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Donald DePoy (born August 10, 1949, in
Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...
) is an American bluegrass musician, music educator, and music event organizer. He is a fifth-generation bluegrass musician from the
Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
and a multi-instrumentalist. He and his wife Martha Hills have performed as the duo Me & Martha since 2005. He is founder of the Shenandoah Music Trail and the first "bluegrass church". He won first place in dulcimer at the 2017 Old Fiddlers' Convention in
Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...
. He is currently an adjunct professor at
Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center f ...
where he teaches all the bluegrass instruments. He and his wife Martha live in the Village of West View in
Swoope, Virginia Swoope (pronounced S-W-O-P-E) is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Augusta County, Virginia, Augusta County, Virginia. Swoope is located on State Routes 703 and 860 west of Staunton, Virginia, Staunton. Swoope has ...
.


Early

Donald Allen "Don" DePoy was born in
Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...
to Euva Taylor and Carl William DePoy. He is the descendant of four previous generations of bluegrass musicians in the
Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
. His grandfather Carl C. DePoy, Emory Stroop, and Herb Smoke were recorded in 1940 by
Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...
to be included later in the Folklife Collection at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
. DePoy, "a hometown farm boy", started performing as a musician at the age of eight when he first joined his father’s band onstage. In 1957, the eight-year-old DePoy played with the Mountain Music Makers on the snare drum — later playing banjo and guitar with the group. When DePoy's mother joined her husband and son on stage the band name changed to Carl & Don: The Skyline Pals, who from 1962 to 1979 played community dances, lawn parties, and beer taverns in the Shenandoah Valley and eastern
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. "I grew up in a musical family that goes back a long way," DePoy says. "It was always there. It's like a language, once it's there you always have it. It's just who I am." DePoy has been a professional musician since 1959, mastering bluegrass banjo and the thumb-picking style on guitar. In addition to guitar, DePoy himself plays mountain dulcimer, autoharp, Dobro, mandolin, and the " bass fiddle". He is a winning instrumentalist at the Old Fiddlers' Convention in
Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...
— a popular and prestigious old-time and
bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...
festival. He has performed throughout the U.S., and Europe and has recordings in the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
like his grandfather.


Broadcasting

The Skyline Pals started performing a weekly live one-hour radio program on WABH-AM in 1963, later expanding to a two-hour show. The group made their first recording at Ace Recording Studio in
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in 1964, called ''Songs for Mom and Dad.'' It was released in Europe in 1965, and released in the United States in 1973 (under the Skyline Records label.) As his father served as engineer for a local television and radio station, DePoy grew up in the field. As he recalls, I was always playing around with transmitters, and that led to a job as a disc jockey at a very early age. As my father was playing records, I was playing around with equipment in the station. DePoy began disc jockeying at 16 while still in high school. Growing up playing bluegrass, combined with his performing and technical experience, made him "kind of bound to this kind of work," he believed. After taking a bachelor's degree in "radio-television-film" at
Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
, DePoy found employment "designing education television programs for the Virginia community college system."


"Mountain Music" television show

The television show produced by DePoy and Hill, “Mountain Music” presents a half hour of musical performances and "glimpses of Virginia scenery". Originally airing Sunday mornings on
WHSV-TV WHSV-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Media alongside two low-power stations: Class A dual Fox/CBS affiliate WSVF-CD (channel 43) and dual NBC/ CW+ affi ...
in the Shenandoah Valley and on Charlottesville station WVAW ABC 16, the musical duo hosts "a growing company" of fellow musicians from the Shenandoah Valley music scene. Bob Driver and Trudy Cole of Staunton perform '20s and ‘30s blues and jazz. Malia Furtado, who teaches violin in
Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
, and Edd Michael of Port Republic add the fiddle dimension. Guest bands have included Bob Prilla and Big Hillbilly Bluegrass, Mark Patterson and Midnight Special, Hats in the Creek, and Andrew Carter and Gypsy Hill Ramblers, to name a few. As of March 8, 2023, A total of 64 TV shows were produced and recorded over 150 musicians for a collection for the Folklife archives at The Library of Congress. To assist in the production and distribution rants were awarded by Virginia Tourism, Virginia Commission for the Arts and Virginia Humanities. The music collection is the first of its kind since 1940. Check out Shenandoah Music Trail’s YouTube channel. The Mountain Music Series Program reached 1,420,245 broadcast households every week (81-weeks) for 115,039,845 Total Households. The shows aired all over Virginia and in NC, PA, OH, WV, MD, KY, IW, IL and Maine.


