Flat Possum Hoppers Charlotte Folk Society
The Flat Possum Hoppers got together four years ago, drawn by their love of old-time and bluegrass music. With this event, they celebrate and explore Charlotte’s recording history in a one-hour concert
In 1937, Nashville was not yet the center of country music. Major record labels sent field teams crisscrossing the South, visiting cities where country, gospel, and blues performers were regional radio stars. Charlotte became one of the busiest hubs, thanks to WBT radio, which broadcast throughout the bustling textile mill belt of the Carolinas. Recording visits began in the late 1920s and continued into the 1940s, but 1936 and 1937 were the banner years with more records cut in the Queen City than anywhere else in Dixie. Stars of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry came to Charlotte to record: Uncle Dave Macon, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, J.E. & Wade Mainer, The Blue Sky Boys, The Carter Family, and others. Bill Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass," began his recording career in Charlotte in 1936, and shortly after leaving for Nashville, he formed the Bluegrass Boys.
Flat Possum Hoppers include Tom Hanchett (fiddle), Tom Estes (banjo), Mark Helms (mandolin), John Cone (guitar) & Ruth Kee Wherry (bass). Charlotte Folk Society Gatherings are family-friendly & free; donations appreciated. Doors open 7 PM. Refreshments, song circle, and jams follow the concert. Free parking & accessible entry. Charlotte Folk Society Gathering Concert series is supported in part by the Arts & Science Council.
Great Aunt Stella Center
926 Elizabeth Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28204
