Round Peak, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Round Peak is a small unincorporated community in Surry County
, North Carolina
, United States
, near Mount Airy, North Carolina
with an elevation of 1,280 feet. It is located in the southern Appalachian Mountains
and gives its name to the Round Peak style of old-time music
practiced in the area.
The community of Round Peak is named for the nearby summit
of Round Peak which has an elevation 2,094 feet . Popular attractions include the Round Peak Vineyards, part of the Yadkin Valley wine region
.
, Tommy Jarrell
, and Fred Cockerham
who helped popularize the style in the 20th century. Round Peak differs from other types of old-time by incorporating banjo "with syncopated rhythms made by drop thumbs and the melodic nature of noting." The area hosts the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention
and the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University houses research materials on Round Peak old time music.
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
with an elevation of 1,280 feet. It is located in the southern Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and gives its name to the Round Peak style of old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
practiced in the area.
The community of Round Peak is named for the nearby summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
of Round Peak which has an elevation 2,094 feet . Popular attractions include the Round Peak Vineyards, part of the Yadkin Valley wine region
Yadkin Valley wine region
The Yadkin Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes land in seven counties of northwestern North Carolina. The AVA encompasses an area of approximately in the Yadkin River valley...
.
Music
Round Peak style is one variation of music drawing on Anglo-Celtic fiddle and African banjo music, known as "old-time" or mountain string band music. It is said to holds a distinct sound produced by performers including Charlie LoweCharlie Lowe
Charles Lowe was a professional baseball player who played second base for the Brooklyn Atlantics team of the NAPBBP. He played in seven games for the Atlantics during the season....
, Tommy Jarrell
Tommy Jarrell
Tommy Jarrell was an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer from the Mount Airy region of North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains.-Biography:...
, and Fred Cockerham
Fred Cockerham
Fred Cockerham was a fiddle and banjo player of American folk music.Cockerham was one of the seven children of Elias and Betty Jane Cockerham in North Carolina. He was one of the most accomplished of all the "Round Peak," North Carolina musicians but is most commonly known as the banjo accompanist...
who helped popularize the style in the 20th century. Round Peak differs from other types of old-time by incorporating banjo "with syncopated rhythms made by drop thumbs and the melodic nature of noting." The area hosts the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention
Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention
The Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention is a popular festival devoted to old-time and bluegrass music, as well as related arts such as dance, which takes place each summer at Veterans Memorial Park in Mount Airy, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1972. It is held on the first weekend...
and the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University houses research materials on Round Peak old time music.