Jeff Little is an award winning musician from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. With few exceptions, the piano does not play a prominent part in Appalachian or Americana music, and is rarely the lead instrument. But Jeff Little is an exception – and a remarkable one. Jeff has not only been recognized as a critically acclaimed musician but also a true innovator in acoustic music. Jeff stays busy traveling the country performing concerts with an energy and dedication to his music that is evident at every show. Performances include The Smithsonian Institution, The National Folk Festival, American Piano Masters, Merlefest, and many festivals, performing arts centers and music venues throughout the US. Jeff has been featured on National Public Radio and PBS many times and has also taken his music around the world for the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs performing in Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, France and Tanzania. In 2014 Jeff was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. In addition, Jeff is Artist in Residence for the Popular Music Program at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.

The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys have been a Mountain Home Music staple for the past 29 years. The stories behind the origins of the Mountain Home Music “house band” lead directly back to the concert series’ founder, Joe Shannon. Fronted by two-time national Studio Musician of the Year David Johnson — who plays anything with strings — the band also includes two-time National Banjo Champion and MerleFest and HendersonFest Guitar Champion Steve Lewis, plus master musicians Scott Freeman on mandolin and Josh Scott on bass.

Tucker Conner is a member of the Boone Junior Appalachian Musicians (Boone J.A.M.) program and wowed audiences at the inaugural Boone’s Got Talent showcase and as part of the Doc Watson Day celebration at the Jones House!