music

Lesley “Esley” Riddle is probably one of the most influential people in county music’s early days whom you have never heard of.

For people who grew up in Eastern North Carolina in the ‘80s, the band Sidewinder is synonymous with great music and good times. Known as “the East Coast’s premier rock and roll powerhouse,” Sidewinder played thousands of gigs and appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show “Star Search.”

Paul McCartney will kick off the U.S. leg of his “Freshen Up” tour in Raleigh, marking his first appearance in the Triangle since 2002.

Asheville is known for its beautiful landscape, rich history, amazing food, local breweries, and its local and innovative musicians. National Geographic listed the top 10 music cities in the U.S. in its May 2018 Traveler edition. Coming in at number nine, Asheville was described as “America’s greatest undiscovered musical city.”

Named after a native son and country superstar, the Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby is an intimate 400-seat venue housed in an art deco movie house. This western North Carolina gem books award-winning national touring acts, as well as up-and-coming artists out of Nashville, Austin and New York.

The Carolina Philharmonic was founded in 2009 and has quickly grown into one of the most popular orchestras in the state. Its performances in the Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst are known for their visceral, “concert-like” experiences.

The award-winning “Broadway Voices” concert series returns for its eighth season in the intimate 471-seat Garner Performing Arts Center. This is the only concert series in Central North Carolina that features Broadway veterans.

When Garner resident Tim Stevens dreamed of creating a local concert series featuring Broadway stars, he reached out to the Garner Chamber and Town of Garner for help. This fall, the Broadway Voices concert series begins its seventh season at Garner Performing Arts Center.

Cleveland County native Earl Scruggs was a bluegrass legend who popularized the three-finger style of banjo picking. Scruggs is a Grammy winner, Grand Ole Opry member, and inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame and International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.

Band Together NC is a nonprofit organization that uses live music as a platform for social change. Since its inception in 2001 following the tragedy of 9/11, the organization has grown to become the largest annual charitable music festival in the Southeast, donating nearly $5.5 million to local charities.