Explore Shenandoah Valley Music with Me & Martha

Explore the History of Bluegrass Music and its early development. Starting with the early settlers of the Shenandoah Valley and the roots of Bluegrass, we will explore the Carter Family and the Bristol Sessions to Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley and their influences on today’s music.

Martha Hills and Don DePoy will share a stable of instruments including a rare scheitholt with origins dating back to the late 1500s, and demonstrating with music and song the Mountain Dulcimer, Fiddle, Banjo, Autoharp, Guitar, DoBro, Mandolin, and Bass Fiddle.

Martha Hills and Don DePoy are touring musicians performing about 200 concerts a year. In 2009 they organized and continue the Shenandoah Music Trail, a nonprofit organization to bring musicians and audiences together. Don is a fifth-generation music maker and holds a PhD specializing in the Cultural Context of Bluegrass Music.