From 1976 to 1985, on a private farm overlooking the town of Ronceverte and the scenic Greenbrier River, masses gathered to hear incredible music lineups at the original Skyline Bluegrass Festival. The revitalization of this beloved event came to fruition in 2022, when the first New Skyline Bluegrass Festival on the River brought toe-tapping, hard-driving bluegrass to the Island Park Amphitheatre in downtown Ronceverte.
The third annual New Skyline Bluegrass Festival on the River will take place on Saturday, Jul. 20, from 5 to 10 p.m. with an exciting lineup featuring The Special Consensus, Larry Keel Experience, Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys, and John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band.
Opening up the show, Richard Hefner and the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys are among West Virginia’s longest-running bluegrass bands. The group first organized in 1968 and took their name from Black Mountain in their native Pocahontas County. For five years the group worked a weekly radio show on WVAR, in Richwood. They also made regular appearances at local events and regional bluegrass festivals. Richard Hefner remains as the lone original member but brings traditional bluegrass banjo playing and tenor vocals that contribute both continuity and much of the “high lonesome” sound for which the band has become so well-known.
The Special Consensus has achieved a contemporary sound in over four decades of performing, making their music a modern classic. Special Consensus has released 21 band recordings and received seven awards from the IBMA and two Grammy nominations. Special Consensus’ sound is grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music, incorporating both the drive and harmonies of the traditional sound with the more contemporary sounds and repertoire of today.
Larry Keel is an award-winning innovative flat-picking guitarist and singer/songwriter hailing from Appalachia. As a composer and singer, Keel integrates raw honesty and charming grit to form a unique brand of music he calls ‘experimental folk’, songwriting that is filled with reality, imagination, imagery and mood. In addition to producing 12 albums, appearing on over 20, and writing songs recorded by Del McCourty and The Infamous Stringdusters, Keel continues to merge creative forces with some of the greatest artists in modern roots music such as Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Al DiMeola, Tony Rice, Keller Williams and Sam Bush, to name a few.
Rounding out the stellar lineup, the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians – John Jorgenson of Desert Rose Band on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals – delivering bluegrass like no one has ever heard it before. The four come together to form a spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals (a fresh twist combining bluegrass with elements of West Coast folk rock) and seasoned showmanship.
Come out to the New Skyline Bluegrass Festival on the River for a fabulous day of music and summer fun! Admission is free and concessions will be available for purchase. This event is being sponsored by The James F.B. Peyton Fund, Greenbrier County Commission, and Greenbrier Convention & Visitors Bureau. Special thanks to The City of Ronceverte for their support and assistance.