N.C. Arts Council - Sheila Kay Adams

Sheila Kay Adams

Art Form: Folk/Traditional Music/Oral Traditions (Folk/Traditional storytelling)/Folklore/Study of Folk Arts/Fiction Writing

Mars Hill, NC

Phone: 828/689-5208
Email: sheila@jimandsheila.com
Web Site: http://www.jimandsheila.com

 

Touring Artists Directory Profile

Sheila Kay Adams, a former schoolteacher, has been performing Appalachian ballads and telling stories for more than 30 years. A native of Madison County, N.C., she was introduced to the tale-telling tradition by her great-aunt "Granny," well-known balladeer Dellie Chandler Norton. Adams' tales range from stories of heroic and sometimes fierce mountain settlers to the enchanting memories of her childhood. She is also known for her clawhammer-style banjo playing. Adams has shared her heritage through extensive touring, as well as CD and tapes, documentary films, news and magazine articles, and the Public Radio show "Over Home." Her book of stories, Come Home with Me, was a 1997 winner of the N.C. Historical Society's award for historical fiction. In the summer of 1999, Adams was recruited to act as technical advisor and singing coach to the cast of the critically acclaimed, award-winning motion picture, Songcatcher, which premiered in 2001.

Performances feature both stories and ballads.
Fee: $750-$1,000 and up.
Additional activities include school assembly programs and staff development on practical "how-to's" for teachers, parents, and librarians interested in integrating traditional ballads and storytelling into a curriculum.
Fee: $500 and up for school assemblies, depending on number and type of program; $750-$1,500 for staff development.

photo: Catherine B. Stone