| Bluegrass has been a popular musical genre for years. | | | | the heart of the music these days. The sound |
| There are bluegrass festivals held each year | | | | emanating from these Blue Ridge hills and hollows is as |
| throughout the U.S. and in many other countries, as | | | | authentic as it gets. |
| well. If you love the sound of those blazing mandolins | | | | 4. Two words: The Merry-Go-Round. Or is that four |
| and banjos, you can almost certainly hear it | | | | words? Whatever, this is the name of a long-running |
| somewhere close by, whether on a stage or over the | | | | show that is sponsored by the station and held every |
| radio. | | | | Saturday in a downtown theater. Local bluegrass |
| Thanks to the phenomenon of radio stations that | | | | bands play to a live audience just as they've been |
| stream over the Internet, you can even listen to what I | | | | doing almost since the station was founded in the late |
| consider to be the best bluegrass station, no matter | | | | 1940s. |
| where you live: WPAQ in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Here | | | | 5. WPAQ's entire staff is committed to preserving the |
| are 5 reasons I think it is tops in this field: | | | | vision of its founder, Ralph Epperson. That vision was |
| 1. WPAQ regularly airs recordings by local and regional | | | | to preserve and promote authentic Old Time music. |
| artists as well as the bigger and more well known | | | | The station has never wavered, and one can't imagine |
| bluegrass groups. This keeps the sound fresh and | | | | that it ever will. |
| interesting, while giving a boost to new performers. | | | | You might be interested to know that Mt. Airy was the |
| 2. This is a genuine, old-fashioned country station, the | | | | boyhood home of Andy Griffith and the model for the |
| best kind of aural environment for enjoying this kind of | | | | town of Mayberry in the 1960s' TV comedy featuring |
| music. The announcers here still read out the obituaries, | | | | Griffith as the local sheriff. You can easily imagine |
| and even the local commercials are downright folksy. | | | | sheriff Andy Taylor and deputy Barney Fife listening to |
| 3. Bluegrass might be associated with Kentucky, but | | | | a station like WPAQ 'round their office, can't you? |
| this part of North Carolina could rightly claim to be at | | | | |