The annual MerleFest music festival kicks off in Wilkes County Thursday with a lineup that includes some who are used to the limelight, and many who aren’t.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Bonnie Raitt is Friday night’s headliner. And in the audience will be a blues singer who considers her a role model.
Melissa McKinney has always wanted to be on stage at MerleFest, and this year she’s getting her chance. Her five-piece band, Mama & The Ruckus, will be one of eight actscompeting in the festival’s annual band contest.
“We are based out of Asheville, so we’re extra excited to be a part of it this year," she says. "Because any chance that we have to showcase Asheville in a positive light after what we’ve been through just feels really special, and it’s just a real honor.”
Although she’s never played MerleFest before, her daughter, a bassist in the band, has. As a child, she played on the Little Pickers stage.
Other notable bands performing this year include Grammy-winning trio I’m With Her and North Carolina-based The Avett Brothers.