MerleFest – named for Doc Watson's son Merle – had rather humble beginnings in 1988, when traditional musicians gathered on a flatbed trailer as a fundraiser for the Wilkes Community College, where the fest has been held ever since.
The fest is best described by Doc himself, “When Merle and I started out we called our music ‘traditional plus,’ meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play. Since the beginning, the people of the college and I have agreed that the music of MerleFest is ‘traditional plus.’”
Over the years, MerleFest has grown and each year brings something new and exciting to the 80,000 roots music fans, most of whom consider it as kicking off their festival season. As usual, the column had long time MerleFest veterans Jim Gavenus, Misty Case, Willa Stein, and Ryan Case there to capture some stellar photos.
This year’s festival (April 23-26, 2026) was the 38th and featured fan favs Molly Tuttle, Old Crow Medicine Show (with original member Willie Watson sitting in), Sam Bush, The Infamous Stringdusters, Peter Rowan, Jim Lauderdale, Scythian, and Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band making return visits. But none was so eagerly awaited as the Alison Krauss & Union Station set, featuring Jerry Douglas, who closed down the fest Sunday evening. It had been 15 years since they last appeared and the crowd excitement was palpable.
