Jean Gordon
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 11:56 am

One of the most successful and the area's own hometown music festivals -- the Earl Scruggs Music Festival -- begins Friday, Aug. 29 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring and continues through Sunday evening, Aug. 31. General admission tickets are still available, as some of the country's finest musicians will entertain thousands and celebrate the legacy of Earl Scruggs, the world's most influential banjo picker.

Among headliners are Alison Kraus & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, taking the stage on Saturday, along with Sam Bush and a host of others.

On tap for Friday will be The Wood Brothers, The War and Treaty, Sister Sadie, and many more.

Among Sunday's performers will be Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Del McCoury Band, The Earls of Leicester, Darin & Brooke Aldridge and others.

"Bringing the best of bluegrass, Americana, and roots music together with fans who have a true appreciation for the music, the Earl Scruggs Music Festival is a multi-day celebration of Mr. Scruggs' incredible contributions and the rich musical culture of the region," the TIEC communications office said.

Partnering with TIEC for the fourth annual festival are once again the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby and WNCW at Isothermal Community College.

Mike Gavin, director of marketing and community relations at Isothermal said, "With the great legacy of Earl Scruggs and the music he played and loved being such an important part of the fabric of this region, we could not be more thrilled at how well the Earl Scruggs Music Festival has been received. The artists are great, the venue is great, the volunteers are great. We urge you to come out for a day or the whole weekend for a showcase of what's good about music and life."

Mary Beth Hamrick, executive director at the Earl Scruggs Center said, "The Earl Scruggs Festival is an incredible celebration...We love having it right here in the region," she said.

"So many of the musical acts on the lineup were directly influenced by Earl Scruggs. We expect this to be the biggest festival yet, this is our fourth annual festival and it continues to grow. People from all over the country are going to attend the festival, workshops and other programs there," Hamrick added.

Del McCoury, who will play with his band on Saturday, reiterated Hamrick's comment on his social media, "When I was a kid, everybody else was into Elvis, but when I heard Earl Scruggs, that was it for me. So happy to be a part of keeping my hero's legacy alive."

"General admission tickets can be purchased all the way up until the music festival and can be purchased at the gate," said Jimmie Schramm, director of equestrian marketing, communications and business development at TIEC.

"It's our hometown festival, similar to the way MerleFest is to Wilkesboro," said Amy Bridges, downtown Community Development Manager for the Town of Forest City and concert enthusiast. "It keeps the legacy of Earl Scruggs alive and benefits the Earl Scruggs Center and WNCW. It brings top level bluegrass and Americana music to our community," she said. Bridges is among those who buys her weekend festival tickets as soon as they are released.

Musician Madison Bridges, who has performed at several venues in Rutherford and Cleveland counties and a photographer for the Earl Scruggs Festival, offered these comments about the weekend's festival: "Alison Krauss and Union Station's first tour in 11 years includes a stop at the ESMF, so it's a special opportunity to see a group that many bluegrass and country fans have loved for a long time. We'll miss Dan Tyminski in the group, but Russell Moore is an incredible replacement with a long career of his own.

"Seasoned bluegrass fans will recognize some powerhouses of the genre, like Sam Bush, Del McCoury, and Sierra Hull. Those interested in Earl Scruggs specifically will get a kick out of Tony Trischka's Earljam and the Earls of Leicester, which both pay homage to the groundbreaking work Earl did with the banjo.

Personal favorites for Madison are Sister Sadie and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. "Sister Sadie is an all-girl group that blends solid songwriting with expertly crafted arrangements, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes is an insanely talented fiddle player that some fans may recognize from Molly Tuttle's previous band, Golden Highway. Earlier this year, Sister Sadie and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes both received Grammy nominations for their recent albums, and Bronwyn's album was one of my favorites from last year."

Madison said mixed in with all the national names are some household names. The Blue Healers, the Foxhounds, and the Gilkey Cattle Company are just a few of the groups that are from the area or feature a local person in the band, Madison said.

She adds, "It will be a great mix of national and local talent in a beautiful and spacious venue. I can't think of an excuse not to attend - especially since you'll have Labor Day to recover from the experience."

According to information from TIEC"s marketing office and the Scruggs Center, "Earl was an innovative artist who loved to share his music, mentor young musicians and cross musical boundaries. Over the course of his career, he collaborated in recording studios and live performances with a diverse array of internationally known artists including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, the Byrds, Doc Watson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Elton John, Billy Joel, Steve Martin, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Dwight Yoakam."

Among his many honors include Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985, the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 1991, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. The Recording Academy presented Earl with four GRAMMY performance awards and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Other honors saluting Scruggs' career included the National Heritage Fellowship, the National Medal of Arts, the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award, and the Folk Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award. Earl received Honorary Doctorates from Gardner-Webb University and Berklee College of Music. He was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit EarlScuggsMusicFest.com