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Grammy-winning banjo player ignites 'Fires Burning'

Dom Flemons performs on Jan. 25 at Thomas Auditorium at BRCC.

The Center for Cultural Preservation, a cultural history and documentary film center, opens its 2018 season with a performance on Jan. 25 by legendary banjo player Dom Flemons, co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Grammy-award winning musician.


Flemons opens the 2018 lineup of in the “Keeping the Fires Burning” series that celebrates the heroes of Southern Appalachian culture.
Flemons was one of the leading musicians in the country to awaken Americans to the rich African-American roots tradition which is the basis of old-time and bluegrass traditions.
“I think old-time music is always appealing in the way that it’s deceptively simpler than other types of music,” Flemons says. “So it’s really accessible and easy. And the stories are mostly about the human condition.”
But what inspired Flemons to focus his life on traditional music was when he discovered its history.
“When we think of American music, of course, there is this European influence, but what makes it American is the extra flavors that went in with all this stuff,” he says. “Alongside the great tunes from Ireland and Scotland were the African-American and Native American traditions. And when the two things combine, it’s a perfect combination. And I mean—and that’s what makes American music American is all that stuff coming together.”
Flemons will perform his unique blend of traditional music and telling the stories of how the music have connected the southern people to its history for generations and during “An Evening with Dom Flemons” at Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College. Tickets are $15 and advanced reservations are strongly recommended by registering online at www.saveculture.org or calling the Center at (828) 692-8062.
Upcoming Keeping the Fires Burning programs include Appalachian Storytelling at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at Thomas Auditorium featuring award-winning musicians, storytelling and good eats. Register at saveculture.org. The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education and public programs. For more information about the Center contact them at (828) 692-8062 or www.saveculture.org.