CARLA GOVER E-PRESS KIT
“One of the thirty essential artists of her generation.”
— Acoustic Guitar Magazine
BIOGRAPHY
Carla Gover is an eighth-generation Kentuckian who hails from a small coal town in Eastern Kentucky, and her rural sensibilities permeate the work that she does and the music that she plays. A veteran of the folk scene, she has performed and recorded with such artists as Jean Ritchie, Mark Schatz, Dudley Connell, Stuart Duncan, Dirk Powell, Bruce Molsky, Ricky Simpkins, and many more. Her most recent album, "Wings", reached #1 on the Folk Music DJ Charts. The Old-Time Herald says, “Carla’s music contains the best elements of traditional Appalachian Music, including purity, intensity, integrity, and vivid imagery.” An award-winning singer-songwriter, she has covers by major artists as well as songs in film and documentary soundtracks. She was selected as a Master Artist in both Traditional Flatfoot Dancing as well as Appalachian Music by the Kentucky Arts Council. She performs solo, as a trio, and with various ensembles including the rootsy folk group Zoe Speaks, the trad Kentucky CornMaiz Stringband, and the bilingual Folk Opera Cornbread & Tortillas. She is the Artistic Director of both Cowan Creek Mountain Music School and the Cornbread & Tortillas Artist Collective.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest 1st Place Winner
Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Contest 1st Place Winner
Flatrock Songwriting Festival 1st Place Winner
Kentucky Folklife Program Master Artist in Traditional Dance
Berea College Fellow in Traditional Music
Kentucky Arts Council SmARTY Community Engagement Award
SONG PLACEMENTS & COVERS
Red River Moon, Independent Film Soundtrack
Plethora, Independent Documentary Soundtrack
Drop In The Bucket, cover, Five Shillings Short
Me & The Redbird River, cover, Grammy-nominated Dale Anne Bradley
Honeysuckle, cover, Canadian artist Erika Kulnys
SELECT VENUES
Glasgow Royal Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.
Merlefest, Wilkesboro, NC
Copenhagen Blues Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA
Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL