Local singer and her grandfather win multiple awards at NC Folk Fest
Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 12:00 am
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Megan Stoner and Darrell Conner won awards separately and together at the North Carolina Folk Festival.Photos posted
Salisbury native Megan Stoner and her grandfather, Darrell Connor, kept it in the family at this year’s North Carolina Fair Folk Festival, winning awards separately and together.
Stoner has asthma and sometimes has difficulty singing. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to compete this year, but that didn’t stop her, not only did she win first place in Best Her. Adult female vocalist.
In that solo competition, Stoner sang “Blue” by Leanne Rimes. It’s a song she likes to play and it highlights her vocal range. She also sang “Except Monday” by Rory Morgan. This is a song she learned with her father, who recently passed away, so she sang it as a tribute to him.
Connor and Stoner also won the Best Duo award. Connor played guitar and the two sang “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill and “When You Say Nothing at All” by Keith Whitley. They began rehearsing two songs at Conor’s home studio in June.
“‘Go Rest High on the Mountain’ is one of those songs that we’ve been doing for a long time, and it’s a song that really felt close to us,” Stoner said. “And ‘When You Say Nothing at All’ was one of the first duets we sang together, so it just felt right.”
Connor has won awards every year for the past decade and is something of a legend when it comes to folk festivals. He won his first place for Best Male Vocalist in 2015, 2018 and 2019. He likes to say, “I want to bring something from Wake County to Rowan County every year.” Last year, Connor won 1st for Flatpicking, 1st for Male Vocals, Best in Show for Vocals, and Best in Show for Instrumentals.
“I took it all last year,” Connor said.
connor band, Country music legends bands play primarily traditional classical country, bluegrass, and gospel. In addition to guitar, he also plays banjo, bass, and mandolin.
The folk festival was started 74 years ago by Bascom Lamar Langsford, and each year the attendee who best showcases North Carolina’s musical heritage wins a trophy in his honor. The festival has since discontinued the trophy, but Connor was the last person to win the award in 2018.
Connor and Stoner are set to return to defend their titles at next year’s festival.
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