific collector of the community’s music and stories was himself a native of Old Beech. They are often compared to predecessors The Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the modern Zac Brown Band.For more than a hundred years, folklorists and other scholars have been visiting the community of Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The Rangers are big players in the bluegrass/country and Americana scene today. The band has continued to tour extensively on their own, without Martin, and have expanded their genre into country, jam and Americana. This has helped SCR become the most recognizable modern name in bluegrass music. Martin has taken the Rangers on over a decade long tour introducing them to hundreds of thousands of new fans and giving them prime time TV exposure. Only to then be discovered by Steve Martin, famous actor and banjo player. The band started in college at UNC-Chapel Hill, then dove head first into bluegrass in its most traditional form, and over the years have risen to the top of the bluegrass genre headlining top festivals such as Merlefest and Grey Fox Bluegrass. Steep Canyon Rangers have been on a journey that is uniquely their own. The Rangers are made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals, and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals. ‘Every song on Arm in Arm captures the North Carolina group’s innovative spirit, weaving in jazz, gospel, folk, and even rock phrases, creating an intimate and intricate sound that challenges, cajoles, and comforts.’ -No Depression Their most recent release of all original music, Arm In Arm came out in October of 2020. The album includes re-imagined versions of Steep Canyon’s previously released original songs performed with an orchestra. Be Still Moses - perhaps their most singular musical partnership to date – has the band teaming with Philadelphia soul legends Boyz II Men and their hometown Asheville Symphony to completely overhaul the Rangers’ original “Be Still Moses,” which was first recorded on their 2007 breakout album Lovin’ Pretty Women. The Grammy-Nominated North Carolina Songbook is a recording of their live 2019 performance at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, in which they performed a selection of songs by North Carolina songwriters (Ola Belle Reed, Doc Watson, James Taylor, Ben E. Steep Canyon Rangers released three albums in 2020, all on Yep Roc Records. We’re incredibly excited for the future and all the music it holds.” “The Yep Roc family was among the first to welcome Steep Canyon Rangers when we were just pups. “It feels like coming home,” says Sharp of the partnership. Steep Canyon Rangers re-signed with Yep Roc Records in 2019. Steep Canyon Rangers are Asheville, North Carolina’s GRAMMY winners, perennial Billboard chart-toppers, and frequent collaborators of the renowned banjoist (and occasional comedian) Steve Martin. ![]()
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