Guitarist Jenny Traynham and her husband, Mac, have become a popular duo known as the Southern Mountain Melody Makers. Mac plays clawhammer banjo and also excels on a slew of other instruments, including the fiddle and guitar,

The Traynhams specialize in the early country duet style of old-time country and mountain music. They draw their repertoire from a wide variety of sources from the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and beyond, including their home of Floyd County, in the southern Blue Ridge area of Virginia.

With strong backgrounds in religious and old-time music, they began singing together in 1979. Over the years their repertoire has grown to include ballads, sweetheart songs, western, and gospel numbers.

In 1986, they released a collection of old-time and gospel duets with guitars entitled The Roses Bloom in Dixieland. In 1992, they released The Sweetest Way Home.

The Traynhams teach at this year’s Festival of American Fiddle Tunes and will lead off the Fourth of July Show, at Fort Worden’s McCurdy Pavilion, at 1:30 pm, performing songs and tunes from the southern mountains. The show also includes New England contradance group Nightingale, the Carolina Chocolate Drops with special guest Joe Thompson, and Canadian fiddle sensation April Verch. For tickets, call Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117 or visit our secure online Acteva site.