Milton Harkey

The Man Behind the Curtain

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,”is a famous line from The Wizard of Oz. Musical promoters often are the ones behind the curtain that rarely receive recognition, but without them, both musicians and fans would be at a total loss. 

Milton Harkey is an important man behind the curtain. The western NC native has produced bluegrass music events for 43 years. Yet he has received little acknowledgment for providing topnotch entertainment in great venues. He also has been instrumental in helping to establish other forums for the preservation and continued support of bluegrass music. 

Harkey’s lifelong love of bluegrass propelled him into promoting, producing, jamming, or just listening to the music that he loves. He developed a fine-tuned ear for bluegrass music and his audiences reap the benefits from what Milton has learned.

Growing up in Asheville, NC, his earliest influences were watching Flatt & Scruggs, Porter Wagoner, and the Wilburn Brothers on TV each Saturday evening. Sitting beside his mother, they sang hymns while she played the piano. As he grew, he developed an innate love for music and his passion literally set the stage for the rest of us.

After graduating from Brevard and Montreat Colleges, the bluegrass music lover settled in Columbia, SC. There he hosted a three-hour weekly bluegrass show on WCOS-FM Radio, a 100,000 watt station. He helped found the South Carolina Bluegrass Society, Inc., and served as chairman of their board for three years. The musical entrepreneur worked as event producer for the Quarter Moon Listening Parlor and began producing bluegrass festivals. His first was Fox on the Run Bluegrass Festival in Lexington, SC.  He also helped found the Kinston Winter Bluegrass Festival in Kinston, NC. 

Harkey envisioned a family-style festival with the best in bluegrass nestled within an attractive venue. He was the originator, founder, and producer of The Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Family Style Bluegrass Festival at the Denton FarmPark in Denton, NC, in 1981 and continued there for 17 years. The annual event quickly became a festival favorite with pickers and listeners alike.

Steve Dilling, banjoist with Sideline, holds fond memories of the promoter. “I met Milton at the first festival in Denton in 1981. We started talking and hit it off. We became really close friends. I give Milton a lot of credit promoting bluegrass in NC. He took a lot of risks, but it definitely paid off. It was brilliant to team up with Doyle. He was the first one to use the Bluegrass Album Band and Hot Rize and Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers at NC festivals.”

Harkey explained his strategy. “Part of the whole festival aspect goes beyond producing a show. You book the best show you can, but the people there, the jam sessions; those attendees are inspired by it and carry it forward. I never know the full impact; I only provide the opportunity. It’s years later when I see the results.”

Harkey recalled Tony Rice’s influence on the Denton stage in the 80’s. “I didn’t realize the historical sense of it. It was like the second coming of the Beatles. A great roar from the crowd. He dropped his pick and it bounced off the stage. There was a pileup of people diving to get to it!”

Clay Jones of Terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive expressed, “Milton has always supported the younger musicians. I don’t recall any time I ever came to Denton when he didn’t give me a weekend pass! I met Milton through Steve Dilling and his parents. I could barely chord a guitar when I met Milton, but he knew I had a deep hunger for playing. He brought me backstage where I met Tony and Billy Wolff for the first time. He handed me Tony’s guitar which I really didn’t know how to play much.

“Milton had an old Martin D-28 that he let me play each year at Denton because I couldn’t afford one for a long time. He didn’t mind if I played it the entire time I was there. I remember once Wayne Benson and I spent the entire week in a Pontiac Firebird I had. What little sleep we got was in the front seats with the T-tops out!

“He always loved to sing the old Hot Rize song, ‘Nellie Kane’, so every jam session seemed like we always played it a dozen times for him! He’s actually a really good singer!”

Harkey impressed others in the music field. Chet Rhodes, formerly of County Sales and the Record Depot, first met Harkey in the late 70’s at a festival in VA.  “I was set up, selling albums out of the back of my boss’s truck,” Rhodes recalled. “Milton stopped by and said he was starting a festival. He asked if I would like to sell (our records) there. I attended Denton its first year as a spectator. The second year I went as a vendor for County Sales and worked it many years after that. He was always good to us and gave us a prime spot, right across from the stage area with the music hitting us full force.”

