Music lovers will have the opportunity to explore Virginia’s bluegrass, blues and old-time country music traditions next week at Williamsburg Regional Library’s latest “Talks@2” event.
The Talks@2 series debuted earlier this year as a way to take advantage of the library staff’s interests and expertise and share them with the public.
The latest lecture, slated for Tuesday, June 14, is a musical and visual journey along the 300-mile Heritage Music Trail in southwest Virginia led by Special Projects Director Barry Trott. It will explore the lives and works of music icons such as Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, The Carter Family and Archie Edwards.
Trott, an accomplished musician and music historian, will use images and vintage recordings to conjure up a rich tapestry of melodies that originated along Virginia’s Route 58 — from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the coalfields.
The lecture ties into the Crooked Road initiative, which was developed by the Virginia Tourism Corporation to help music lovers explore southwest Virginia.
“Southwest Virginia has been, and continues to be, a hotbed of great musicians, whose playing has shaped the development of American music,” Trott said.
The lecture, which is the last of the six Talks@2 events for this year, will take place Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Center. It is free and open to the public.
The Talks@2 series will be put on hiatus for the summer and return, pending evaluation, in the fall. Those who have attended the programs are encouraged to send feedback and comments to coordinator Barbara Jones at bjones@wrl.org.
