First Six Performers Announced for 81st National Folk Festival
SALISBURY, MD (March 1, 2022) – Today the National Folk Festival revealed the first six performers who will take the stage in Downtown Salisbury, August 26-28, 2022. The 81st National Folk Festival in 2022 moves to a new weekend in August and marks the final year of the event’s residency. In 2023, the festival will transition to the Maryland Folk Festival in Salisbury.
Approximately 350 artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 20 different musical groups performing on four outdoor stages throughout Downtown Salisbury.
Dale Ann Bradley (Middlesboro, Kentucky) – bluegrass
Raised in a Primitive Baptist family in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, this acclaimed bluegrass singer transports listeners with her shimmering voice and personal songwriting.
E.U. featuring Sugar Bear (Washington, D.C.) – go-go
Led by dynamic front man Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott, this legendary group is synonymous with the funky, quintessentially Washington, D.C., dance music known as go-go.
Himalayan Heritage Band (Boston, Massachusetts) – Nepal
This virtuosic ensemble provides a vital link for Boston’s growing Nepalese community, bridging their new lives in New England with their homeland high in the Himalayas.
Rogelio Ortiz with Eduardo Betancourt (Laurel, Maryland) – música llanera
Lively, fiery, and heartfelt tradition from Colombia and Venezuela has a champion in this singer known as el caballero del canto nacional (“the gentleman of the national song”).
Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (New Orleans, Louisiana) – funk and R&B
The Crescent City’s preeminent funk master is another in that city’s long line of singular musical personalities, adding touches of soul and jazz to his distinctive rhythm and blues sound.
Wylie & the Wild West (Conrad, Montana) – cowboy and western music
This world-class yodeler and cowboy singer still lives the life of a working rancher and cutting-horse champion—and is one of America’s most popular western entertainers.
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.
The National Folk Festival will provide safety measures that comply with local, state, and federal guidelines. Details will be updated on the festival website.