Russell Moore has built a long-standing relationship with Harkey. “Milton booked us (Southern Connection) at Denton in 1984. We had decided to move somewhere east from Texas. We needed to be where more bluegrass music was happening. We were a band in search of a home. 

“We settled in Asheville and ended up staying in Milton’s basement. It was a blessing. They helped keep us up and fed us. He took us under his wing and made sure we sustained life. It wasn’t easy on Milton and his family life. To do that for us, tells me a lot about Milton. I will never forget that. He did it out of the goodness of his heart.  I got to see a Bluegrass Album Band rehearsal in Milton’s basement in 1983. That was really cool,” Moore recalled.

Harkey had an epiphany when he launched a tour of the Bluegrass Album Band in 1983 (11 shows in 11 days). He took Dilling along for the ride.  A father himself, Harkey reflected on that decision. He had to convince Dilling’s parents to allow their aspiring banjo picking son to miss his high school classes. Afterward he stated, “I remember telling Don and Linda Dilling, Steve would learn more in those 11 days than he will all year in school.”

In 1988, Harkey founded the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass showdown, a talent search for bluegrass acoustic bands throughout the US and Canada. Pizza Hut was the Title Sponsor along with financial support from Gibson. During the eight years of the contest, hundreds of bands came through the “Showdown” and he developed judging criteria to evaluate the bands. He set the benchmark for many future contests.

“More than 400 bands went through that competition,” the bluegrass businessman recalled. `The bands may not have all continued with all the same members, but many of the individual musicians are still a big part of this music today.”

Such winners include Gena Britt and Tina Adair who now perform with Sister Sadie, the 2020 IBMA “Entertainers of the Year.” Britt was banjoist in New Vintage which took the top prize in 1993. Adair’s family won three years later.  Britt praised the promoter, “Milton Harkey has always been an advocate for me and my music, even when I was a little girl learning how to play banjo. I appreciate his encouragement over the many years we have known each other. When I won the Pizza Hut Showdown with New Vintage, it opened doors and friendships for me that have lasted a lifetime and I’m very grateful for that.”

Adair stated, “When my family and I won the 1996 Pizza Hut Showdown at IBMA in Owensboro, KY, it opened up the door for me to be introduced to Barry Poss (owner of Sugar Hill Records). I signed my first record deal with Sugar Hill a few weeks after the showdown when I was sixteen years old. This was a pivotal moment for me in my music career. For that, I’m very grateful.” 

Milton Harkey was one of the founding fathers of IBMA (June 1985) and later served as Chairman of the Board for three years.  “It was a formation time. We had to set up the business structure so we could be in existence for a long time,” Harkey said.  Harkey lead the board through establishing annual events and held the first IBMA Awards show in 1990 at the Executive Inn in Owensboro, KY. Billboard magazine named the event the “Best Awards Show of The Year.”

Dan Hayes, former IBMA executive director, shared his relationship with Harkey. “I had inquired as a fan and amateur musician how I might be of help to the organization. Terry Woodward asked if I was interested in the executive director post. I got a call from Milton wanting to know if I was serious about the position and offered me the job in the summer of 1990. 

“In a nonprofit organization, the role of the executive director and the board chairman are two vital pieces of the puzzle. You have to work closely together to achieve the mission of the organization. We were two total strangers who became cohorts, building IBMA into what it became in later years.  Milton is that rare type that can see the vision of big things coupled with a sense of getting it done. He is capable of both. He is a big dreamer that is willing to roll up his sleeves and do the work.”

For twenty-six years (est. 1996), Harkey has been at the helm of the highly successful Bluegrass First Class in Asheville, NC. After working an outdoor festival, Harkey opted for the comfort of a seated indoor event where people could gather as a community, jam comfortably, and sleep in a warm bed on site if they chose.  It has served as a launching pad for many bands that have gone on to achieve greatness.

