Bluegrass First Class in Asheville, NC is in full swing for its 31st year, and with it, Milton Harkey is returning Bluegrass Showdown, the international talent contest he spearheaded in the ’90s. Notable winners included New Vintage in 1993, Tina Adair in 1996, and the Ohop Valley Boys in 1999 (now Southern Blend). This year the band competition was held on Thursday night on the Showcase stage of the Crowne Plaza Resort.
Five bands vied for the top prize: Pickety Split from Charlotte; Free Rein Bluegrass Band from Maynardville, TN; North State Grass from Charlotte; the Emorys from Asheville, and Creekwater Collective from Pickens, SC. First place went to The Emorys, a Barnardsville family band.
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