Cannonsburgh Village will host the 41st annual Uncle Dave Macon Days festival, bringing bluegrass concerts and competitions in old-time music and dance to Murfreesboro on Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14.

Uncle Dave Macon Days—honoring traditional American “roots” music and the career of the first superstar of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Famer Uncle Dave Macon—consistently ranks as one of the best music festivals in the Southeast.

Uncle Dave Macon Days spreads the love of authentic roots music in a unique way on two stages as well as elsewhere throughout the Cannonsburgh grounds. The Macon Manor stage will feature Rhonda Vincent, Flatt Lonesome, Ralph Stanley II, Hogslop String Band, The Isaacs, Newtown, Glade City Rounders and The Cleverlys as part of its “Concerts After Dark” offerings. On the Dixie Dewdrop stage, the Dewdrop Jamboree will feature the best in classic country music both Friday and Saturday evenings.

Saturday evening, at 5 p.m., Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will celebrate a historic appearance and record release celebration for Bluegrass Legends Live at the Ryman. On stage with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will be Mac Wiseman, Jesse McReynolds and Bobby and Sonny Osborne. All have performed previously at Uncle Dave Macon Days as Heritage Award winners.

Also during the 2018 Uncle Dave Macon Days festival, the first ever book-length biography of music legend Uncle Dave Macon will debut.

Dixie Dewdrop: The Uncle Dave Macon Story is the first complete biography of the prominent Rutherford County resident who was one of the original founders of the Grand Ole Opry. The book, authored by Murfreesboro resident Michael D. Doubler, also the great-grandson of Uncle Dave, chronicles David Harrison Macon’s complete life from his birth in 1870 to his passing in 1952. More than a factual account, the book explores the triumphs and tragedies in Uncle Dave’s life while focusing on a nearly 30-year career as one of the most popular musical performers in America.

“It wasn’t all fun and hype,” Doubler writes. “In so many ways, Dave Macon’s life is a very human story, reflecting the basic needs of most people; the craving for love and attention, the motivation to develop special talents, resilience in the face of adversity, struggles against tragedy and loss, and a desire to draw closer to God.”

Dixie Dewdrop has received several accolades, even before its national release. John W. Rumble, the senior historian at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, identifies the book as “an important biography” and “essential reading for anyone interested in American entertainment.” The American Musicological Society has identified it as one of the most significant books to be published in the music field in 2018. Grants to support its publication were issued by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Judith McCulloh Endowment for American Music.

Dixie Dewdrop is published by the University of Illinois Press as part of its “Music in America” series; purchase a copy in paperback or e-publication format at press.uillinois.edu.

The book will also be available for sale at the Macon-Doubler Fellowship booth on the festival grounds, with the author available for a book signing from 4–7 p.m. on both Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14.

Other family-friendly events taking place throughout the Uncle Dave Macon Days festival include heritage activities for children, mouth-watering local concessions, a juried arts and crafts show in Matilda Macon’s Artisan Village, Dave Macon’s Marketplace and a historic photo exhibit.

Festival organizers will present the 2018 Trail Blazer Award to Rhonda Vincent on Friday night, followed by the 2018 Heritage Award presentation to Lily Isaacs, vocalist and matriarch of The Isaacs, on Saturday night.

Cannonsburgh Village is located at 312 S. Front Street in Murfreesboro. For tickets and more information on Uncle Dave Macon Days, visit uncledavemacondays.org.

2018 Uncle Dave Macon Days schedule
Friday, July 13

1 p.m. – Gates open

The Macon Manor Stage
2 p.m. – Harmonica competition
2:45 p.m. – Blues singing competition
5 p.m. – Ralph Stanley II
6:35 p.m. – Flatt Lonesome
7:50 p.m. – Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
9:30 p.m. – Hogslop String Band late-night square dance

The Dixie Dewdrop Stage
2 p.m. – Old-time singing competition
3:15 p.m. – Blues singing competition
4:45 p.m. – Uncle Dave Macon free-wheeling competition
6:15 p.m. – Dewdrop Jamboree

Village Gazebo
5 p.m. – Midstate Cloggers (demonstration)

Saturday, July 14
9 a.m. – Gates open
10 a.m. – Parade

The Macon Manor Stage
10 a.m. – Guitar, contest fiddle, bluegrass banjo (preliminary), old-time banjo (preliminary) and old-time fiddle competitions
12:30 p.m. – Bluegrass banjo (final) competition
1:15 p.m. – Old-time banjo (final) competition
2 p.m. – Old-time band competition
2:45 p.m. – Bluegrass band competition
4 p.m. – Glade City Rounders
5 p.m. – Bluegrass Legends album release party
5:45 p.m. – New Town
7 p.m. – Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
8:30 p.m. – The Isaacs
10 p.m. – The Cleverlys

The Dixie Dewdrop Stage
10 a.m. – Authentic old-time dance (adult, senior) competition
11:30 a.m. – Old-time band competition (preliminary)
12:45 p.m. – Bluegrass band competition (preliminary)
2 p.m. – Jug band competition
6:15 p.m. – Dewdrop Jamboree

Village Gazebo
4 p.m. – “Making of a Stringband” with the Hogslop Stringband and old-time buckdancing with Thomas Maupin
5 p.m. – Midstate Cloggers (demonstration)