| Six new members will be inducted into the WV Music Hall of Fame for their lasting contributions to music in West Virginia and beyond the state's borders during a ceremony.
The living inductees will be performing at the ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, February 10 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston.
Among the six are the Morris Brothers of Ivydale, Clay County, John and the late David Morris.
The members of the Class of 2018 also includes Hasil Adkins, Ann Magnuson, Frank Hutchison, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and Michael W. Smith.
David Morris (1944-2016) & John Morris, Born 1946 in Clay County
Born in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors that included banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year.
The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.
Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of David's original music, the group played together through the mid-'70s, releasing an LP in the late '60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes.
John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.
The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopple's 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopple's 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.
John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.
This weekend some stars are headed back to West Virginia for the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame's 7th induction ceremony.
Six musicians are being inducted this year.
They include Hasil Adkins, Frank Hutchison, Ann Magnuson, The Morris Brothers, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and Michael W. Smith.
Hall of fame directors said this year has the most diverse group of musicians being inducted.
With this class, the hall of fame now has 52 members.
Directors said the hall of fame does outreach and education in schools showing kids that they can have a future in music.
"The message we're really trying to get across to kids is, you can do any of this stuff. You've got to believe in yourself. Don't let someone tell you you can't do it or you shouldn't do it, if you have the talent and the drive, go for it," said Michael Lipton, Director of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
The living inductees will be performing at the ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, February 10 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston.
Doors open at 7 p.m.
The show will also be broadcast on West Virginia Public Television.
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