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Next Five Performers Revealed for 81st National Folk Festival

MEDIA RELEASE
DATE: April 5, 2022
CONTACT: Caroline O’Hare, National Folk Festival Local Manager / nff@ncta-usa.org

Next Five Performers Revealed for 81st National Folk Festival

SALISBURY, MD (April 5, 2022) – The National Folk Festival has announced the next five artists who will perform live and for free in Downtown Salisbury, August 26-28, 2022. The 81st National Folk Festival in 2022 moves to a new weekend in August and will mark the final year of the event’s residency. In 2023, the festival will transition to the Maryland Folk Festival in Salisbury.

“The festival offers our community, and all those who attend, a very special and unique opportunity to experience up close the richness and diversity of American culture in one location. We are honored to have these master performers take the stage and showcase their music, dance, and traditions,” said Caroline O’Hare, National Folk Festival Local Manager. “Salisbury, Maryland, is the place to be this August.”

Approximately 350 artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 25 different musical groups performing on four outdoor stages throughout Downtown Salisbury.

The National Folk Festival strives to present the nation’s very finest traditional artists. Music and dance traditions from every part of the country are represented. The five artists announced today include:

Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy (Houston, Texas) – blues
Emerging from the Houston blues scene like a force of nature, this Texas powerhouse has a commanding stage presence and a voice to match.

Hālau ‘O Lilinoe (Carson, California) – traditional Hawai’ian hula
With graceful and mesmerizing performances, this halau (school) celebrates hula and nourishes the roots of their culture, preserving it for generations to come.

Los Texmaniacs feat. La Marisoul (San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles, California) – conjunto tejano
One of the most dynamic bands in conjunto tejano joins forces with a soulful, East L.A. singer, breathing fresh energy into timeless songs and sharing the rich legacy of Mexican American music—with a twist.

The Campbell Brothers (Rochester, New York) – sacred steel guitar
From electrifying, raise-the-roof solos, to meditative sounds of beauty and reflection, this family-based band is among the finest ambassadors of the sacred steel tradition.

Thomas Maupin & Friends with Daniel Rothwell & Overall Creek (Smyrna and Murfreesboro, Tennessee) – Appalachian buck dance and old-time music
This 83-year-old Tennessee buck dancer is the most renowned of his generation, with a distinctive style that dancers and musicians alike emulate—including the apprentices and family members joining him on stage.

Over a dozen people of different backgrounds, and with a deep knowledge of music and art forms, came together from across Delmarva to serve as the local Musical Programming Advisory Committee. This committee’s role is to consider—and help the NCTA select—the artists who will perform at the National Folk Festival each year. To learn more about these artists and their stories, please visit https://nationalfolkfestival.com/performers/.

The National Folk Festival will feature individual artists on Facebook (facebook.com/NFFMaryland), Twitter (twitter.com/NFFMaryland), and Instagram (Instagram.com/nffmaryland) throughout the next month.

More performers will be announced as they are confirmed.

Performer photos, bios, and audio clips may be downloaded here:
https://bit.ly/81nff-artists-030122

Photo credits should be listed and can be found in image file names.

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About the National Folk Festival
Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival, the NCTA’s flagship event, has celebrated the roots, richness and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. Today, the National is an exuberant traveling festival, produced by the NCTA in partnership with communities around the country, that embraces the diverse cultural expressions that define us as a people in the 21st century. http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/

About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA)
A leading non-profit in the field, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the U.S. Stressing excellence and authenticity, the NCTA presents the nation’s finest traditional artists in major festivals, tours, concerts, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, media productions, school programs, cross-cultural exchanges, and other activities. It works in partnership with American communities to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. Over 7,000 hours of the NCTA’s archival audio recordings dating from the 1930s are permanently housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The NCTA champions the interests of folk and traditional artists and organizations in the arena of public policy. https://ncta-usa.org/

About the City of Salisbury, Maryland
Founded in 1732, Salisbury is the county seat of Wicomico County, a place where John Smith touched land in 1608 during his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. Situated on Maryland’s historic Eastern Shore at the crossroads of the Delmarva Peninsula, Salisbury is now one of the region’s largest cities, and serves as the capital of the Eastern Shore, a rural area defined by its agricultural and maritime traditions, landscapes, and industries. The Chesapeake Bay is central to this distinctive identity. Though a relatively small city, Salisbury is the geographic and economic hub of one of the nation’s fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Led by a dynamic mayor, the City of Salisbury is working to build its reputation as an arts and culture destination and is aligning its downtown development and revitalization efforts with the arts. Salisbury believes hosting the National Folk Festival is the perfect catalyst to further a cultural renaissance and urban renewal. https://salisbury.md/

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