Sights & SoundsWalter “Skip” Herman and K.T. Vandyke
Walter “Skip” Herman learned to build guitars from “Uncle” Dave Sturgill around the same time Wayne Henderson did, but Herman became known for his repair skills.
Sights & SoundsChris Testerman, Karlie Keepfer and Sophia Burnett
Instrument Making Chris Testerman has been around instrument makers since he attended Mount Rogers Combined School in Grayson County and played in the Albert Hash Memorial Band, led by Whitetop …
Sights & SoundsLelis and Ken Garcia Olaes
Lelis and Ken Garcia Olaes keep Filipino flavors alive at Angie’s Bakery in Virginia Beach.
Sights & SoundsEddie Bond and Andrew Small
Eddie Bond learned how to play fiddle from teachers like Claude Childress and Bass Tate growing up at his granny’s house, now he’s teaching Andrew Small.
Sights & SoundsJunious Brickhouse and Tyrone Edwards
Born in 1974, Junious Lee Brickhouse grew up in a musical household in the African American communities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. His mother, Lynda, shared with him her love …
Sights & SoundsLuz Lopez and Princey Reyes
Luz Maria Lopez was born in the small town of Morocoy, in the state of Quintana Roo on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after her parents moved there from Michoacán. Her mother …
Sights & SoundsMark Cline and Brently Hilliard
Known as the “P.T. Barnum of the Blue Ridge,” Mark Cline is keeping alive the vanishing tradition of the roadside attraction—those haunted houses, singing caverns, historical parks, and outsized food …
Sights & SoundsBrian Calhoun and Adam McNeil and Jake Hopping
Brian Calhoun grew up in Rockbridge County, an area rich with many fine players of bluegrass and old-time music as well as a wide variety of acoustic styles. Already a …
Sights & SoundsRonald Dixon and William Hinkle
Stained glass master artist Ronald Dixon grew up viewing stained glass art from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in his native Northern Ireland, spending hours in local cathedrals while his …
Sights & SoundsEmily Spencer and Lisa Ring
Returning to the Folklife Apprenticeship Program in 2019 is the beloved Grayson County clawhammer banjoist Emily Spencer. The clawhammer banjo style is an essential aspect of old time music, an …
Sights & SoundsClyde Jenkins and Sam Jenkins, Isaac Lonas, Tanner Good, and Logan Hindershot
Clyde Jenkins grew up in the Shenandoah Mountains in Page County, on the homestead his family has inhabited for generations. Throughout his life working the land, Clyde has acquired a …
Sights & SoundsCora Harvey Armstrong and Samantha Willis
Faith is at the heart of Cora Harvey Armstrong’s 50-year career in gospel music. Born and raised in the tiny Newtown community of King and Queen County, Virginia, her family …
