All proceeds from the festival will benefit the Doc and Merle Watson Folk Art Museum located inside the Old Cove Creek School. The museum will be open both days during the festival until 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is included with a festival ticket.

David Holt

The 2004 featured artist is David Holt, a multi-talented musician and storyteller. You can meet David Saturday, July 10 in the museum.

He is known for his entertaining concerts around the country; his appearances on TNN; as host of the PBS Folkways series and public radio's Riverwalk; Classic Jazz from the Landing; and for his numerous award-winning music and storytelling recordings.

David was born in Gatesville, TX, but now lives in the western mountains of North Carolina with his family where he stays busy collecting, writing, and performing songs and stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Music has always been important to David, but he fell in love with the sound of the old-time banjo in 1968, and moved to WNC to learn directly from the old time mountaineers. For three years in a row, FRETS magazine named David "best old-time banjoist." He also plays the guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, jaw harp, bones, mouth bow, and washboard. He was a Grammy Award winner in 1997 and again in 2003 with Legacy, along with Doc Watson.

David first met Doc in 1972 in Lavonia, Georgia. He asked Doc how a blind person dreams. Doc's answer: "I dream in feelings, pure feelings" In 1984 Doc and Merle appeared as guests on Fire on the Mountain, a show David was hosting on TNN. David remembers: "What a pleasure it was to play with them. Tone, musicianship––it was all there, but what really floored me was how quickly we locked into a rhythm that just seemed to carry the music along effortlessly." The three worked together again in 1985 on Reel and Rock, one of Merle's last recording projects before his death. Four years later Doc and David again reunited for Grandfather's Greatest Hits, with Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Mark O‚Conner and Jerry Douglas.

In 1989 David's ten year old daughter, Sara Jane, died in an automobile accident. As soon as he heard, Doc went to comfort the family. Ever since then, they have had a special bond––a bond that only parents who have lost a child can understand.

Since 1998 David, Doc and Richard, Doc's grandson, have performed their The Hills of Home Tour on North Carolina Public Television as well as in concert halls across the country. During each concert, David talks with Doc about his past. The audiences were so intrigued by these glimpses into Doc's life that two cds of interviews and music were recorded and coupled with a live concert recording from Asheville, NC TO create the Grammy Award winning Legacy.

As David commented in the liner notes of Legacy: "When talking with Doc, you have to listen closely. Sometimes a harsh truth is gently folded into the words he speaks. Honest talk is important to him. His language, just like his music, is thoughtful, engaging, and filled with deeper meaning. This honesty, combined with his inspiring musicianship, is Doc's legacy to all of us."

Many wonderful people have contributed to the ongoing support of the museum. You can become a museum founder by making a minimum contribution of $250.00 or inquire about other levels of supporting this heritage preservation project by calling CCP&D at (828) 297-2200. For more information go to www.covecreek.net.