Groups

In 1971, DePoy founded the North Mountain Ramblers, a musical group featuring Herb Smoke (who was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1940). As part of his employment, DePoy moved to the
Philadelphia area The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...
in 1979. He founded the band Northeast Extension in
Perkasie, Pennsylvania Perkasie is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Perkasie is southeast of Allentown and north of Philadelphia. Establishments in the borough early in the 20th century included silk mills, brickyards, lumber mills, tile work ...
in 1986. He moved to
Newburgh, Maine Newburgh is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,595 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. De ...
in 1989 and then to
Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay (Maine), Belfast Bay and Penobsc ...
a decade later, where he met his future wife, Martha Hills. In 2000, he began operation of a sailboat charter business during summers named Gafia (for "get away from it all"). DePoy and Hills started playing music together in Belfast in 2003. They moved back to Virginia in 2007.


Me & Martha

DePoy and his wife Martha Hills have been performing together since 2005 as Me & Martha, performing some 250 shows a year. Hills fronts the duo, sings, and plays the upright bass — which DePoy taught her to play. In 2000, she first heard DePoy perform in a band in
Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay (Maine), Belfast Bay and Penobsc ...
and "felt her life change in a matter of measures." “I’d never heard bluegrass music, except for the ‘
Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...
’ theme,” Hills said. After hearing DePoy she thought, "I have to have bluegrass in my life." She started learning double-bass in 2001, and she and DePoy started performing music together in 2003, soon adding stories and history to their performances. Hills says, “He’s my soulmate, and we enjoy making people happy.” With her husband playing “everything but fiddle,” she points out, “We’re a party waiting to happen.” The duo continues the centuries-old music-making tradition of fusing musical genres to create a fresh approach to the music. Me & Martha see themselves as keepers of the flame of Americana rural roots mountain music, which includes American fiddle/banjo traditions, old-time string band,
sea shanties A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term ''shanty'' most accurately refers to a sp ...
, work songs, hillbilly, traditional and classic country, bluegrass, rural swing, and contemporary folk ballads. They were awarded Top Live Wedding Band by Virginia Living for 2022 and 2023. Me & Martha are members of America’s Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame and are on the artist rosters of the
Virginia Commission for the Arts The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), is the state agency that supports the arts through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Commission was created in 1968, is governed by 9 Commissioners a ...
and Young Audiences of Virginia as traditional musicians. In 2012, they played 212 concerts, hosted 34 weekly Tuesday night bluegrass jams at
James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...
, participated in a number of community service events, and worked tirelessly on the Shenandoah Music Trail, an organization they founded.


Education

DePoy graduated from
Buffalo Gap High School Buffalo Gap High School (BGHS) is a public school located in Swoope, Virginia. The Buffalo Gap class of 2007 scored higher in all SAT categories than every public school in Augusta County and inlying cities.
in
Buffalo Gap, Virginia Buffalo Gap is an unincorporated community in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. Buffalo Gap is located approximately northwest of Staunton, Virginia. History Buffalo Gap experienced a boom when an iron furnace was built there by th ...
in 1968, where he appeared in the senior play. DePoy graduated from Blue Ridge Community College in
Weyers Cave, Virginia Weyers Cave ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Staunton– Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area. Weyers Cave is the site of ...
with an A.S. degree in Education in June 1970. In December 1992 he was awarded a B.U.S. degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Maine at Orono, where he later received an M.Ed. in Social Studies Education (May 1994) and a Ph.D. in the cultural context of bluegrass music (December 1996).


Teaching

DePoy worked for the
Virginia Community College System The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) oversees a network of 23 community colleges in Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlant ...
as a media specialist and lecturer throughout the 1970s, teaching courses in Beginning and Advanced Bluegrass Banjo and Beginning and Advanced Guitar. From 1995 to 2005, DePoy was assistant professor at the New England School of Communication in
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...
, teaching courses in music appreciation, electronic and web page production,
desktop publishing Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using dedicated software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online co ...
, multi-media production,
multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...
, advertising, and
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
. During the same period, he served at
Husson College Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2022 had a total enrollment of 3,065 students, including 636 graduate students in master's and doctoral ...
as graduate and undergraduate
adjunct faculty An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is ge ...
, teaching courses in
social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
, marketing/public relations, and communication technology. He has taught
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
at the college level in Virginia at
James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...
and
Bridgewater College Bridgewater College is a private liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia. Established in 1880, Bridgewater College admitted both men and women from the time of its founding and was the first four-year liberal arts college in Virginia to ...
. He serves as
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
at
Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center f ...
where he teaches all the bluegrass instruments. Noted by some as "Dr. Bluegrass", DePoy has dedicated his life to teaching and preserving the music he plays, which he terms "Southern mountain music style of
Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
". In 2013, he became a certified
Pete Wernick Pete Wernick (born February 25, 1946), also known as "Dr. Banjo", is an American musician. He is a five-string banjo player in the bluegrass music scene since the 1960s, founder of the Country Cooking and Hot Rize bands, Grammy nominee and educat ...
Jam Instructor.


