Strings festival MerleFest will be headlined next April by Willie Nelson and Allison Krauss. Set for April 23-26, 2020, Wilkesboro's legendary roots music celebration will also feature the likes of The Jerry Douglas Band, Sam Bush, the Kruger Brothers, Amythyst Kiah, and Chatham Rabbits, among dozens of other acts.
A complete lineup will be announced over the next few months.
In August, Willie Nelson, who is eighty-six, canceled several stops on a summer tour, citing respiratory issues.
The activist and country music star was back on his feet within days, though, and resumed his tour in September with a stop in Raleigh on the Outlaw Music Festival Tour where he played with Alison Krauss and Bonnie Raitt.
This is Nelson's first appearance at MerleFest, however, in twenty years.
“For over 30 years, one of the major factors that has built and sustained MerleFest has been the quality of the artists and performances that our guests see over the 4-day festival,” festival director Ted Hagaman said in a statement. “People truly feel that the festival is a great value and that is why music fans and families return year after year. We feel that the 2020 lineup again reflects the diversity and quality of performers, and we look forward to another successful festival in April.”
More details about MerleFest's 2020 program can be found online here.
sedwards@indyweek.com
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