Kentucky Historical Society
Reel World String Band and Carla Gover to Perform at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 12, 2011) — A special performance titled “Women in Old-Time Music,” featuring Carla Gover and the Reel World String Band, will be presented Thursday, Oct. 20, in the Keeneland Changing Exhibits Gallery at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in downtown Frankfort.

This is the second in a series of three concerts performed in support of the Kentucky Folklife Program’s new exhibition “The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships.” Through stories and artifacts, visitors to the exhibition will discover some of the many traditions carried on in Kentucky, including storytelling, Chinese dancing, square dance calling, basket making and thumbpicking guitar style. “The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships” explores the relationship between masters and apprentices, drawing from the 60 apprenticeships documented by the Kentucky Folklife Program between 1993 and 2011.

Born and raised in eastern Kentucky, award-winning singer-songwriter Carla Gover knows what it means to be an authentic old-time musician. After touring as part of the duo Zoe Speaks, Gover released a solo CD, “Gypsy Ways,” in 2010 and is currently working on another.

After 34 years in the business, the Reel World String Band has become a mainstay of American folk groups. Band members are Sue Massek, banjo; Bev Futrell, guitar and harmonica; Karen Jones, fiddle; Elise Melrood, keyboard; and Sharon Ruble, bass. Their style combines not only traditional and old-time music, but also country, swing, blues and jazz.

The third and final concert, “East Meets West: Fiddling and Thumbpicking Guitar in Kentucky,” featuring Eddie Pennington, Steve Rector, Roger Cooper, John Harrod and Alonzo Pennington, will be Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.

The exhibition and all related concerts and programs are free with admission to the Kentucky Historical Society during its regular hours of operation, through Saturday, Dec. 10.

The exhibition is the product of the Kentucky Folklife Program, an interagency program of the Kentucky Arts Council and Kentucky Historical Society.  “The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships” is funded, in part, through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For information about “The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships” visit www.history.ky.gov.  To schedule the exhibition for public display in your community, contact Mark Brown, folklife specialist, at mark.brown@ky.gov or 502-564-1792, ext. 4491.

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The Kentucky Folklife Program identifies, documents, conserves and presents the Commonwealth's diverse cultural traditions through concerts, exhibits, narrative stages, archives, grant programs and classroom and community partnerships. It is an interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council, supported with state tax dollars and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.