A Visit to Galax -- Where Old Time Mountain Music Comes to Life

My recent travels took me down to Galax, Virginia to feature the area for our ongoing series.   I have never been there before, but heard a lot about it from a friend of mine who is from this area.  She often talked about small town living and the limited shopping that's available.  But see, she's really a city girl at heart, and you can't blame the gal for wanting to go somewhere that has an Ann Taylor's LOFT and a Gap close by. And this is not the place to go if you want the latest in women's fashions.   However, she neglected to describe how steeped this place is in its music history - and it's a must-visit if you're into old time mountain music.

Galax is now known as the World's Capital of Old Time Mountain Music. It used to be an area known for its furniture and textile industry, however,  after much of that industry went overseas, it had to reinvent itself.  And it has.  It has now become a music mecca along the Crooked Road and visitors come here from all over to hear it for themselves.  And if you do visit, you can't miss the music.  It's everywhere. And the people are proud of it.  No matter where you go or who you talk to in this town, they will tell you about their musical heritage, they'll play it for you and they'll ask you to play right alongside them -- if you can. 

I started my day in the quaint downtown area, an area that consists of about 2 blocks.  Yup, like I said, this is a SMALL town.  And be prepared too because the people are extraordinarily friendly.  Everyone knows everyone.  And they'll ask you where you're from, what brings you to the area, etc. etc.  Downtown you'll find cute little shops and specialty stores where you can do a little shopping.  But no matter your plans, you'll find yourself listening to someone playing old time mountain music.  It really is the fabric of life here.  The music has been passed down from generation to generation and it's a part of who they are. 

I started my day at the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts, where they're working to preserve those stories and traditions.  The building where the school is housed, once stood as the town bank.  Today, it is a place where the cultural heritage of the region is preserved.  Here, you can stop in and take music lessons, learn how to spinn or quilt, or listen in on a showcase about old time singing styles. The picture above is a workshop on singing styles.  The Church Sisters were one of the perfomers.
Inside the building, you'll also find a little gift shop that used to be the bank vault.

 Inside that vault is the bank safe, that hasn't been touched for years.  In fact, it's said that there were only two people with the code to that safe. One person had the first four numbers, the other person had the second four - and no one had all 8.   And as the story goes, the safe hasn't been opened in years.  (It actually has, but the people here like to tell people that it hasn't and have them guess what's inside- makes things much more interesting). Inside the vault you'll find one of a kind handmade items people made here at the school.  It really has some cute stuff. 

Also downtown, you'll find the historic Rex Theatre, a 475 seat theatre where you can catch a vintage movie, concert, community play or sit in on a live radio broadcast that plays old-time and bluegrass music. You can tune in and hear that broadcast in five states or on the web. 

One of the shops you'll come to in downtown is Barr's Fiddle Shop.  Even if you're not looking for a new fiddle, this is a definite stop.  That's because of the history of this little shop. You see, the owner, Tom Barr,  bought the building in the 70's.  He later found out that the building used to be a barber shop. He also later found out that two of the men who cut hair in that building, actually travelled to New York to make one of the first recordings of old-time mountain music.  The group didn't have a name at the time of the recording so when asked by the disc jockey what their name was, they responded, "we’re nothing but a bunch of hillbillies from North Carolina and Virginia. Call us anything.” The band would become,  The Hillbillies." Pretty interesting history here   You'll see the records they made now proudly displayed on the wall of the building, along with fun photos and memorabilia from that era. Here is an old photo of The Hillbillies.

We listened to one of those recordings on an old phonograph inside the shop.

This shop now sells and fixes fiddles, but also serves as a museum and a gathering place for musicians to pick music.  And if you stop by, you'll definitely hear that old-time music playing inside.

Besides the music and the arts, the town is also known for their barbecue.  When you visit, be sure to get a bite to eat at the Galax Smokehouse.  This place is consistently voted the best of the best barbecue restaurants in America. Everything here is smoked, from the pork and chicken down to the burgers and mashed potatoes.  Come hungry.  You'll definitely get your fill here.  I got a sampler, with pulled pork, sliced brisket, ribs, smoked mashed potatoes, baked beans, cole slaw and brunswick stew.  It's all served with several different sauces that you add yourself. If you plan your visit right, you can come during the Smoke on the Mountain Barbecue Championship.  The Food Network has been here to do a show featuring area pit masters competing in this one. 

 

And if this barbecue won't bring you here, the Old Fiddler's Convention definitely will. This year they celebrated their 79th Convention in this town, and it brings thousands of visitors here from all over.  On my visit I met this couple below, Andrea Calwell and David Peters who came here from Australia.  They said it was a must-see.   The told me, "Everybody's been so welcoming.. the music is amazing... the picking at night is fantastic. It's great coming from the other side of the world, and finding the same kind of music that we like to play, and finding people who can play it really really well and to be included in their sessions. It's amazing. " Here they are playing a bit for us.

A fun visit where the music and history are being kept alive for generations to come.