BGS and MerleFest are so excited to once again partner to bring you exclusive clips and sessions captured on site during the incredible 2026 MerleFest event in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. We launched our off-season collaboration with the long-running bluegrass and roots music festival by sharing performances from the MerleFest Late Night Jam with the Grand Ole Opry, featuring Old Crow Medicine Show and Maggie Rose.
For our second installment in the series, we stepped away from the rowdy and raucous Late Night Jam for a more traditional session and a wonderful set from none other than Charles Wesley Godwin. After that, Willie Watson delivered a blend of songs, stories, and personal memories in a thoughtful solo performance.
Over the years, MerleFest has earned a reputation for introducing fast-rising artists to audiences, and they’ve done it again with The Creekers. This six-piece band from Eastern Kentucky made their MerleFest debut this year, but something tells us it won’t be their last visit. Asked about how their Appalachian roots influence their original music, band member Tanner Horton observes, “There ain’t no other place in the world like it, where this music comes from. And that’s the only way we know how to do it.”
Although the group recorded their upcoming album in Nashville, there’s sure to be an Eastern Kentucky vibe to the highly anticipated project, which is expected later this year on Warner Records Nashville. In the meantime, don’t miss the Creekers performing “Follow the Sound,” “The Devil Is Not That Far,” and “Tennessee.”
Video Credits: I Know We Should, Brad Wagner and Juan Soria.
This content brought to you in partnership with MerleFest. Experience music and more at MerleFest.org.
