BCMA to Host Book Signing

Bristol, VA-TN (February 10, 2004) The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance (BCMA) will host a book signing by Willard Gayheart of his new book Willard Gayheart, Appalachian Artist (McFarland and Company Publishers, 2003). The signing will take place on Saturday, February 21 from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM, at the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Museum, located on the lower level of the Bristol Mall, exit 1, Interstate 81.

The works of Willard Gayheart, considered one of the best pencil artists in the area, are positive images of the Appalachian culture, presenting the region as a place alive with interesting personalities. A story lies behind almost every piece of art Willard creates, and each person portrayed has played a part in some way in the history or culture of Appalachia. The book, Willard Gayheart, Appalachian Artist, combines a biography of Gayheart with a portfolio of his work, along with his comments on his inspirations and techniques.

Bill Hartley, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance, commented that, “This is a wonderful opportunity for the BCMA to showcase a visual artist who has vividly captured the region’s musical and cultural heritage.” Hartley added that many visitors to the museum who have seen Gayheart’s drawings on display have commented on the life-like detail. “At first visitors think the drawings are black and white photographs until they look closer to see that it is a pencil drawing.” Willard Gayheart's "In the Beginning" commemorates the 1927 Bristol Sessions Originally from Eastern Kentucky, Gayheart now lives in the community of Woodlawn, Virginia, near the border of Virginia and North Carolina. Keeping the tradition of the mountains alive seems to be a mission to Willard and those closest to him. Willard’s presentations of the region’s history, people, occupations, pleasures, religion, and celebration are drawn from his own experiences as a native Appalachian. According to the preface to his new book, “Willard’s art is not an attempt to analyze a culture, nor is it an attempt to romanticize a region … his art is not about change, but about preservation.”

The wonderful artwork is only the beginning of what is Willard Gayheart. He first heard his mother tune a guitar at the age of six, and his fascination with music began. Not long after he was the owner of his own guitar. His mother taught him the first three or four guitar chords and another facet of Willard Gayheart was created. Now, many years later, Willard has been in several bands and is now a member of Alternate Roots, an acoustic band whose music cannot be defined by the narrow confines of today's labeled genres.

Gayheart will also be signing copies of the band’s latest CD, Branching Out. Alternate Roots will be performing as part of the Second Annual Cabin Fever Fest at the Ashe Civic Center in West Jefferson, NC on Saturday, February 28. For more information, call (336) 246-3275 or visit the band’s website at http://www.mayberryrfd.com/alternate/

For more information about Gayheart and his art, visit his website at http://www.pencilart.net