PHOTO RELEASE: ALAN JACKSON HEADLINES AND KICKS OFF FIRST DAY 27th Annual MerleFest

PHOTO RELEASE:

ALAN JACKSON HEADLINES AND KICKS OFF FIRST DAY 

27th Annual MerleFest

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  (April 29, 2014)  Last night country superstar Alan Jackson headlined the first day of the 27th annual MerleFest, drawing one of the largest crowds ever for an opening day.   He performed selections from his recent project, The Bluegrass Album, which remains in the top of the charts after spending more than four months at #1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Album Sales Chart since its release in September 2013  - this week it’s ranked #2. MerleFest is one of an elite line-up of shows where Jackson has highlighted music from The Bluegrass Album with some of the best players and singers in the genre: his MerleFest backing lineup included Scott Coney (acoustic guitar), Sammy Shelor (banjo), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes (dobro) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (vocals) – all of whom played on The Bluegrass Album – along with Sierra Hull (mandolin).

MerleFest is a four day festival that hosts over 130 bands on seven stages across the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC.  The festival is known for its unique mix of musical styles, from bluegrass to Americana, Celtic, zydeco, country and many other styles.  MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of the late Eddy Merle Watson, son of the late American music legend Doc Watson.