OPENING ACT JOHN BLOSSER

JOHN BLOSSER
John Blosser first heard the dulcimer played by Dr. Patrick Gainer, a “songcatcher” at West Virginia University, in 1971– shortly thereafter, he had the chance to interview Jean Ritchie after a concert at WVU, and she showed him a bit about how the dulcimer works. He bought his first dulcimer, for $8 and quart of moonshine, at the Glenville Folk Festival and was off and running. He won the Florida dulcimer championships in 2000 and 2001, and has performed/taught at festivals all around the U.S., most recently at the Mount Dora festival in Florida in 2015. He recorded a CD, “Coyote Dulcimer,” and is featured on the CD, “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer.” he plays traditional music, old-timey and Celtic, but is most comfortable letting the dulcimer stretch well beyond its roots, into flamenco, rock, Broadway, movie themes and other more eclectic repertoires. He has performed twice at the Luna Star, his favorite venue, and is happy to be returning.