The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) The NCTA is the nation’s oldest multicultural arts presenting organization. For over eight decades, through festivals, tours, symposia, exhibits, and media productions, the NCTA has showcased the very best of the myriad grassroots folk, tribal and ethnic cultures that comprise our diverse nation.
Masters of blues, Appalachian flat-picking, Hawaiian slack key, dobro, jazz and rockabilly guitar styles were showcased in the first Masters of the Steel String Guitar tours, which helped open the doors of major performing arts venues to traditional artists in the early 1990s. Listen to tour recordings that capture live performances by John Cephas, Jerry Douglas, Wayne Henderson, Ledward Kaapana, Albert Lee, Tal Farlow, and others.
Select live audio recordings. For song credits, see below.
Song credits:
Audio engineer, 1990 tour – Pete Reiniger
Audio engineer, 1991 tour – Stephen Fisher
Wayne Henderson
Carter Family Medley
Wayne Henderson (finger-picked guitar) with John Stewart (guitar), Rob Thomas (bass)
4/12/1990
Wharton Center, Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
“Cornbread Story”
Wayne Henderson (spoken word)
3/12/1991
Vancouver East Cultural Center
Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Moonshine Story”
Wayne Henderson (spoken word)
3/9/1991
Washington Center for the Performing Arts
Olympia, WA
Tal Farlow
“Darkness on the Delta”
Tal Farlow (electric guitar) with John Cephas (vocal), John Stewart (guitar), Rob Thomas (bass), Steve Williams (drums)
3/31/1990
Smith-Baker Center
Lowell, MA
Ledward Kaapana
“Wai O Ke Ani Ani”
Ledward Kaapana (slack-key guitar, vocal)
4/12/1990
Wharton Center, Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
John Cephas
“Richmond Blues”
John Cephas (guitar, vocal)
4/12/1990
Wharton Center, Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Jerry Douglas
“Grant’s Corner”
Jerry Douglas (dobro) with Rob Thomas (fiddle)
3/11/1991
Mount Baker Theater
Bellingham, WA
Medley: “A New Day”/”Monroe’s Hornpipe”
Jerry Douglas (dobro)
3/11/1991
Mount Baker Theater
Bellingham, WA
Albert Lee
“Country Boy”
Albert Lee (electric guitar, vocal) with Jerry Douglas (dobro), John Stewart (guitar), Rob Thomas (bass), Steve Williams (drums)
4/12/1990
Wharton Center, Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
“That’s All Right”
Albert Lee (electric guitar, vocal) with John Stewart (guitar), Rob Thomas (bass) and Steve Williams (drums)
4/11/1990
University Auditorium, Kent State University
Kent, OH
