CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754
FOR RELEASE
Hindman's Ray Slone Brings Eastern Kentucky Mountain Music to UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2006) − The University of Kentucky's John Jacob Niles Center for American Music will present a performance by multi-instrumentalist Ray Slone, of Hindman, Ky., and Marcia Thompson, Slone's daughter, as part of a series of concerts titled, "Appalachia in the Bluegrass," that explores traditional music in the Appalachian region. Slone and Thompson, known for their knowledge of old time songs and tunes from Eastern Kentucky, will perform at noon Friday, Sept. 15, in the Gallery of the Niles Center located in the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library. The concert is free and open to the public.
Slone, a musician, craftsman, and master teacher, will be accompanied by Thompson and several grandchildren at the Friday concert, which will include three generations of the Slone family. The musician continues to make a concerted effort to pass his knowledge of old time music, sometimes referred to as old time mountain music, to the future generations of Eastern Kentuckians. Slone, a retired math teacher from Knott County, provides instruction on various stringed instruments, including the fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin. He has recorded a number of CDs and written an instruction book on old time music that is available through Hindman Settlement School Museum and Crafts Shop.
The "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series explores traditional music in the Appalachian region. The concerts represent a diversity of musical expression with performances by Appalachian traditional musicians and scholars. All concerts take place at noon on Fridays in the Gallery of the Niles Center located in the Fine Arts Library across from King Library on the UK campus.
For more information on the Slone/Thompson performance or the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" series, contact Ron Pen by phone at (859) 257-8183 or by e-mail at .
###
In striving to become a Top 20 public research institution, the University of Kentucky is a catalyst for a new Commonwealth – a Kentucky that is healthier, better educated, and positioned to compete in a global and changing economy. For more information about UK’s efforts to become a Top 20 university, please go to http://www.uky.edu/OPBPA/Top20.html.