Bluegrass legend Del McCoury to play BRMC on Aug. 30

Del McCoury Band will perform on Saturday, Aug. 30, on the Blue Ridge Music Center's amphitheater stage as part of the "Deep Roots, Many Voices" summer concert series. Wayne Henderson & Friends will kick off the show at 7 p.m. The Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just south of Galax, Virginia.Even among the pantheon of music's finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link.Emerging from humble beginnings in York County, Pennsylvania, nearly 80 years ago, Del was captivated by the banjo playing of one of its masters, Earl Scruggs, and decided he'd be a banjo picker, too. He was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to join Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in early 1963. Monroe transformed McCoury, moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead singer, and providing him with a priceless trove of bluegrass tutelage direct from the source.Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble is a peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history. Those many years, not to mention a good-natured willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities around him, earned McCoury a whole new generation of fans, including some in unlikely places."I'm just doing what's natural," says Del. "When young musicians ask me what they should do I always tell them, 'You do whatever's inside of you. Do what you do best.'"The Del McCoury Band garners the respect and admiration of the industry for its unmistakable work: ten International Bluegrass Music Association's Entertainer of the Year trophies (most recently in 2024); in 2003, Del's awarded membership in the cast of the legendary Grand Ole Opry; the band's first Best Bluegrass Album Grammy award, in 2005, followed by a second Grammy win in 2014. This year they have also been nominated for IBMA's Entertainers of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. Winners for these awards will be announced in September during the annual IBMA Award Ceremony.Their latest release, "Songs of Love and Life," features a diverse set of tracks–vintage and contemporary–as McCoury and his crackerjack band nod to icons Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, as well as welcoming next-generation talent Molly Tuttle to the party. Across his six decades of making classic albums, Del knows what he's looking for in a song. "I like a challenge. I've always liked a challenge," says Del. "I like to learn different things. Doing the same things is boring to me."Wayne Henderson & Friends will be opening the show. Henderson is an accomplished luthier and performer from Rugby, Virginia. He developed a unique musical style using a thumbpick and fingerpicks that mimics the sound of flatpicking — producing fast, accurate, clean notes.In addition to handcrafting guitars that are coveted by musicians around the world, Henderson has won more than 300 ribbons at fiddlers' convention competitions, is a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, and was part of the Masters of the Steel String Guitar tours.Always entertaining, Henderson's performances are sprinkled with humorous stories, some true, and others not as much.This concert is sponsored by Visit Grayson County, National Council for Traditional Arts, and Classic Country 98.1 FM. Additional support comes from Mid Atlantic Arts' Central Appalachia Living Traditions program.Advance tickets are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. Tickets can be purchased on the evening of the show at the admission gates.Parking is free and opens at 5:15 p.m. The amphitheater gates open at 5:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m. The Bluffs Restaurant will be on site with food for purchase. Concertgoers may bring their own food and beverages. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.