ALAN JACKSON HEADLINES AND KICKS OFF FIRST DAY 27th Annual MerleFest

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 29, 2014) Last night country superstar Alan Jackson headlined the first day of the 27th annual Merlefest, drawing one of the largest crowds ever for opening day. 

He performed selections from his latest project, The Bluegrass Album, staying on top of the charts after having spent more than four months at No. 1 on the chart Billboard Bluegrass Album Sales since its launch in September 2013 - this week is ranked # 2. 

Merlefest is one of a line -up of shows where elite Jackson highlighted the music of The Bluegrass Album with some of the best players and singers of the genre:

The lineup included backing Merlefest Coney Scott (acoustic guitar ) , Sammy Shelor (banjo ), Tim Crouch ( fiddle) , Tim Dishman (bass), Rob Ickes ( dobro ) and Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby (voice ) - all of which play on the Bluegrass Album - along with Sierra Hull ( mandolin).



Merlefest is a four-day festival that hosts more than 130 bands on seven stages throughout the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. 

The festival is known for its unique blend of musical styles, from bluegrass to Americana, Celtic, zydeco, country and many other styles. 

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson died, the son of the legend of American music in the late Doc Watson.