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Bluegrass musician's concert to raise cash for JM sports

December 9, 2008 12:35 am

NATIONALLY known bluegrass musician Mark Newton calls Franklin, Tenn.--not far from Nashville--home these days.

He spends much of the year traveling to some 60 concert dates around the country.

But in all those travels, Newton says the Fredericksburg he grew up in is close to his heart.

"Where you were raised, the people you were close to, that's always with you," he said recently.

That connection, and the debt Newton feels he owes to teachers and coaches here, is why Newton's organizing a bluegrass concert for Fredericksburg in September.

The point: to raise money for James Monroe High School athletics.

Newton and a few other JM grads have been seeking sponsors over the past several months.

They've also been lining up musical acts that include Newton's band, as well as Seldom Scene, Claire Lynch, IIIrd Tyme Out and Larry Stephenson.

"Mark Newton's Homecoming Pickin' Party" will be Sept. 19, from noon until sometime past 7 p.m. He hopes to make it an annual event.

Newton, born in Paducah, Ky., in 1957, moved to Fredericksburg in 1960 when his father, Alvin, returned to the region to be close to his Stafford County roots.

The elder Newton played mandolin, guitar and fiddle, and his wife was an accomplished pianist.

"Music was a big part of our household and I was exposed to it as far back as I can remember," he said.

This part of Virginia was a booming place for bluegrass festivals then, and Newton soaked it all in.

In the mid-1980s, he joined the Virginia Squires, a group on the leading edge of what became known as "contemporary" bluegrass.

Newton released his first solo CD, "Living a Dream," in 1998, and now tours with his own band.

He moved in 2004 to be closer to Nashville, but Newton still keeps in touch with friends here and thinks often of the days when his family had a home off of Littlepage Street.

"I spent countless hours playing sports in school and various Little League levels," he said, noting that he played basketball and football in some years but found baseball a favorite.

"The basic lessons learned in all those sports provided me with the organizational skills, discipline and management I apply today, being an artist and managing my own band," he said.

On a stop here recently, Newton said that through the years he has thought often about doing something to give back to his hometown.

Having been involved with bluegrass festivals and concerts for decades, both as performer and occasional organizer, Newton wondered if starting one here might be the ticket.

This summer, he bounced that idea off fellow alumni.

"Then I took the idea to city officials and local business folks, because getting sponsors to cover concert costs is critical," said Newton. "The reaction has been very positive, all around."

Some not familiar with the project have been a little surprised by how early the organizing started, with Newton showing up to speak to the crowds at football games early this fall.

"The response so far has been amazing," Newton said. "We are working hard to make this a first-class event."

Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com