The Music of the New River
Old-time fiddles, bluegrass banjos, and a living heritage that still belongs to the communities along the New River Trail.
Where the Music Never Left the Mountains
Long before recordings, the hollows and mill towns along the New River rang with fiddle tunes, ballads, and banjos. The railroad and the textile mills brought musicians together, and in the 1920s a handful of working people from Fries and Galax helped launch the commercial country music industry. Today that tradition is alive — in weekly jams, fiddlers’ conventions, museums, and a new generation of players.
This section is your guide to it all: the historic musicians, the conventions you can attend, the venues and museums you can visit, and the trail that ties them together. Start anywhere — no page is a dead end.
Explore the Music Section
Featured Historic Musicians
All musiciansMulti-instrumentalist and flatfoot dancer from Whitetop carrying old-time music to international stages.
Read the guideA loom fixer at the Washington Mill in Fries who recorded ~37 songs for Victor and OKeh without ever playing an instrument.
Read the guideAppalachian banjo master from the Wise County coalfields who blended mountain ballads with African American blues.
Read the guideNational Heritage Fellow fiddler from Fries who leads the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters.
Read the guidePioneering recording artist whose 1924 "Sinking of the Titanic" sold a million copies and helped launch commercial country music.
Read the guideThe haunting mountain voice and clawhammer banjo of bluegrass, preserved for over 70 years.
Read the guideFiddlers’ Conventions
All conventionsThe oldest and largest old-time fiddlers’ convention in the world, held each August in Galax since 1935.
Full guideA community fiddlers’ gathering in the mill town where the New River Trail begins.
See hubA county convention celebrating Grayson County’s deep old-time fiddle tradition.
See hubA major annual convention just across the state line in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
See hubAnnual Music Events
Full calendarGalax Old Fiddlers’ Convention
Galax, VA
The oldest and largest old-time music gathering in the world.
Visit websiteFries Fiddlers’ Convention
Fries, VA
A community fiddlers’ gathering in the mill town where the New River Trail begins.
Visit websiteMount Airy Bluegrass & Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention
Mount Airy, NC
A major annual convention just across the state line.
MerleFest
Wilkesboro, NC
One of the largest roots music festivals in the US, honoring Doc Watson’s son Merle.
Visit websiteMusic Through Time
Full timeline1924
Pop Stoneman’s "Titanic"
Ernest "Pop" Stoneman’s "The Sinking of the Titanic" sells roughly a million copies, cementing the commercial viability of country music.
1927–1928
The Bristol Sessions
Ralph Peer’s recordings in Bristol produce the first records of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family — the "Big Bang of Country Music."
1930s–1940s
Radio & string-band era
Live radio broadcasts spread regional music across the South; the Stanley Brothers form in 1946.
1940s
Bluegrass is born
Bill Monroe’s bluegrass style crystallizes, blending old-time string-band music with blues and jazz-inflected virtuosity.
Did You Know?
- The commercial country music industry traces back to Fries, Virginia — where mill worker Henry Whitter made some of the first country recordings in 1923.
- The Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, held every August since 1935, is the oldest and largest old-time music gathering in the world.
- The Crooked Road — Virginia’s 300-mile Heritage Music Trail — connects more than 60 venues and festivals across Southwest Virginia.
Combine Music and the Outdoors
Plan a trip that pairs a day on the New River Trail with the living musical heritage of Southwest Virginia.