The Del McCoury Band Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, The Del McCoury Band to Perform on Mountain Stage

Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is proud to announce the return of Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn and The Del McCoury Band to Charleston, West Virginia.

On Sunday, May 14, Mountain Stage will celebrate its 34th season of live performance radio at The Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, with the unofficial “First Family of the Banjo” Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn. The duo are widely credited with reinventing the sound and image of the banjo — Fleck through the three-finger Scruggs style and Washburn via the traditional clawhammer approach. A fifteen-time Grammy winner, Béla has devoted time away from his genre-busting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments, from writing a concerto for the Nashville Symphony to exploring the banjo’s African roots to jazz duos with Chick Corea, while Washburn has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums, done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force and become quite a live draw in her own right.

The show will also feature the return of The Del McCoury Band. One of the most respected and beloved performers in bluegrass music, Del McCoury began working as a musician in the ’60s, touring and playing as a singer and guitarist with various groups, including Bill Monroe’s famous Bluegrass Boys. He made his first trip to Mountain Stage in 1989, backing legendary mandolin player David Grisman. It was also around this time that he began spending more time with his own band, which included his young sons Ronnie on mandolin and Robbie on banjo. The band’s popularity has continued to rise over the years, and they remain one of the few groups capable of headlining both traditional bluegrass festivals and jam band shows with equal success and adoration.

More acts for this show will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets are already available for Clay Center subscribers. Single tickets go on sale for the general public online and at the Clay Center Box Office on Friday, January 6, and are $25 in advance and $40 day of show. All tickets are assigned seating for this May 14 show, with doors opening at 6:30pm and the show promptly starting at 7pm.

Stay up to date on Mountain Stage show news and ticket deals by following us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and signing up for our e-mail newsletter. And if you’re looking for a new soundtrack between now and then, listen back to our favorite performances of 2016 and subscribe to the Mountain Stage podcast on iTunes.

Mountain Stage After Midnight- Listener's Choice!

Four Mountain Stage performances enter, two Mountain Stage performances leave. So who was it going to be: legendary country music offspring Rosanne Cash, legendary singer-songwriter Randy Newman, bluegrass maestro Del McCoury or folk-rock duo The Civil Wars? After counting up the votes on Mountain Stage’s Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram, we have finally determined which fan-favorite sets will air overnights this weekend on “Mountain Stage After Midnight.” Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, “Mountain Stage After Midnight” takes the best episodes from the show’s 31 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners.

You voted for them, and they won. Here are the archived shows that will air Saturday, January 31 and Sunday, February 1 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

The Civil Wars on Mountain Stage in 2011. The duo won four Grammy’s prior to their 2014 breakup

With the most votes, our first fan favorite performance comes from 2011 and includes such music notorieties as The Civil Wars, Mark Olsen, Ron Sexsmith, Sonya Kitchell featuring Brooklyn Strings and The Steel Wheels.

Randy Newman on Mountain Stage in 1999. This show happens to be one of Mountain Stage host Larry Groce’s favorites.

Our second fan favorite winner, as voted by you, is a 1999 Mountain Stage show featuring Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, Matapat and Eddi Reader/Clive Gregson/Book Hewerdine.

Did your favorite performances win? Do you have archived shows in mind for the next Listener’s Choice? Let us know on Mountain Stage’s Facebook! More importantly, if you like what you hear and want to keep Mountain Stage on airwaves, consider pledging your support to West Virginia Public Broadcasting during its annual Chocolate Challenge fund drive. You might even get a special Mountain Stage gift for your thoughtfulness.

Mountain Stage After Midnight- Listener's Choice!

Last year, “Mountain Stage After Midnight” posed a question to its music-loving fans: Who do you want to listen to overnight weekends? You voted on our Facebook, we tallied’em up and Bela Fleck and Robert Cray were crowned the victors. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to see who you want to hear on next weekend’s “Mountain Stage After Midnight.” Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, “Mountain Stage After Midnight” takes the best episodes from the show’s 31 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners. For this round, the four show options are:

Rosanne Cash’s first Mountain Stage in 1995, along with Tracy Nelson, Grant McLennan and Boneheads.
WILDCARD- He lost in the last competition, but we’re bringing him back for Round 2. Randy Newman’s 1999 show, also featuring Richard Thompson, Matapat and Eddi Reader/Clive Gregson/Book Hewerdine.
The Del McCoury Band’s 2006 show, including Martina McBride, Paul Thorn and Jessi Colter.
The Civil Wars’ 2011 show (before the band’s break-up), which features Mark Olsen, Ron Sexsmith, Sonya Kitchell featuring Brooklyn Strings and The Steel Wheels.

The rules are simple: Head to Mountain Stage’s Facebook and comment on the “Mountain Stage After Midnight” post with the two shows that you’d like to hear January 31 and February 1 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Want to ensure that your favorite shows win? Like, share, retweet and regram the post with friends and family. The winners will be announced next Wednesday on West Virginia Public Broadcasting and on Mountain Stage’s social media. Most importantly, make sure you tune in overnights next weekend to hear the winning shows!