About
Members: Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham
Bio: The Whitetop Mountaineers is made up of the young duo, Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham. They both live in Whitetop, VA, at the highest mountains in Virginia. Their shows feature tight harmony singing on country duets, traditional bluegrass numbers, old timey ballads and mountain gospel. Th... See Full Bio
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Mar 26, 2009
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Songs
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2012
May 5
Sat May 05, 2012 8:00pm
Details
The Whitetop Mountaineers are a young, high-energy duo - Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham - who are rising stars in the world of traditional Appalachian music. They both live in Whitetop, VA, on one of the highest mountains in Virginia. Their shows feature old-time country duet singing, up-tempo old-time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass mandolin, and guitar instrumentals, as well as high-energy Appalachian dancing. Karl Hepler is an up-and-coming traditionally-influenced singer-songwriter. He is #1 on the ReverbNation folk charts for Richmond, VA, and recently released his first CD. Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 at the door. Children 12 and under admitted free of charge; teens 13-18 admitted at half price. Reserve advance tickets by sending e-mail to tickets@shadygrovecoffeehouse.com or by calling (804) 323-4288. The Shady Grove Coffeehouse accepts cash (preferred) and checks (made payable to "UUCC") for concert admissions. We are not able to accept credit cards.
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2011
Jan 28
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2009
Oct 10
Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:00pm
Details
The Whitetop Mountaineers is made up of the young duo, Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham. They both live in Whitetop, VA, at the highest mountains in Virginia. Their shows feature tight harmony singing on country duets, traditional bluegrass numbers, old timey ballads and mountain gospel. They also include up tempo old time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, and bluesy mandolin instrumentals. Martha also does Appalachian dancing during shows. Martha grew up in a musical family; her uncle Albert Hash was legendary fiddler and instrument maker that gained widespread attention for his music and craft. He had a great impact on old time music and taught countless musicians and luthiers. Her parents, Thornton Spencer and Emily Spencer, are the leaders of the Whitetop Mountain Band and are well known and respected musicians and teachers of old time music. Her great-grandfather, Bud Spencer, won many big dance competitions such as the Whitetop Folk Festival in the 1930s. Martha began dancing and playing at very young age. Now 22 years old, Martha plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, dulcimer and sings. She has won competitions on banjo, fiddle, and vocals. She has also been widely recognized for her Appalachian dancing. She has took part in Master Workshops on Dance at the National Folk Festival (US) and been featured as a dancer at several other festivals and workshops. Jackson originally from Oregon, also grew up in a musical family. His father played several instruments like guitar and harmonica and sang country and traditional music. Jackson's grandmother was also a very accomplished musician, singer, and music teacher. His mother and siblings also play and sing as well. Jackson began playing at the age of nine on guitar. He went on to later pick up mandolin, harmonica, and clawhammer banjo as well. Jackson has played in several bluegrass and old time bands from the West to the East Coast. He has done a lot of singing in trio and duet groups as well and has recordings on the VFH label. Jackson has won competitions in mandolin and duet singing as well. As the Whitetop Mountaineers, Jackson and Martha have played concerts, festivals, workshops, and dances throughoutt the United States and abroad such as: GrahamFest USA, Cornish Bluegrass Festival in England, Illwarra Folk Festival in NSW, Australia, Tamworth Country Music Festival in NSW, Australia, Open House Festival in Belfast, Ireland, San Francisco Bluegrass and Old Time Festival, Harrisonburg Crooked Road Concert, and Grayson Highlands State Park concert series. Along with performing as a duet act, they also are members of the Whitetop Mountain Band, which is made up mostly of the Spencer family and is one of the most popular old time bands in Southwest Virginia. The band has won many competitions throughout the years in Fiddler’s Conventions throughout the Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, etc. They have won many awards in band, vocals, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, duet singing, and dance competitions such as Fiddlers Grove, Galax Fiddlers Convention, Sugar Grove Fiddlers Convention, just to name a few. The band has been featured on many recordings throughout the years and are currently Arhoolie and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities label recording artists. The band plays many regular venues throughout Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee such as the Carter Family Fold, and many dances in the region. The band has also toured throughout the United States playing festivals, concerts, and dances. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival in DC, National Folk Festival in Richmond, VA Arts Festival, Ollabelle Reed Festival, Floydfest, Dartmouth College Concert Series, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festivals, Bristol Motor Speedway, World Fair, World Music Institute in NYC, MerleFest are a few places the band has performed. Recently, the band was invited to play on The Crooked Road Music Tour of the West Coast which toured throughout California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana.
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2009
Sep 5
Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:00am
Details
Full day of music, dance, instrument making, crafts, and more
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2009
Sep 4
make 2013 a break out year!
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Stats
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Song Plays
471
+4
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Total Fans
64
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ReverbNation Fans
64
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Widget Impressions
51,790
+41
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