A fine quarterly journal for players of both mountain dulcimers and hammered dulcimers, Dulcimer Players News, Signal Mountain, TN

Two gatherings of musicians in the Southeastern Virginia region:

Southeastern Virginia Gathering of hammered dulcimer players (anyone else and other instruments are also welcome): contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . It's usually in Newport News or the Williamsburg area.

Hammerheads Dulcimer Society (monthly get-togethers in the Virginia Beach area): contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Some makers of fine hammered dulcimers:

Dusty Strings Dulcimer Company (they made mine), Seattle, WA

Song of the Wood, by Jerry Read Smith, Black Mountain, NC

Master Works, by Russell Cook, Bennington, OK

James Jones (he made my psalteries), Bedford, VA

Bert Berry (he made my mountain dulcimer), Chesapeake, VA: 757/487-2734

Sam Rizzetta (he designed my hammered dulcimer in collaboration with Dusty Strings), Inwood, WV: 304/229-3166

Meadows Music, by Jeff Sebens, Cana, VA

Some general musical retail outlets:

Woodsong bamboo flutes, Rob Yard, Floyd, VA 540/745-2709

Elderly Instruments, Lansing, MI; besides countless items for any folk musician, here you can find the Meadowlark hammered dulcimer by Rick Thum, perhaps the best bargain for an entry-level instrument.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it is a supplier of Rick Thum's instruments as well, in the southeastern region of Virginia; if you live around here, you can contact her about renting, renting to buy, and buying as soon as you want! She also carries some other supplies such as instruction books, electronic tuners, and hammers.

House of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park, MD

The Whistle Shop, Bloomington, IL

Lark in the Morning, Mendocino, CA

Hobgoblin Music, Red Wing, MN

Chiff and Fipple is a bizarre clearing-house site for whistlers; for links to stores, go to the "Department of Commerce" section!

Ten Thousand Villages, a chain of stores run by a ministry that carries on "fair trade" with artisans in Third World countries --- paying makers a fair price for their musical instruments and other items, and asking a fair price for them here in their stores.

*** The recording studio where I do many of my CD tracks and mixdowns:

Outback Studio , Mechanicsville, VA (on the northeastern edge of the Richmond area), This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 804/730-4174

*** A superb player and singer of West Virginia old-time music (especially clawhammer banjo and its instruction):

Yew Pine Mountain Music, Dwight Diller, Hillsboro, WV

*** This pianist has got to have been my overall favorite modern musician for the past fifteen years! For those who love a heartfelt and fresh, natural jazz/classical mix, I recommend his albums of new compositions (particularly Sketches of Maine, A Visit to the Rockies, Folk Art, Nights in the Gardens of Maine, & My Irish Soul) by this good friend I've never met:

River Music, Paul Sullivan, Blue Hill Falls, ME

Some carefully selected sites with related themes (and with whom we collaborate), but not specifically musical:

Chesapeake Woodart, Pungoteague, VA: Bob Lentz's one-of-a-kind works of art made from specific pieces of trees, each with its own story --- made by a forester who really knows his subject. I have the privilege of presenting joint programs with Bob! For information about the various programs we do on the art and music of Virginia trees and historic places, please This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it !

Shenandoah National Park Association, Luray, VA: a non-profit organization that publishes, sells, etc., supporting the great Park.

Virginia State Parks: wonderful places to go throughout our state.

Virginia Wildlife: a magazine celebrating Virginia's superlative natural realm.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy: a non-profit organization dedicated since 1925 to building, protecting and managing the Appalachian Trail for the public.

A Walk for Sunshine: Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Jeff Alt has written a book about his trek benefiting the Sunshine House in Ohio, and gives slide talks with my music in the background; I have enjoyed playing live at Big Meadows various times while Jeff's done his program! Watch for his new book A Hike for Mike, about his thru-hike, with his wife, of the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevadas of California.

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway: a non-profit organization supporting the work of the Blue Ridge Parkway (National Park Service).

Jamestown Settlement: a Virginia park commemorating the settlement of 1607 with a restored fort and Powhatan village, as well as fine museums.

Colonial National Historical Park: the actual Jamestown and Yorktown sites connected by the Colonial Parkway.

Colonial Williamsburg: the premier living history restoration in the world.

Will Vaus: A C.S. Lewis scholar, author, and speaker of great interest and inspiration (Lewis is one of my favorite authors, with a vast array of compelling works).  Will's books include Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C.S. Lewis; My Father Was a Gangster (the life of JimVaus); and the new children's book The Professor of Narnia.