5 p.m., exhibit viewing; 7 p.m., concert
Performance By: Alice Gerrard, Kay Justice, and Ginny Hawker with Eliza Meyer
Emceed By: NC legend Jim Lauderdale
**Concert tickets are $8 for museum members, $5 for College Students with ID, $10 for the general public, and FREE for state employees with ID (includes exhibition tickets and bar).**
*Concert tickets includes exhibition tickets and bar*
Join us as we celebrate the end of the exhibition The Power of Women in Country Music with our finale concert of the Southern Songbirds series. The evening begins with extended hours for The Power of Women in Country Music exhibit from 5–7 p.m. The Museum Shop also will be open and stocked with country music-inspired merchandise!
At 7 p.m., Eliza Meyer will take the stage for a few songs before Alice Gerrard, Kay Justice, and Ginny Hawker perform traditional music that will enchant you. The blend of a new voice singing in a traditional style with the seasoned wisdom of the trio will provide an evening of music you won’t soon forget. Jim Lauderdale will emcee.
Enjoy an open bar with beer and wine provided by the North Carolina Museum of History Foundation complete with treats to round off your night.
Artist Bios:
A singer and songwriter, Alice Gerrard’s recordings with Hazel Dickens during the 1960s and ’70s influenced a generation of women musicians from Laurie Lewis to the Judds. Her songs have been recorded by Kathy Mattea, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, and Rhiannon Giddens among others. Nominated for a Grammy in 2015, Alice was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame in 2017.
In 1987 she founded the Old-Time Herald music magazine, which she edited until 2003. It continues under the leadership of Sarah Bryan. A tireless advocate for traditional music, Alice has documented, photographed, and worked with traditional musicians over many years, as well as having recorded on many collaborations and her own solo projects. A documentary about Alice, You Gave Me a Song, premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in 2019.
Kay Justice began singing and playing guitar in the mid-1960s. As a student at Clinch Valley College in Wise, Virginia, she developed an interest in traditional mountain music. She has collected and performed those songs and tunes throughout the US. In the 1980s Kay and Ginny Hawker formed a duo and, over the years, recorded four projects together. They taught and performed together at numerous festivals and music camps. In the late 1990s, Kay joined Alice Gerrard and Gail Gillespie as a member of the Herald Angel Band. As a group, they have appeared at various music festivals and workshops, mostly in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia.
Ginny Hawker was born to sing, growing up in rural Virginia in a large musical family. Starting with the soulful unaccompanied singing of her father’s Primitive Baptist church, Ginny learned lyrics are important, and you hear that when she sings. Ginny learned harmony through bluegrass and southern gospel, where the blend of voices singing together caught her ear and made her a gifted teacher at music camps in the US, Canada, and the British Isles for over 30 years. Ginny has recorded with Kay Justice, Alice Gerrard, Hazel Dickens, John Lilly, Tim O’Brien, Darrell Scott, and her husband Tracy Schwarz. Emmylou Harris is quoted as describing Ginny’s singing as “real as dirt” when reviewing Ginny's first solo cd, Letters from My Father.
The three women have been long-time friends, and Ginny joined Alice and Kay on a few songs on their most recent recording Tear Down the Fences.
Eliza Meyer is an “old soul,” singing and playing traditional string band, old-time, and classic country music reminiscent of Hazel and Alice, the Carter Family, and Tommy Jarrell. Influenced by the traditional ballads of Madison County and the round peak music of Surry County, Eliza plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, and autoharp. She is currently a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is pursuing degrees in ethnomusicology and folklore studies.
At any given time, you’re likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he’s laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if he’s not actively crafting new music, he’s certainly thinking about it. He is a two-time Grammy Award winner, has released 35 full-length albums, and has taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Lifetime Achievement Award. His new album, Game Changer, is convincing evidence that this North Carolina legend is only continuing to hone his craft.
Jim has been a vital part of the country music ecosystem since 1991 when he released his debut album and began penning songs for an impressively long roster of country music greats. He has worked with Ralph Stanley, Robert Hunter, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, and John Oates, among many others. He is truly legendary across multiple genres, including Americana, country, and bluegrass.