Taught by John Harrod and Blakeley Burger
John Harrod has documented, recorded, and performed traditional music for more than 45 years. Born and raised in Shelby County, Kentucky, he has a B.A. from Centre College (1967) and an M.A. from Oxford University (1969) which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. In the 1970s and ’80s, he played with a number of bands including the Progress Red Hot String Band, the Bill Livers String Ensemble, and the Gray Eagle Band that re-introduced traditional musicians such as Bill Livers and Lily May Ledford to Kentucky audiences. During this time he also worked for three years as a Kentucky Arts Council folk artist-in-residence in Wolfe, Estill, and Trimble Counties. Along with Mark Wilson and Guthrie Meade, he produced a series of field recordings of Kentucky fiddle and banjo players that is still available on Rounder Records. He has taught fiddle and conducted workshops at the Augusta Heritage Center, the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, and the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School. In 2004 John received the Folk Heritage Award of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts for his work in traditional music.
Blakeley is a musician dedicated to the skill of her instrument. She received a Bachelor’s of Music (violin performance) from the University of Louisville and teaches traditional fiddle music across the state at institutions such as Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, Louisville Folk School, and University of Louisville’s Suzuki Institute. She was selected to be a Mentor Artist of Traditional Music by the Kentucky Arts Council (2022-2024).