Compton & Newberry

Mike Compton & Joe Newberry on a Wednesday Night!

Location: R.A. Fountain

from our promo for this concert

Mike Compton and Joe Newberry perform a concert of old-time, early country, gospel and blues music at Fountain General Store this coming Wednesday, May 8.

Individually and as a duet, Compton and Newberry are two of the best and best-known traditional instrumentalists in the United States. They were popular and repeat guests on “Prairie Home Companion” and perform together only a handful of times a year. Their Fountain show is part of a 4-date tour in North Carolina and Virginia.

Their live shows have been critically acclaimed throughout the U.S. One critic writes, “They pull of what’s almost impossible these days: honest, genuine music that will get your soul dancing.”

Another adds that their performances are “reminders of just how much great music can be made by two musicians.”

Compton and Newberry released a live CD in 2012 and individually have made ten other recordings as soloists and in partnerships with April Vertch, David Long, David Grier, Rhiannon Giddens, Bill Hicks, Jim Watson, and others. 

Grammy-winner Mike Compton has what Mandolin Magazine calls “a worldwide reputation as one of the modern masters of bluegrass mandolin, and one of the most recognizable and respected manodolin voices anywhere.”

Originally from Meridian, Mississippi, he moved to Nashville in 1977, where he bacame a founding member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. He toured ffrom 1994-2004 with John Hartford, with whom he made six CDs.

Compton’s latest Nashville music project is the Helen Highwater Stringband, which also includes Shad Cobb, David Grier, and Missy Raines. They perform regularly at the Station Inn.

Newberry, from Missouri, has often said he got to North Carolina as soon as he heard of it, primarily for its thriving acoustic music scene. A long-time Raleigh resident, he’s an award-winning songwriter and an exceptional banjo player, guitarist and vocalist. 

Tags: acoustic Americana, bluegrass, folk, gospel, guitar, old-time, original, tradtional bluegrass