A century ago, the remnants of two hurricanes collided over western North Carolina, inundating the mountain region and the western Piedmont with historic rainfall. The catastrophic results provided inspiration for original ballads and traditional folk songs still sung in the region today. Joe Penland was born and raised in rural Madison County in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, and some of his songs and stories for this concert will recall the personal losses endured by victims of the flood. Penland is the proud steward of 12 generations and more than 350 years of the rich oral tradition of his Scotch and English ancestors. In 2005, Penland was awarded the coveted Bascom Lunsford Award, named for his cousin and founder of the longest running folk festival in America, for his “significant contribution to preserving our mountain music.” Whether singing the traditional ballads of the mountains of western North Carolina or performing his original and stirring folk songs, Penland’s music offers an honesty and power that is a testament to both his unique character and our shared humanity.
A traveling panel exhibit, So Great the Devastation: The 1916 Flood, will be available for viewing at the NC Museum of History before and after the concert. Learn more about the Flood of 1916 exhibit
