Charlie Poole festival to celebrate Americana

By Miranda Baines
Media General News Service
Published: June 13, 2008

EDEN, N.C. — The McPeak Brothers are headlining Saturday night’s concert at the 13th Annual Charlie Poole Music Festival. The group replaces Jim Lauderdale, who canceled his performance due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

“Fortunately, they were able to fit us in at this late date,” said Marianne Aiken, treasurer of the festival advisory board. She said Dan Peck, who helps coordinate the annual festival, wanted the McPeak Brothers to perform.

“It’s something we’ve looked forward to for a long time,” Larry McPeak said. “We’re just tickled to death to do it.”
McPeak has worked at the festival as a judge and enjoyed listening to Charlie Poole’s style of music. Now he and his group will bring their unique bluegrass, gospel style to the festival.

“We’ll be doing some of the older standards that we’re noted for — ‘You Won’t Ever Forget Me’ and a song called ‘Shelly’s Winter Love,’” said McPeak, the songwriter who plays electric bass and guitar. He said the group’s style is more contemporary than traditional. The McPeak Brothers take country and rock, infusing the music with bluegrass.
The McPeak Brothers — Dewey, Mike and Larry — are from Wytheville, Va. They have produced a number of albums for RCA, County and Rebel Records, such as “The Bottom Line,” “Classic Bluegrass” and a gospel album — “Pathway to Heaven.” The band has been playing together since the 1960’s. Country great Mel Tillis discovered the band in the 1970s.

“They have quite a following of people who really, really like them,” Aiken said.
Larry and Mike, the guitarist, are the only two original McPeak Brothers who will play at Saturday’s Charlie Poole Music Festival. Dewey, the banjo player, had a previous commitment. Scott Freeman will be on the mandolin and fiddle, Rick Allred will play the banjo, mandolin and help out with the harmony, and the McPeak’s 11-year-old nephew, Adam McPeak, will do some work on the mandolin.

Larry said the McPeak Brothers are best known for their three-part harmonies. He said it’s not easy working out the exact timing and the intricate details of three-part harmony singing, but when the harmony’s on point, “it’s a blend that’s hard to beat.”

“Bluegrass and old-time string music are the only two living Americana music left,” he said. “It’s a genre all to itself. It’s really special.”
Larry is looking forward to hearing the other musicians as much as he’s looking forward to performing along with his group. He enjoys hearing the “parking-lot pickers” who sit out on the backs of their pickups making amazing harmony.

“I’m as big a fan as I am a participant,” he said.

The McPeaks’ performance is the culmination of a day of competitions. Contestants will compete for $5,000 in prizes in a number of categories. Cash prizes will go to the best old time and bluegrass instruments and bands, as well as the best rendition of a Charlie Poole song and duet singing, not to mention a $500 grand prize for old-time three-finger banjo playing — made famous by Poole.

Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers of the 1920s influenced bluegrass music. Poole, who settled in Spray, helped popularize the banjo and created a style using his thumb and two fingers.

The festival begins Friday, with a full slate of concerts beginning at 5 p.m. and a performance by the New North Carolina Ramblers. Youth activities Friday and Saturday are also a highlight. Wayne Seymour is the master of ceremonies.

The site of the festival is the Eden Fairgrounds on old N.C. 87/ Oakland Avenue in Eden. Tickets for the entire weekend are $25. Tickets for the separate Friday and Saturday events are $15 each. For more information, visit http://www.charlie-poole.com.

• Staff writer Miranda Baines can be reached at or 349-4331, ext. 35.