The Mountain Opry has hosted weekly bluegrass events every Friday at the Walden’s Ridge Civic League’s building on Fairmount Pike for 30 years. Contributed Photo
Still strumming strong after 30 years, the Mountain Opry on Signal Mountain continues to be a hot spot for music fanatics looking for fun and fellowship on Friday nights.
According to board member Steve Daugherty, the Mountain Opry is beginning to welcome traffic on other evenings, as well, thanks to the efforts of he and his staff and students from Mountain Music Folk School.
Daugherty said that he recently hosted a Saturday evening concert featuring fiddler James Bryan in an effort to raise funds for the Cumberland Association. He added he sees more non-Opry workshops and concerts on the horizon.
“We are going to do a lot more of (things like that),” said Daugherty, who said the group hopes to make the most of the old Fairmount school building, with which the Opry has a 50-year lease.
Daugherty said that the traditional Friday night jam sessions are still the Mountain Opry centerpiece, however. He said the laid-back atmosphere of the Friday night sessions, which include a stage performance and a handful of casual jam sessions from 8 to 11 p.m., attract people of all ages from all over the city and the world, for that matter.
Daugherty said he has seen Russian and Japanese folk bands stop by the Opry to play with and observe Appalachian music in its natural setting. He said the visitors add to the international flair of the weekly gathering that features music influenced by a number of cultures.
The Mountain Opry is located at 2501 Fairmount Pike. Bluegrass shows and jam sessions are every Friday evening from 8 to 11 p.m. Admission is free and donations are welcomed. For more information on other workshops and events to be held at the Mountain Opry building during the summer, call Mountain Music Folk School owner Steve Daugherty at 875-5250 or visit here.
“(Local music) was such a mixing pot of cultures. You have music that comes from English ballads, Scotch and Irish fiddle tunes, French fiddling and black traditional blues and gospel music,” said Daugherty, who said those sounds are still represented at the Opry today.
“It’s a destination because it speaks so much of the history of this area,” said Daugherty. “If you ever wanted a dose of real local culture, you’ll get it.”
Daugherty encourages everyone to attend the Opry and bring their stringed instrument of choice, as audience members have been known to take the main stage. Admission is free and donations may be made in the hat that is passed around weekly.
The Mountain Opry was started in 1979 by Signal Mountain resident Ken Holloway and the late Ray Fox. The current board consists of members Daugherty, Jimmy Givens, Jerry Harris, Holloway and Art Tollett.
