It’s Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival again in Pigeon Forge as Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road gather with a couple of dozen hot bluegrass bands and performers for this year’s amazing music festival, Wednesday though Saturday, December 6-9, 2017.
This is a really good 4-day festival, held at Smoky Mountain Convention Center on Parkway, with top-notch talent. Lorraine Jordan is a legend in the genre – she and her band’s musicians are all highly awarded. She is noted for her fusion of country music and bluegrass in her Country Grass offerings and collaborations with country performers – as you can find out for yourself on Saturday night when she and the band play with country star Eddie Raven.
Images courtesy of Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road
Somehow we thought that Christmas time meant jingle bells and carols, but Bluegrass is never far away in this part of the world, and Pigeon Forge all lit up with Christmas lights is a special draw for the many performers and their fans flocking into town for this gig.
The Bluegrass Christmas festival will put a spring in your step in winter, and it starts at 4 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec 6-7, and 11 am until Late, Friday and Saturday, Dec 8-9. Click here for the full lineup and schedule. Tickets are available at the door, and are not sold out as far as we know – call if uncertain, 919-779-567 or 865-453-1823.
Each day is packed with entertainment and Friday and Saturday are diamond-studded with bands playing back to back from “lunchtime to bedtime”. Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, as hosts of the festival, will be on stage Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon, and then again Saturday night as Country Grass playing with Eddie Raven.
More details at the Christmas in the Smokies! Bluegrass Festival 2017 website.
Merging country music with bluegrass is not as easy as it sounds, but for a taste of how well it works done right, check out country star John Anderson’s rendition of his famous Seminole Wind playing with Country Grass 3 years ago:
And now it’s the turn of long-time country singer Eddie Raven, promoting his new album, All Grassed Up, where he showcases how well the fusion works. As critics have said, country brings a depth of story to the music, while bluegrass lets the story soar. Eddie and Lorraine and Carolina Road played in October at the Grand Old Opry, and here’s a taste of these performers playing together on I Got Mexico:
You can hear it all for yourself – and a couple dozen others as well – at the 2017 Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival in Pigeon Forge. We’ll see you at the show!
