One of Michigan’s longest-running music festivals will have plenty of folks pickin’ and grinnin’ this weekend at Eaton County Fairgrounds. Local Spins has your festival guide.
Stellar Harmonies: Henhouse Prowlers will play Charlotte Bluegrass Festival twice on Friday. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
SCROLL DOWN FOR SCHEDULE, MUST-SEE PICKS
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For diehard bluegrass fans, any festival lineup that includes high-profile outfits Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Henhouse Prowlers and The Grascals would be enough to get their toes tapping and heads nodding in anticipation.
But the 52nd annual Charlotte Bluegrass Festival unfolding at the Eaton County Fairgrounds this weekend boasts much more than that, from the multi-award-winning bluegrass vocalist Dale Ann Bradley to returning favorites David Mayfield and Joe Mullins.
Of course, the laid-back, family-fueled affair will also feature plenty of impromptu jamming, workshops and camping charm.
Check out details and links below, along with our picks for five can’t-miss acts this weekend.
Bluegrass Oasis: The crowd at last year’s festival. (Courtesy Photo/Joel Dinda)
CHARLOTTE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS
WHEN: June 20-22
WHERE: Eaton County Fairgrounds, 1025 S. Cochran Ave., Charlotte
WEBSITE: https://charlottebluegrassfestival.com/
THE DRIVE: 63 miles (1 hour) east-southeast of Grand Rapids
53 miles (55 minutes) east-northeast of Kalamazoo
110 miles (1 hour, 55 minutes) west of Detroit
23 miles (26 minutes) southwest of Lansing
203 miles (3 hours, 13 minutes) south of Traverse City
TICKETS: $95 per person; daily tickets available; details here.
MUST-SEE PICKS
• Henhouse Prowlers (3:10 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. Friday) – It’s only apropos that this much-beloved, Chicago-based would close things out on Friday night, touring behind their latest album, “Lead Iron,” a recording praised by Bluegrass Unlimited for “high-energy excitement” and harmonies “that can make the hair stand up on your neck.”
Listen: “My Last Run”
• Dale Ann Bradley (2:15 p.m. and 7:50 p.m. Saturday) – Probably all that needs to be said is that Bradley is a six-time winner of Female Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year. But for Stevie Nicks fans disappointed that she had to postpone her Grand Rapids show this week due to illness, Bradley also has boasts a terrific bluegrass cover of Nicks’ and Tom Petty’s popular “Stop Draggin’ MY Heart Around.”
Listen: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
Dale Ann Bradley (Courtesy Photo)
• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (3:10 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. Saturday) – Multi-award-winning (and blind) fiddler Michael Cleveland has long been a favorite at the festival. Country star Vince Gill calls him “fearless” and “untouchable.”
Listen: “The Orange Blossom Special”
• Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers (2:15 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Friday) – Ohio’s Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers were named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2019 “Entertainers of the Year” and are led by a guy who’s also an award-winning radio broadcaster.
Listen: “The Glory Road”
• Dalton Harper (1:25 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. Thursday) – Missouri native and Skyline Records artist Dalton Harper began his career by performing with the Harper Family Band, then joined bluegrass outfit Cedar Hill before heading out on his own as a bluegrass and country solo artist.
Listen: “Highway of Love”
CHARLOTTE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
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