“Dailey and Vincent played one of their first shows there. My family is a big part of this event which has grown to a point that it could not be presented without their help. They all love this music as much as I do. We include a Showcase Stage each to help up and coming bands. Flatt Lonesome and Carolina Blue played there,” its promoter related.

Jesse Smathers of the Lonesome River Band shared how Harkey impacted him. “As I was aspiring to be a professional musician, Bluegrass First Class was one festival that always stood out. It was the first place I met Tony Rice, and got to see the original Bluegrass Album Band. I always thought Milton put on one of the finest shows in the world. Now as I have played with LRB for the past 6 1/2 years, I have been honored to stand where my heroes have stood many times and have been proud to call Milton a friend. He supports this music like no other.”

Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out have performed every year at Bluegrass First Class.  Moore said, “Once we were booked on a cruise (during Bluegrass First Class), but it fell apart. I called Milton and though he already had everything scheduled, he worked it out and made sure that we were on the program. He made a spot for us.”

Rhodes expressed. “I went to his first Bluegrass First Class and lots of years after that. The music was always great. I have always respected Milton. He is innovative and long thinking. He loves bluegrass music and is a connoisseur.”  On its silver anniversary in Asheville at Bluegrass First Class, the promoter was presented a framed declaration from the Lieutenant Governor of NC. The award read:  “Be it known that the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina presents this Certificate of Appreciation to Milton Ray Harkey in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the bluegrass community of the state of North Carolina.” It was dated and signed by then NC Lieutenant Governor, Daniel F Forest.  Harkey humbly accepted the award, stating, “I didn’t know we did this in NC. This belongs to all of us.”

The man behind the curtain is extremely grateful for the support he has received within the bluegrass community. “Folks are dedicated to the event. We all want the same thing which is to see Bluegrass Music thrive and hear the very best bands each year. It is something how the people are moved by the show.  All I do is present it and manage it. The people who attend make it what it is.”

One such fan is Jeanie Lail who attended one of Harkey’s productions. “My oldest brother and his wife had told me about a group they enjoyed and invited me to go hear Dailey and Vincent. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and was officially hooked! I wanted to go to more shows, wanted their CDs, and wanted to meet them personally. On June 26, 2021, with help from some promoter friends (Harkey), the dream of meeting my boys became a reality in a hallway outside of the auditorium just minutes before the show! They were so friendly and gracious. Suddenly, I was tongue tied and couldn’t remember anything I wanted to tell them!”

In addition to producing his own events, the 73-year-old continues to spend his spare time working with young bluegrass artists by providing the opportunity to showcase their talents and achieve the recognition of seasoned bluegrass audiences nationwide.

Jones expressed his gratitude. “Milton has had as much influence on me playing professionally than anyone ever has. He’s encouraged many kids at his festivals throughout the years. He’s always been kind and supportive to me. I love that man like I would any father. So thankful I had him as a mentor to grow up with!”

Dilling added, “He was even my landlord. In 1984, we rented a condo from him in Asheville for a couple of years. On a personal note, Milton has helped me in my career as much as anybody. He always found a way to put me on stage and showcase me. I guess he saw something in me. I can never thank him enough for that.  I’m grateful for his help. His compassion for others equals his compassion for bluegrass music and promoting it,” Russell Moore chimed in. “It’s not valor. He just wants to keep the genre alive. He has worked hard for all of us.”

“Milton is motivated by touching people’s lives. There’s joy in seeing it come together. Lives are impacted well beyond the moments on the stage,” interjected former IBMA director, Hays.

The bluegrass advocate humbly concluded, “I just hope my family and I have been able to provide good entertainment and inspire other people, listeners players, and especially the fans. Without them none of this would be possible.  I hope our work has had an impact and has helped people develop a greater appreciation for the music we love–bluegrass music.”

As for the man behind the curtain, always expect First Class productions from Milton Harkey and Family. His musical mission continues with the 27th Annual Bluegrass First Class slated for February 18, 19, and 20, 2022.