www.meandmartha.com
Playing Since: 1957
Experience Level: Purty Good

Interests:
[Teaching] [Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]

Occupation: musician

Gender: Male
Age: 75

My Instruments:
Guitar, banjo, bass fiddle, Dobro, mandolin, mt. dulcimer, autoharp

Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Doc, Norman, Martha

Classified Rating: (0)
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 6/10/2009
Last Visit 3/10/2017

A bit about Me & Martha (a.k.a. Don DePoy & Martha Hills): PRESS RELEASE: LURAY VIRGINIA ~ November 9, 2009 Luray City Council gives nod for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the first Bluegrass Festival At the November 9, 2209 meeting, Luray City Council gave the approval to begin efforts to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Bluegrass Festival. The first occasion referred to as a Bluegrass Festival was a one-day event held in Luray, Virginia July 4, 1961. The July 2011, 50th celebration festival will be a collaborative effort by many individuals, businesses, educational institutions, state/local governments, arts organizations, musicians, artisans and tourism/travel associations. To name only a few these include: City of Luray, Luray/Page County Chamber of Commerce, Shenandoah Valley Travel Association, Shenandoah Valley Mountain Music Makers Association, and Luray Valley Museum and Gardens. The festival idea was first put forth by Don DePoy and Martha Hills who will also play major roles in the coordination and implementation of the event. ------------ RICHMOND, VIRGINIA ~ November 9, 2009 Virginia Commission for the Arts adds local musicians to roster of traditional folk music artists Me & Martha, that is Don DePoy and Martha Hills, have been selected by the Virginia Commission for the Arts for their artist roster of traditional folk music artists in resident program. Me & Martha join the list of professional artists doing residencies in PreK-12 schools across Virginia. These artist are selected based on demonstrated professional expertise and credentials; quality of artistic expression; a comprehensive residency description; prior residency experience and experience working with children and students in a variety of educational settings. The Virginia Commission for the Arts provides support for school/artist collaborations that foster increased quality arts experiences for children in Virginia schools. The Artist Roster includes architecture/design, crafts, dance, film/video, folk arts, music, poetry/fiction, theatre, and visual art. Artists must demonstrate extensive experience in their field(s) and a strong commitment to education. -------------------- MCGAHEYSVILLE, VIRGINIA ~ November 9, 2009 Shenandoah Valley Mountain Music Makers Trail takes a another step forward The Mountain Music Makers Trail pulls together the rich history of the traditional music of the Shenandoah Valley, including bluegrass, old-time string band, American fiddle/banjo traditions, Appalachian folk songs, shape-note & scared harp, American southern gospel, and old-time country music. Don DePoy, Executive Director of SVMMMA stated today, “We envision that our Shenandoah Valley Music Makers Trail be in place and ready by early summer 2010. The web-site and printed materials (maps, rack cards, brochures, etc.) are currently in development and will be available early spring 2010.” The Trail covering 14 Counties, 12 Cities and 100+ towns/ municipalities will consist of multiple-loop driving excursions from Winchester to Roanoke highlighting historical places, current musical venues featuring mountain music and musicians whose lives have had significant impact on American music. The SVMMMT will have its grand opening in July 2011 to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebration of the First Bluegrass Festival held in 1961at Luray, Virginia. Plans for opening the Shenandoah Valley Mountain Music Makers Heritage Center are in progress for a spring 2010 opening. -------------------- Don was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia and grew up playing music all over the eastern coast of the United States. His family’s has been in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley region since 1739 and mountain music has been central to their lives for generations dating as far back as the 1830’s. Don’s grandfather along with his grandmother's uncle (Emory Stroop) and Don’s long-time musician friend (Herb Smoke) were all recorded in 1940 by Alan Lomax as he searched for America's identity. These recordings are in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. As a 5th generation musician, Don continues to play the music of his mountain roots. He is an accomplished bluegrass banjoist and “thumb-picking” guitar player and has appeared as a featured performer at the Philadelphia Folk/Bluegrass Festival as well as appeared on numerous recordings and performances throughout the United States and abroad. Don was the executive producer for Mainely Bluegrass, a 26-part TV series airing over public television in New England. Martha Hills’ ancestors were some of the first English settlers to the coastal regions of what is now Maine. She’s originally from a farming community just outside of Belfast, Maine, and also has a rich musical background steeped in the New England music heritage. Martha’s musical roots include her great uncle Archie Gordon, a fine Maine fiddler who handcrafted over a hundred violins. Martha also has a host of relatives who sing and play piano in the New England style. She fell in love with bluegrass music in the 1980s and starting playing the bass fiddle in 2001 and has joined Don playing all over the world. Martha is a certified MusikGarten teacher and conducts MusikGarten classes as part of Eastern Mennonite University's Preparatory Music Program for parents and children from infant to 7 years old. Me & Martha was inducted into America’s Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Martha and Don moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia in 2007, where Don stepped right back in to the local music scene. Don was recently on faculty at James Madison University teaching sociology courses including the Social context of American music. He holds a Ph.D. in American Music and Popular Culture. Martha and Don encourage music making and promote the value of music wherever they go. They travel internationally to perform and teach music workshops that encourage music making with others. They teach private and group lessons as well as conduct music making "instructional slow-jams" for youth and adults to teach musicians how to play the basic "cannon" of mountain music, how to make music with others and how to play in jam sessions. Don also teach bluegrass banjo at Eastern Mennonite University and was one of the judges for the 2008 Virginia Folk Music Association's bluegrass music contest. Their association with the Young Audiences of Virginia (www.yav.org) has brought mountain music into the public school curriculum all over Virginia. In 2009, they were added to the Virginia Arts Council's artist in residence program to bring traditional mountain music to Virginia students. And with all this, for 2009 they played about 170 concerts and conducted special music programs for Church services. "Songs to Lift the Spirit", a new gospel songbook with CD and chord notations was published in 2008. "Songs to Lift the Spirit" follows-up their already successful "Music Makers Guide" which has over 100 common songs from the bluegrass/old-time/folk tradition, a CD to help explain the 6-common chord progressions which cover about 95% of all bluegrass/old-time/folk tunes and there is only enough music theory to not mess up your playing. Their website www.meandmartha.com has hundreds of photos, complete bio information, resumes, samples of our music, and detail narrative of our performances and workshops.