Steve Sutton Fest

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Steve Sutton Fest

June 8 @ 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

- $25.00
Steve Sutton Fest 2025

Saturday, June 8 – Steve Sutton Fest, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Get ready to jam as this salute to our famous WNC Bluegrass Musician continues at its new location, Lake Junaluska Conference Center!

2025 Artists: 

  • No Joke Jimmy’s
  • Whitewater Bluegrass Co.
  • Mike Compton & Laura Boosinger
  • Junior Appalachian Musicians
  • Mountain Tradition Cloggers

Tickets: $25

When Steve Sutton was a small child living in Haywood County, his family would sometimes drive up the mountain to Maggie Valley for a family outing. There he remembered seeing informal gatherings of musicians, jam sessions by the side of the road in which local bluegrass players were making music that caught his fancy. One of the musicians was Raymond Fairchild, and when Sutton began to play the banjo, Maggie Valley’s famous native son took him under his wing. Soon Sutton was playing in the jam sessions, and then on stage.

By the time he was in high school, Sutton had become such a good banjo player that he received nearly simultaneous offers from both Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin. He chose to go on the road with Jimmy Martin in 1974, and thus began a career that carried him from the Grand Ole Opry around the world and back again. In later years, stints playing and recording with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, and touring the world with Alecia Nugent, kept him in the spotlight. Sutton appeared on the IBMA Award-winning, Grammy-nominated album Celebration of Life, and also received Grammy nominations as part of two recording projects with Rhonda Vincent.

Back home in Haywood County, Sutton was a long-time member of the Whitewater Bluegrass Company, the Darren Nicholson Band, and the Crowe Brothers. He also appeared regularly at Maggie Valley’s Ghost Town in the Sky, bringing him full circle back to the town where his music career began.

Steve Sutton passed away on May 13, 2017 at the age of sixty-one. The Steve Sutton Memorial Charitable Trust and Steve Sutton Fest were created to continue Steve’s legacy: sharing joy and helping others through music.

This event is a benefit for the Steve Sutton Memorial Charitable Trust. The Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to continue Steve Sutton’s legacy of sharing joy and helping others through music. Proceeds from this event will benefit local music scholarships as well as the International Bluegrass Music Association Trust Fund.

Adult Tickets $25

Kids 12 & under free

Food trucks on site

Details

Date:
June 8
Time:
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Cost:
$25.00 - general admission
Music Styles:
, , , ,
Event Types:
Benefit / Fundraiser, Concert / Performance
  • Can Accommodate Groups
  • Family Friendly
  • Food Service
  • Picnic Space

Organizer

Steve Sutton Memorial Charitable Trust
Email
stevesuttonfest@gmail.com
View Organizer Website

Venue

Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center
91 North Lakeshore Drive
Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 United States
+ Google Map
Phone:
(828) 452-2881
View Venue Website

Details

Date:
June 8
Time:
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Cost:
$25.00 - general admission
Music Styles:
, , , ,
Event Types:
Benefit / Fundraiser, Concert / Performance
  • Can Accommodate Groups
  • Family Friendly
  • Food Service
  • Picnic Space

Organizer

Steve Sutton Memorial Charitable Trust
Email
stevesuttonfest@gmail.com
View Organizer Website

Venue

Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center
91 North Lakeshore Drive
Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 United States
+ Google Map
Phone:
(828) 452-2881
View Venue Website