Shenandoah Music Trail

DePoy and his wife organized the nonprofit Shenandoah Music Trail, which maps out different major venues, trail stops, historic locations, festivals and jam sessions from
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
down to Roanoke focusing on bluegrass, old-time string band, blues, rural swing, and classic country music. According to their mission, the Shenandoah Music Trail "is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all volunteer, Virginia-based corporation whose mission is to preserve, promote and celebrate the music traditions of the Shenandoah Valley by bringing together musicians, venues and audiences." DePoy and Hills work with local towns and communities to create economic opportunities from the region’s cultural capital to better advance the community’s economic development efforts through social entrepreneurship and niche marketing opportunities. The Shenandoah Music Trail is sponsored in part by the
Virginia Commission for the Arts The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), is the state agency that supports the arts through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Commission was created in 1968, is governed by 9 Commissioners a ...
, the National Council for the Arts, and Virginia Tourism Corporation — to promote the Shenandoah Valley’s musicians, historical events, festivals, and live music venues. Shenandoah Music Trail received a $5,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia in May 2022 to fund a music trail event. More than $2.7 million in "matching grant and reimbursable sponsorship funds" were granted to over 250 tourism programs around Virginia with the aim of increasing "visitation and traveler spending while bolstering economic recovery" in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns.


WestView Community Place

When DePoy and Hills moved back to the area where he'd grown up in September 2017, they moved into his parents' former house just down the street from the West View United Methodist Church, where they'd hoped to worship. They discovered the church had closed. With the building sitting vacant for some months, DePoy called the Methodist dioceses and ask what could be done. As to how they got a "bluegrass church" going, Hills explains: They've been holding monthly bluegrass jams, known as Bluegrass Spirit Jams, at the once-vacant church since February 2018. The aim of these sessions is "to celebrate God’s presence, communicate God’s love and to honor the rich music heritage of the Shenandoah Valley." As Hill states, "It is here diversity of talents and gifts are not only invited but encouraged through fellowship and bluegrass music." She adds, "It's a non-traditional church, it's unconventional." The Bluegrass Spirit Jams are an extension of the work they were doing as live performers. Touring around the country as Me & Martha, doing 250 or so shows a year, people often encouraged DePoy and Hills after shows to keep doing their "ministry." As DePoy describes it, "People would comment, 'We love your spirit and hope you continue your ministry.' Ministry? We were just being ourselves and playing music. We were not doing ministry. That’s what preachers do." But he did see that their music was bringing people together on common ground and, "Anytime you gather people together in fellowship, wherever, not necessarily in a building, that (sic) you're in church." DePoy adds, "A church brings people together."


Other

DePoy is executive director at Shenandoah Valley Mountain Music Makers Association, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization he founded, along with the Shenandoah Music Trail. In 2011 he organized the Oak Leaf Bluegrass & Mountain Music Festival at
Luray Caverns Luray Caverns, previously Luray Cave, is a show cave, cave just west of Luray, Virginia, United States, which has drawn many visitors since its discovery in 1878. The cavern system is adorned with speleothems such as columns, mud flows, stalact ...
and Luray Valley Museum. The show celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first single-day "bluegrass" festival held July 4, 1961 — which sparked the thousands of bluegrass festivals that take place around the world today — and featured such first-generation bluegrass acts as
The Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph a ...
and Bill Clifton & The Dixie Mountain Boys,. DePoy served as executive director (1993–1997) for F.O.L.K., Inc. (Focus On Local Knowledge) a 501-C-3 not-for-profit corporation chartered to support preservation, dissemination, and education of folk practices, specifically relating to performance and visual arts. F.O.L.K. is publisher of MuseNews, a monthly arts/literature guide.


Recordings

DePoy is a featured performer on eleven recordings and four anthologies of traditional American music. Me & Martha CDs comprise: * ''On the Road Home'' (2005) * ''Porch Picking CD'' (2007) * ''Soul Searching CD'' (2008) * ''Whispering Pines'' (2013) * ''Country Girls Blue Moon'' (2024)


Performance

In addition to performance in thousands of live shows, club,
house concert A house concert or home concert is a musical concert or performance art that is presented in someone's home or apartment, or a nearby small private space such as a barn, apartment rec room, lawn, or backyard."VIDEO: House concert in Royal Oak," ...
s, festival performances, and workshops throughout the United States (1959 – present), DePoy appearances include: * WABH-AM one-hour weekly "live" Mountain Music Show (1963–1967). * Mountain Heritage Craft and Music Festival (1974–1977). *
Philadelphia Folk Festival The Philadelphia Folk Festival is a folk music festival held annually at Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. The four-night, three-day festival is produced and run by the non-profit Philadelphia Folkson ...
(1987 and 1988). * Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival (1988 and 1989). * American Cowgirls, a bluegrass music play (1992). *
Bulgarian National Television The Bulgarian National Television ( Bulgarian: Българска национална телевизия, ''Balgarska natsionalna televizia'') or BNT (БНТ), stylized as ·Б·Н·Т· since 2018, is a public television broadcaster of Bulgaria ...
segment (1992). *
Bulgarian National Radio Bulgarian National Radio (, ''Bǎlgarsko nacionalno radio''; abbreviated to БНР, BNR) is Bulgaria's national radio broadcasting organisation. It operates two national channels and nine regional channels, as well as an international service ( R ...
segment (1992). * Roots & Branches, a bluegrass play (1999). * Schooner Days,
Camden, Maine Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is ...
(2000 and 2001). * Joe Val Bluegrass Festival,
Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston ...
(2005, 2006, 2007). * Shenandoah Valley Music Festival (2012, 2013). * Featured performer Red Barn Radio Show,
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
(2015).


Publication

* “Cultural Context of Bluegrass Music: Preference, Familiarity & Stereotypes.” PhD. dissertation, Orono, ME: University of Maine (1996). *Music Maker’s Guide, Lulu Press:
Morrisville, NC Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Carolina, United States (a small portion extends into neighboring Durham County). According to the 2020 census, the population was 29,630. Morrisville is part of the Research Triang ...
(2007) *Songs to Lift the Spirit, Lulu Press: Morrisville, NC (2008) * "Along the Shenandoah Music Trail", Americana Rhythm monthly publication (2011–15) *Music Maker’s Guide, 2nd Edition, Lulu Press: Morrisville, NC (2012) *Music Maker’s Guide, 3rd Edition, Lulu Press: Morrisville, NC (2018)


Presentation

* Enhancing one’s life through music making (presentation) 23rd Annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities, Waikiki, HI (2007) * Music Making Workshop (presentation), Blue Ridge Community College Folk Life Festival, Weyers Cave, VA (2007) * Featured Speaker, Bridgewater College Speakers Bureau, Bridgewater, Virginia Appalachian Square & Round Dances, Bluegrass for Parents & Children, Roots Music History, Sharing Maine’s Coast,
Bridgewater College Bridgewater College is a private liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia. Established in 1880, Bridgewater College admitted both men and women from the time of its founding and was the first four-year liberal arts college in Virginia to ...
, Bridgewater, VA (2008) * Washington, DC’s role in preserving the folk music of the Shenandoah Valley: 1940 to present, Historical Society,
Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
(2008) * Music Making in the Shenandoah Valley: Status of oral transmission practices. Annual Virginia Sociology Conference,
Lexington, VA Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions, and is combined with it for ...
(2008) * Benefits of Music Making Across the Lifespan (paper), Annual SRAD conference at the Society for Research in Child Development,
Denver, CO Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of ...
(2009) * Music of the Shenandoah Valley (lecture),
Taubman Museum of Art The Taubman Museum of Art, formerly the Art Museum of Western Virginia, is an art museum in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Formally established in 1951, the museum was housed in several locations around Roanoke before moving in 2008 t ...
, Roanoke, VA (2010)


Honors, awards, distinctions

*Founding member of the Folk Music Society of the Blue Ridge (1971). *Music Director for Annual Arts, Craft and Music Festival,
Middletown, Virginia Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Virginia, United States, in the northern Shenandoah Valley. The population was 1,265 at the 2010 census, up from 1,015 at the 2000 census. History Middletown was chartered on May 4, 1796. Some of th ...
(1974–1976) and
Weyers Cave, Virginia Weyers Cave ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,700 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Staunton– Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area. Weyers Cave is the site of ...
(1973–1975). *Music Director for the Apple Harvest Festival,
Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
(1976 and 1977). *Included in the Library of Congress recording "Selections from the 1988 Galax Old Fiddlers' Convention". *Invited presenter at the Folk Alliance International Conference (1995). *Chairperson, The Arts and Cultural Tourism committee (1996). *Member of the Executive Committee for the Greater Bangor Area Arts Council (1996–1999). *Board of Directors for the University of Maine Orchestra (1997–2004). *Board of Directors for the Bluegrass Association of Maine (2001–03). *Honorary Faculty Member Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society (2002) *Board of Directors for the Shenandoah Valley Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association (2007–present). *Commonwealth of Virginia Governor's Certificate of Recognition in July 2011. * United States Senator Mark Warner Letter of Recognition in July 2011. *Became a certified
Pete Wernick Pete Wernick (born February 25, 1946), also known as "Dr. Banjo", is an American musician. He is a five-string banjo player in the bluegrass music scene since the 1960s, founder of the Country Cooking and Hot Rize bands, Grammy nominee and educat ...
Jam Instructor in 2013. *Won first place in dulcimer at the 2017 at the Old Fiddlers' Convention in
Galax, Virginia Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,720. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Galax with neighboring Carroll County for statisti ...
. He also placed third in Guitar (1983) and fifth in Banjo (1985). *Started the "First Bluegrass Church" at WestView Old Country Church in Swoope, Virginia (2018). *Holds a Master 200-Ton, near coastal, unlimited passengers
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
license with sail and tow endorsements. *Me & Martha were chosen top Wedding Band in the Virginia Living Magazine "2022 and 2023 Best of Virginia" survey.


Business

In 1979, DePoy worked in New York City as a design engineer with international design and consulting firm Hubert Wilke, Inc., commuting by train two and a half hours each way to
Yardley, Pennsylvania Yardley is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Yardley borders the Delaware River and Ewing Township, New Jersey to its east and Lower Makefield Township to its north, west, and south. The United States Post Office assigns ...
. Tiring of the long commute after a year, he became a television producer and executive in Philadelphia in the early 1980s, starting his own television studio, Teleimage, Inc., in 1981 — which became Philadelphia's second-largest independent television/audio production company. As Project Coordinator/Executive Producer for Goodway Marketing, Inc. in
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is approximately north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. The borough was settled in abou ...
between 1984 and 1986, DePoy was responsible for block media buys and syndication for a national marketing
holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
with twenty-three separate businesses. DePoy was owner of two Laserset Publishing Centers in the late 1980s in Doylestown and
Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located ...
. He was President of D&D Marketing, Inc. in
Orono, Maine Orono ( ) is a New England town, town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot River, Penobscot and Stillwater River (Maine), Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by Province of Maine, American colonists in 1774. ...
from 1989 to 1995. He also published Auntie M's Guide for Bargain Hunters, a bi-monthly publication with a circulation of 10,000 copies distributed throughout the greater
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...
region. DePoy founded Gafia Sailing Charters in 1999, sailing from Belfast City Harbor in Belfast, Maine aboard the ViVa, a registered National Historic Treasure "classic racing yacht" launched in 1939. ViVa, a was retired from charter operation in 2007.


Personal

DePoy is married to Martha Hills, who is from
Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay (Maine), Belfast Bay and Penobsc ...
. Hills is an early childhood educator (BA) with over 15 years in private and public education who taught in the preparatory music program at
Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center f ...
in Harrisonburg, Virginia. His first wife, Elizabeth, was from Manhattan.


See also

*
Bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...
*
Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:DePoy, Donald 1949 births Living people 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American bluegrass guitarists American country guitarists American country singers American folk musicians American male guitarists American multi-instrumentalists Bluegrass musicians from Virginia Country musicians from Virginia Guitarists from Virginia American music educators Musicians from Appalachia People from Augusta County, Virginia People from Belfast, Maine People from Harrisonburg, Virginia Radio personalities from Virginia Singers from Virginia Television producers from Pennsylvania Television producers from Virginia University of Maine alumni