Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival

09/01/2026

🎶 Meet the Artists of Uncle Dave Macon Days! 🎶

Over the next several days, I’ll be sharing conversations with some of the talented artists appearing at this year’s Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival.

We’re kicking things off with local singer-songwriter and college student Jackson Harris. Get to know Jackson, hear about his musical journey, and find out what he has planned for the festival stage! 🪕🎤

📅 September 11–13
📍 Hop Springs in Murfreesboro

Enjoy the conversation—and we’ll see you at Uncle Dave Macon Days!

08/31/2026

🎤 Performer Spotlight: Delyn Christian and the John Prine Tribute Band

Songs filled with humor, humanity, heartache, and everyday truth have made John Prine’s music beloved across generations.

On Sunday, Delyn Christian and the John Prine Tribute Band will celebrate that remarkable catalog at Uncle Dave Macon Days.

A singer, songwriter, and musician with more than 30 years of performance experience, Delyn approaches every song with raw energy, sincerity, and soul. He gives himself fully to the music, always striving to reach the heart of the audience and honor the stories within each lyric.

Join us Sunday, September 13, for an afternoon of unforgettable songs and heartfelt storytelling.
📅 September 11–13, 2026
📍 Hop Springs • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

08/28/2026

⛪🪕 Uncle Dave’s Church: Haynes Chapel

Just down Woodbury Pike in the Kittrell community stands a church with a special connection to the man whose music and memory we celebrate each year.

Haynes Chapel was Uncle Dave Macon’s church.

Faith was an important part of Uncle Dave’s life and music, and his connection to Haynes Chapel went beyond attending services. When the church needed a new organ, Uncle Dave helped raise the money for it—and then hauled the organ to the church by freight wagon!

That connection continues today. The Haynes Chapel congregation has been a longtime friend and volunteer of Uncle Dave Macon Days, including during the festival’s years at Cannonsburgh.

On Sunday, September 6 at 11:00AM, Haynes Chapel invites the community to worship together one week before Uncle Dave Macon Days.

📍 Haynes Chapel Church
5935 Woodbury Pike
Murfreesboro, TN 37127

And the following Sunday, the tradition of sacred music continues at Uncle Dave Macon Days: A Roots Rendezvous with Lisa Law’s Gospel Showcase, September 13 at 1:00 p.m. at Hop Springs.

We also extend a special thank-you to longtime festival sponsor MindClub America for helping preserve and celebrate the music, heritage, and community spirit at the heart of Uncle Dave Macon Days.

From church hymns to old-time banjo tunes, these traditions are all part of the story. ❤️

📅 Uncle Dave Macon Days: A Roots Rendezvous
September 11–13, 2026
📍 Hop Springs • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

08/26/2026

The night Uncle Dave Macon Days began

On July 1, 1978, a small group of volunteers gathered on the east side of the Rutherford County Courthouse for the first Uncle Dave Macon Banjo Picking Contest.

Festival founder Jesse Messick and Uncle Dave’s grandson, David Ramsey Macon, organized the event with donated equipment, borrowed help, and a small portable stage. Seven banjo players entered. A brief thunderstorm sent everyone crowding onto the courthouse porch—and when night fell, the contest results were tallied by flashlight.

Only about 35 to 50 people attended, many bringing their own chairs or listening from their cars. After the contest, musicians stayed to jam while longtime neighbors shared stories about Uncle Dave.

From that simple gathering grew nearly five decades of music, dancing, contests, crafts, friendships, and community memories.
Sometimes a great tradition begins with little more than an idea, a few volunteers, and the determination to keep the music alive.

08/24/2026

🎻 Performer Spotlight: Monroeville

Smoky Mountain roots, original music, and the kind of energy that reaches across generations.

Founded by Grammy-nominated musician Matt Munsey, Monroeville blends bluegrass, country, and blues traditions with a modern acoustic sound all its own.

Since forming in 2010, the band has released four full-length albums, numerous singles and music videos, and a live project recorded with a youth orchestra—all centered around original songs. Along the way, Monroeville has been named IBMA Momentum Band of the Year, appeared on national festival stages, and performed before 80,000 fans at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Experience their high-energy live show on Saturday, September 12, at Uncle Dave Macon Days.
📅 September 11–13, 2026
📍 Hop Springs • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

08/24/2026

08/21/2026

📸 From the Uncle Dave Macon Days archives

This photograph was taken about 25 years ago and captures a group of musicians gathered closely around what is believed to be one of Uncle Dave Macon’s original banjos.

Notes written with the photograph identify Houston Harrison on guitar and possibly Phillip Steinmetz at right, along with Uncle Doc Willhite and Jeremy. The notes also suggest that Phillip may have recently received the banjo from his uncle, Grandpa Jones—but we would love help confirming the full story.

There is something special about seeing musicians gathered around an instrument with so much history—studying it, playing it, and passing its story along to another generation.

Do you recognize anyone in this photograph, remember when it was taken, or know more about the banjo? Please share what you know in the comments. 🎻🪕

08/19/2026

Uncle Dave Macon—in his own words.

In 1933, Uncle Dave wrote a letter to Grand Ole Opry founder George D. Hay, who had asked for information about his life.

In the letter, Uncle Dave remembered a schoolteacher named Julia Burton, whose encouragement stayed with him for decades. He wrote that he never composed a letter without remembering her instruction to be neat, learn his lessons well, and always do his best.

He also credited circus performer and banjoist Joel Davidson with inspiring him as a young man. After seeing Davidson perform in Nashville, Uncle Dave persuaded his mother to give him the money for his first banjo.

The letter reveals more than dates and accomplishments. It shows a man who remembered the people who encouraged him and believed in giving “honor to which honor is due.”

That gratitude, humor, and generosity became as much a part of Uncle Dave’s legacy as the music itself.

08/18/2026

🪕 **Sponsor Spotlight: Thank You, Lamar Advertising!**

Have you spotted Uncle Dave out on the road? 👀

A big thank you to **Lamar Advertising** for generously supporting **Uncle Dave Macon Days: A Roots Rendezvous** and helping us spread the word through electronic billboards in the Nashville area!

With the festival just around the corner, this support helps us reach thousands of folks throughout Middle Tennessee and invite a whole new audience to join us in celebrating the music, arts, and heritage that have made Uncle Dave Macon Days a tradition for generations.

We are incredibly grateful to Lamar for their generosity, professionalism, and commitment to supporting our community.

Thank you, Lamar Advertising, for helping Uncle Dave shine! ⭐🪕🎶

📅 September 11–13, 2026
📍 Hop Springs • Murfreesboro, Tennessee

08/17/2026

🪕 Performer Spotlight: Jake Leg Stompers

Old-time American music was never meant to behave—and neither were the Jake Leg Stompers.

Middle Tennessee’s delightfully unruly ambassadors of jug-band music, blues, ragtime, early jazz, and pre-war roots traditions bring vintage sounds roaring back to life with period instruments, sharp humor, spirited storytelling, and plenty of chicken-fried hokum-billy swagger.

Their live performances are equal parts fine musicianship and glorious chaos. You may laugh, you may dance, and you’ll almost certainly remember them.
Catch the Jake Leg Stompers on Saturday, September 12—and so long as they don’t owe you money, they look forward to seeing you there.

📅 September 11–13, 2026
📍 Hop Springs • Murfreesboro, Tennessee