JOHNSON CITY (March 7, 2013) ˗ Dr. Ted Olson of East Tennessee State University’s Department of Appalachian Studies will give a lecture and performance tracing the history of Appalachian music in conjunction with the exhibition entitled “The Virginia Dulcimer: 200 Years of Bowing, Strumming and Picking” at Abingdon, Va.’s William King Museum on Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Olson’s presentation will combine performances of traditional Appalachian music with brief narratives interpreting and placing each piece within its historical context.

In 2013, Olson earned a Grammy nomination in the “Best Historical Album” category as co-producer and liner notes writer for Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music, a release of music collected in 1939 by Joseph Hall before residents were relocated to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2012, Olson received two Grammy nominations for his work on a box set entitled The Bristol Sessions, 1927-1928: The Big Bang of Country Music.