Phil Wiggins & The Chesapeake Sheiks at the Blue Ridge Music Center

The formation of Phil Wiggins & The Chesapeake Sheiks was inspired by the music of great American songsters, Nat Reese, Howard Armstrong, The Mississippi Sheiks, and The Big Three Trio. The Chesapeake Sheiks play blues from the Piedmont and Delta as well as the music of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Louis Jordan, Slim and Slam, and others. A native of Washington, D.C., Wiggins is widely recognized as one of the great acoustic harp players and a champion of the Piedmont blues style of music. After the death of guitarist John Cephas in 2009, with whom he frequently performed, Wiggins has expanded his repertoire with the Sheiks. The Chesapeake Sheiks are Steve Wolf on acoustic bass, Ian Walters on piano, Matt Kelly on acoustic guitar, Marcus Moore on violin, plus special guest Baakari Wilder, tap dancer extraordinaire.

Raised in the coalfields of western Virginia, Jim Lloyd now makes his home in Rural Retreat, where he operates Lloyd’s Barber Shop, a gathering place for collecting and trading tunes, stories, and songs. Lloyd is known for his skills on guitar and banjo. His musical roots extend back through at least four generations of fiddlers, guitar players, dancers, and singers from the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Tickets are $15. (Click here to download the full season schedule.)

Tickets

Since 2013, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has supported concert programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center in keeping with the nonprofit’s mission to ensure cultural and historical preservation, along with natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations.