The music and dance traditions of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains are legendary. Residents continue a musical heritage that stretches back many generations. In this lively guidebook, noted folklorist Fred C. Fussell puts readers on the trail to discover the many sites in western North Carolina where this unique musical legacy thrives. Organized by region and county, Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina welcomes readers into the rich worlds of bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and string band music, as well as clogging, flatfooting, and other forms of traditional dance. The book, a project of the North Carolina Arts Council and its partner, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, features a CD with more than 20 songs by musicians profiled in the book, historic recordings of the region's most influential musicians spanning nine decades--available for the first time here--and songs based on true stories of love, crime, and tragedy set in the North Carolina mountains. Includes: * driving directions* maps* venue contact information * color photographs and profiles of prominent mountain musicians* informative sidebars on musicians and performance styles* a CD with 20 music tracks