David Holt and Josh Goforth: Bios

David Holt and Josh Goforth

Short bio:

Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt and rising acoustic music star and Grammy nominee, Josh Goforth join together to bring to life the joy and spirit of old time mountain music and stories.

Between them they combine the virtuosic sounds of guitar, banjo, fiddle, slide guitar, mandolin, and a world of exciting rhythm instruments from hambone (body slapping) rhythms, to spoons, stump-fiddle, rhythm bones, jaw harp, and even paper bag. It is a program of songs, stories and amazing musicianship that will appeal to all ages.

David is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost folk musicians and storytellers. For 35 years he has been collecting and performing the music of the old time Southern mountaineers. Josh is descended from many of the old-timers David learned from in the late 1960s in Lonesome Mountain, NC. For David, combining forces with Josh is making a full circle. Says Holt, “Josh is one of the finest musicians in North Carolina and is helping bring the music that is his birthright into the 21st century. Our show is about folk traditions that are exploding with creative energy and fun.”

Holt is well known for his television and radio series including Folkways and Great Scenic Railway Journeys.. Currently, he is hosting the PBS series David Holt’s State of Music, featuring some of the regions finest musicians including Rhiannon Giddens, Steep Canyon Rangers,  Balsam Range and Josh Goforth. In 2016 David was elected to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

David first met Josh when he was 14 years old and David was performing for his middle school.

Collaboration in David Holt and Lightning Bolts.

David considered one of finest old time banjo players and storytellers.

Between them they combine the virtuosic sounds of guitar, banjo, fiddle, slide guitar, mandolin, and a world of exciting rhythm instruments from hambone (body slapping) rhythms, spoons, stumpfiddle, rhythm bones, jaw harp, and even paper bag.

It is a show

David recognized as one of nations leading storytellers. Josh is a natural as he tells about this life growing up in the mountains of NC.

“Josh Goforth is a super star in waiting. He shows the same promise I saw in Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas and Vince Gill in the 70s.”   Hugh Sturgill – Producer

Josh Goforth must have been born musical—he was already playing piano in church at the age of four—but it was an experience he had in the sixth grade that really lit the fuse of his precocious and explosive musical career. A performance at Goforth’s middle school by David Holt and Sheila Kay Adams caused him to start thinking about the musical heritage of his native Madison County. A couple of years later, he began to learn guitar from his great-uncle. The great-great-great-grandson of Madison County fiddler Asbury McDevitt was launched on a career in traditional and acoustic music.

Over the next few years he learned to play at least ten different instruments by ear, learning from such local masters as Gordon and Arvil Freeman. wrote, based on a sacred harp hymn.

After high school he went to East Tennessee State University to study music education, and to be a part of ETSU’s famous Bluegrass and Country Music Program. In 2000, he played fiddle for the movie “Songcatcher,” both onscreen and on the soundtrack. He has performed all over the United States as well as Europe and Asia. In 2000,2003, and 2005, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddler’s Grove making him the youngest ever 3 time winner. This secured him the title “Master Fiddler”. He just released his first band album entitled, “I Feel Fine”.

He says that one of the main goals of his career is to get young people interested in traditional music. “In all the years I’ve been playing traditional and old time music, I’ve always said that if all people could really see and hear it live, they’d fall in love with it.”

“Fiddling Will” in the movie, “Songcatcher.”

“Folkways: The Fiddle,” PBS, with Red Wilson, Audrey Hash Ham, Benton Flippen, and Arvil Freeman

Selected Recordings:

“Basic Ingredients,” Josh Goforth and Hilary Dirlam
“When I First Come to this Country,” with Jerry Adams
“ETSU Bluegrass Pride”
“Songcatcher” soundtrack
“David Holt and the Lightning Bolts”
“I Feel Fine” The Josh Goforth Band

 

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