Singer/songwriter and champion guitarist/mandolinist Andy May infuses his songwriting and his shows with trademark creativity, humor, and musicianship. His music embraces styles from blues to bluegrass, old-time country to contemporary folk, traditional reels to roots-rock. Andy started performing in his teens as part of the ‘60s Folk Revival in New York City. He earned the Grand Championship on Guitar at the Union Grove Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention in 1967, played at Carnegie Hall that year, and had his first concert as a songwriter at Izzy Young's renowned Folklore Center in New York City in 1970. Many fans have seen him during his annual shows and presentations at venues including the Walnut Valley Festival (Winfield) and as a regular performer and presenter at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Beginning in the early 1990s, Andy and his wife, Lauren, collaborated in developing a non-competitive performance showcase for young musicians called Acoustic Kids. The Acoustic Kids Showcases have subsequently grown to be integral parts of the Walnut Valley Festival and MerleFest, providing performance opportunities for many hundreds of young musicians. He's glad to be back again this year! You can catch him hosting the Acoustic Kids Showcases, and also sharing his tunes on his Sunday Cabin Stage set.
