Raymond Fairchild’s Maggie Valley Opry House:  An Appalachian Treasure

Raymond and Shirley Fairchild have been operating the Maggie Valley Opry since 1988, featuring Bluegrass and Mountain Music.

In 2000, The National Endowments for the Arts and The North Carolina Arts Council, in conjunction with the Blue Ridge Parkway and other multi-state partnerships and organizations, placed the Opry House on the “Blue Ridge Music Trail” a project that grew out of the Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative to help preserve and promote the music of the Appalachian Mountains.

Raymond Fairchild is the featured performer at the Opry House when not traveling to the many other festivals he performs at.

The legendary Banjoist has traveled for the past fifty years performing at festivals in every state in the union and abroad, thrilling his audiences with renditions such as “Whoa Mule” his famous signature song.

Raymond has performed on the world famous “Grand Ole Opry” since 1977 and has appeared on numerous television specials for the Nashville Network and other network stations.

He recently completed a two-hour documentary special for Japan Broadcasting, focusing on the evolution of music from Ireland to the Untied States.

John Rice Irwin, noted author and owner of the Museum of Appalachian in Norris, TN., included a large chapter on Raymond is his book, “A People and Their Music” “The Story Behind the Story of Country Music”, about the life’s of Country Legends.

Raymond has recorded over twenty albums and videos. He has two Gold Records for having sold over two million copies of his banjo instrumentals. He is also a lifetime member of the “Bluegrass Hall of Fame” and a five-time recipient of the Bluegrass Banjo of the Year Award, an honor bestowed upon him by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.

In 1982 “The Appalachian Journey”, a documentary produced by renown author and folklorist Allen Lomax in conjunction with Columbia University was filmed so Raymond’s music would be preserved for generations to come and is stored in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, and will be further protected with a grant from The Grammy’s for this specific project as outlined herein. (Association for Cultural Equity – New York, NY)

”To preserve and make widely accessible recordings of American roots music recorded in the field on audio and videotape by Alan Lomax and fellow collectors, legendary in their own right, who contributed to the Lomax Archive. The footage to be preserved includes bluegrass master Raymond Fairchild.”

Famed storyteller and songwriter, Tom T. Hall wrote and recorded a song about Raymond on his “Soldier of Fortune” Album titled “The World According to Raymond”.

Maggie Valley, NC, Raymond’s hometown, honored him by placing a sign at each end of the valley which simply reads “Welcome to Maggie Valley Home of Raymond Fairchild”.

MAGGIE VALLEY OPRY HOUSE
3605 SOCO ROAD
MAGGIE VALLEY, NC  28751

TRADITIONAL BLUEGRASS AND MOUNTAIN MUSIC

FEATURING WORLD RENOWNED BANJO PICKER,
"THE LEGENDARY RAYMOND FAIRCHILD"

PRESERVING THE MOUNTAIN CULTURE AND
KEEPING THE MOUNTAIN HERITAGE ALIVE THROUGH
THE MUSIC OF THE APPALACHIA.
"BLUEGRASS" AMERICA'S MUSIC.
OPEN NIGHTLY MAY-OCTOBER
8:00-P.M.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 828-648-7941

Email:  opryhouse@aol.com

OR WRITE:
PO BOX 253
MAGGIE VALLEY, NC  28751

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