BLUEGRASS FIRST CLASS - 15TH ANNUAL SHOW

If music doesn't interest you.....perhaps you haven't experienced Bluegrass. It's Happy Music.....foot stomping, head wagging, grin inducing music.

Each February, the Bluegrass First Class Festival is held in Asheville, NC. We wouldn't miss it. The venue is very small which assures darn good seats for everyone to listen to some of the top Bluegrass groups in the country. Each day consists of 12 hours of non-stop music on the main stage and 24-7 music in the lobby stages or pickers in open door rooms throughout the hotel.

Last year we lucked out and got first row seats....this year we were in the 4th....(but in the center) so that was still good, but that meant I had to take photos over the heads of those in front of me.....many aren't sharp....sorry about that.

We've been watching the Snyder Family Band for years.....as their 2 kids grow up.....now they introduced their 3rd......a 4 year old.....darling, and of course this family orientated family music crowd loved him.

Does this sweatshirt, makeup free singer in the center of this photo look familiar? Yup...it's Rhonda Vincent who came up from her audience seat to join in a tune with her two daughters. Obviously, this was a set up......she's definitely using her power to launch their careers in a band called The Next Best Thing. I will be kind here......sadly, the gene pool got a bit diluted, either that or the girls need singing lessons. However, if you don't experience beginners, you may not realize just how good the following groups are!

So, here's Rhonda again.....all cleaned up..... Her group, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage is very polished, excellent showman ship and superior musical talent.

This is the Dillards.....but really only 1 Dillard......he's pictured in the center. He and his brothers were called the 'Darlings' in the Andy Griffith Show. Between songs he shared inside tales about his time on the show......fun hearing the behind the scenes stories.

One of our favorites closed Friday's show.....Russell Moore and 111rd (3rd) Tyme Out. Their harmony will give you goose bumps and their skilled picking will keep your toes tapping.

We are so lucky to be in this area where top notch bluegrass musicians are so prevalent and the cost of attending shows is modest.