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Andy is a traditional musician focusing on the tunes and songs that would have been prevalent prior to the introduction of the radio into southern and Appalachian culture. He plays the guitar, banjo, jaw harp and fiddle and he won the 2016 S.C. State Fiddle Championship. Currently, he teaches an ongoing class at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, SC which is open to anyone who wants to learn to play Appalachian music. He has also taught in the Pickens County Young Appalachian Musicians program and will be a banjo instructor at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC in July, 2019. Because traditional southern music was typically passed down in the aural tradition, students are encouraged to learn to play by ear. Students are further encouraged to create social communities by gathering outside of class to share tunes and songs. He grew up in a cotton mill family in Easley, SC that enjoyed music. As a teenager, he was encouraged by his Great Uncle Sam Stephens (a fiddler) to play and enjoy this music and it has been a passion of his for many years. As a SC native it is an honor to keep traditions alive.

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