Blue Ridge Roots Revival: The Music and Stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains Come to the Earle Theatre Stage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blue Ridge Roots Revival: The Music and Stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains Come to the Earle Theatre Stage

[Mt Airy, NC] Sept 8, 2025 – Through music and words, storytellers keep history and memories alive. Four internationally acclaimed musicians and storytellers from Western North Carolina will sing their songs and tell their tales on September 21, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Earle Theatre (142 N Main St, Mt Airy, NC 27030)–Connie Regan-Blake, Michael Reno Harrell, Sheila Kay Adams, and Josh Goforth. Tickets are $20 each and are available at SurryArts.org or at the door. This event is part of the Blue Ridge Roots Revival concert series hosted by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA), Blue Ridge Music Trails, and the Jazz Foundation of America, in partnership with Surry Arts Council (SAC), the International Storytelling Center, and special donor Carol Black.

“The Blue Ridge Roots Revival Concert Series was created to provide Western North Carolina (WNC) musicians with paying opportunities and venues with revenue-generating events at a time when the local economy has faced challenges due to Hurricane Helene in September 2024,” stated BRNHA Executive Director Angie Chandler. BRNHA and the Jazz Foundation began planning events in December 2024, releasing a schedule of 11 events between May and November 2025. By the end of the series, 53 musicians will have been involved at nine locations and five festivals spanning across the Carolina mountains and foothills.

The WNC Music & Storytelling event is the most unique out of the series because it includes the ancient tradition of storytelling. While the tradition is used for various purposes – education, history, or entertainment – it is a skill that some artists have mastered. Each storyteller featured in the event calls WNC home and is listed in BRNHA’s Traditional Artist Directory as an influential artist in Western North Carolina. They are known among international audiences, weaving tales through words and music.

Connie Regan-Blake has blazed an extensive career spanning over 40+ years. She has performed in 47 states, 18 countries, and across six continents. Early in her career, she gained notoriety performing with her cousin, Barbara Freemen, as The Folktellers. Later, Regan-Blake became a founding board member of the National Storytelling Association. Her storytelling journey didn’t just stop at performing or supporting the art. She also leads educational workshops and serves as a performance coach.

As a storyteller, musician, and visual artist, Michael Reno Harrell pulls inspiration from the Appalachian Mountains. Born in Tennessee and later residing in North Carolina, Harrell reflects on his life, the time he spent in the mountains, and America’s story, using music and words to paint vivid pictures. He has performed across 44 states and numerous countries, and has been invited to perform at the National Storytelling Festival on multiple occasions. 

Sheila Kay Adams is a 7th-generation ballad singer, a tradition of telling stories through song, a cappella, while occasionally wielding a banjo. She has carved a path for future generations of aspiring singers and musicians and continues to travel to teach and perform. Lately, she has performed both in and out of state with the Nest of Singing Birds (also known as the ballad singers of Madison County).

Josh Goforth grew up in Madison County and was inspired to pursue music and storytelling after watching Adams perform at his middle school while he was a student. His appetite for music has led him to learn over 15 instruments, with the fiddle being his specialty. Goforth tours with bands and has also been recorded on various albums. Additionally, he is a teacher at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville, sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

BRNHA approached the SAC to collaborate on this event at the Historic Earle Theatre and Old-Time Music Heritage Hall. The theater hosts concerts, workshops, and still shows movies. It is ‘home to the WPAQ Merry-Go-Round, the second longest continuously running live radio broadcast in the nation (second only to the Grand Ole Opry)’.  Visitors can tour the Andy Griffith Museum, the Siamese Twin Museum, and Heritage Hall nearby. 

“The Surry Arts Council is excited to host the Blue Ridge Roots Revival at the Historic Earle Theatre – a site on the Blue Ridge Music Trail – as we begin the 36th annual Mayberry Days® festivities celebrating 65 years of The Andy Griffith Show,” said SAC Executive Director Tanya Jones. “The arts council is committed to preserving and promoting our area’s music heritage, and this show fits perfectly with our mission. We also look forward to sharing exhibits and portraits of old-time musicians from Surry County. These exhibits were funded over the years by BRNHA grants!”

When it comes to the storytellers themselves, Connie Regan-Blake is very excited to join the event. “I am delighted to be sharing the stage with these three friends who happen to be incredibly creative,  talented, funny, and compelling storytellers and music folks. If you have heard them, you know this already.  IF this is your first time, trust me – you will walk… or maybe float away, already making plans to seek out more storytelling!”

About Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina: 

BRNHA is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that preserves, cultivates, and promotes the natural and cultural heritage of 25 WNC counties and the Qualla Boundary. The organization strives to collaborate with arts organizations, musicians/artists, tourism partners, chambers of commerce, and other local entities through heritage tourism, supporting rural economies and individuals dedicated to the five designated areas of WNC heritage: music, craft, agriculture, Cherokee heritage, and natural resources. The Blue Ridge Music Trails is a project of BRNHA, highlighting over 230 venues and festivals in WNC and supporting musicians and events. 

For more information and updates on the concert series, please visit BlueRidgeHeritage.com.

Media Contact:
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
Bridget Herbig, Communications Manager
bridget@blueridgeheritage.com
828-818-5334

 

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