SMITHVILLE FIDDLERS' JAMBOREE®

If you would like to be considered for a judging position for the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, please email your information to smithvillejamboree@gmail.com

Five judges will score each music contestant. The high and low scores will be thrown out, and the remaining three scores will be averaged to determine the contestant’s final score.

Dance contestants will be scored by three judges, with no scores being thrown out. All three scores will be averaged to determine the contestant’s final score.

Tennessee Songwriter Judges

Vanissa Braswell Murphy – Smithville, TN former Professor and Chair, Department of Music and Theatre Arts at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; Bachelor of Music – Middle Tennessee State University; Masters of Music- University of Kentucky; Doctor of Music – University of North Texas; Favorite subject to teach – Folk & Traditional Music of the United States.

Michelle Canning – Nashville, TN member of the recording Academy, International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Member of the IBMA Songwriters Committee; Graduate of Morehead State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Traditional Music and Masters Degree in Business Administration.

Darrin Vincent – Smithville, TN Grand Ole Opry Member Part of the duo Dailey & Vincent; Darrin started singing at age three and playing music at age six as part of his family band, The Sally Mountain Show, along with sister Rhonda Vincent. As a member of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for more than 10 years, Darrin has won five Grammy Awards and eight IBMA Awards for Instrumental Group of the Year. He is an accomplished musician and vocalist with expert abilities to arrange and create captivating music.

Music Judges for 2023

Head Judge - Chad Anderson Growing up in a musical family, Chad Anderson got his first instrument (dulcimer) around five. At age seven his dad brought home a mandolin for him and that became his primary instrument from then on in the family band. The Anderson Family played at various local gatherings, benefits, and bluegrass festivals all throughout his childhood and still plays an occasional show or two now. Chad obtained a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Recording Industry Management where he played acoustic instruments on numerous recording projects. He has given lessons throughout the years on mandolin, guitar, and fiddle. While primarily a self-taught musician, Chad had the opportunity during college to take advanced mandolin lessons from the legendary Roland White. Now living in the Upper Cumberland with his family, Chad plays bluegrass with several bands around the area. He still gives the occasional lesson and enjoys building the instruments he now plays.

Jackson Carter lives in Livingston, TN, with his wife, MaryFaye. Jackson works as an Assistant District Attorney serving Clay and Overton Counties. He began playing bluegrass when he was thirteen years old, taking mandolin lessons for approximately one year. Jackson’s main focus is on Bill Monroe style mandolin playing. In additon, Jackson enjoys playing claw hammer banjo.

Jimmy Bilbrey is a Cookeville, Tn native. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 1990 with a B.S. in Music Education. (Emphasis in Classical Violin) Jimmy studied in the studios of Francis Elliott and Elizabeth Small. He has taught music in the public school system and has taught privately for about 33 years. A multi-instrumentalist, he teaches fiddle, violin, guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, banjo, ukulele, bass, songwriting and harmony singing at the School of Performing Arts in Cookeville. After graduation, he played acoustic guitar, fiddle, piano and sang in a country band for 20 years. An award-winning songwriter, Jimmy has had songs recorded both nationally and internationally. Most recently, "Wonderful Day", a song he co-wrote with his father, Ron Bilbrey, was recorded by Doyle Lawson on his latest gospel CD. Currently, Jimmy performs in his family’s bluegrass/bluegrass gospel band called, "The Bilbreys". He is minister of music at University Heights Baptist Church. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children and three grandchildren.

Timmy Nixon is from Smithville, Tennessee. Timmy is no stranger to Bluegrass music and has years of experience playing the banjo. He began at age 14 and in no time was playing the contest circuit winning banjo competitions all over the South. He then went on to playing small gigs and shows with local bands such as The Center Hill Grass, The Billy Womack Band, Duck River Bluegrass Band, and Valley Grass Express. Most recently and still on occasions, Timmy plays with well known Fiddler/Preacher Tom Brantley in the band Missionary Ridge. Timmy has served as judge for Bluegrass Band and Individual Competitons in the mid-Tennessee area including The Wilson County Fair Bluegrass Competition. Beginning in 2017, Timmy joined Jerry Butler and The Blu-J’s (a long running Bluegrass Band from Knoxville, TN). Timmy also gives banjo lessons.

John Mayberry Has been teaching guitar(acoustic and electric), bass, mandolin, and banjo for the past 13 years. Playing professionally with Ronnie Reno & The Reno Tradition for 12 years. Playing on the road gigs and on "Reno’s Old Time Music" Television show on RFD-TV network reaching 1.2 million viewers monthly. He’s had the pleasure of recording two studio albums, "Front Porch Gospel" and "Lessons Learned", with Reno and sitting in on many projects with other great artists. Before working with Reno he participated in numerous contests in TN and KY garnering many trophies and ribbons. "I’ve always loved the contest scene, playing in them since I was young. Later I’ve had the opportunity to sit on the "other side" of the judging table and each time I’ve tried my best to give each contestant a fair shake because that’s what I wanted back in the day."

Dance Judges for 2023

Jeff Driggs Jeff Driggs grew up in West Virginia where he learned to dance from watching old time masters like the late D. Ray White, and modern cloggers like Tony Burgess and Jamie Bullins. The West Virginia style he developed early on was often referred to as "back-stepping," a combination of flatfooting (a low to the floor dance style punctuated by heel skuffs and pitter patter on the ball of the foot) and Appalachian style clogging which is recognized by its constant drag-slide motion on the flat of the foot with the heel keeping time.

Jeff was offered the opportunity to dance with a local team and learned the terminology and techniques of precision clogging. The team performed locally and on the road with cast members of the Hee Haw Road show and opening in concert shows for Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels and others. His first festival teaching engagement was in 1983 and since that time he has taught in all fifty U.S. states, as well as Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia and has received numerous awards and honors, both as a competitor and an instructor.

As a performer, Jeff made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in 1985, after winning the U.S. male clogging title. He has danced on that hallowed stage many times throughout the years, and in shows with country music artists such as Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers, Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, and others. His routines are taught and danced worldwide, and his choreography has been performed in international parades and festivals, bowl game halftime shows, theme parks and more. Jeff has written several books on clogging and old-time square dancing, owned and distributed the Double Toe Times magazine read by thousands of dancers worldwide and has served as an officer in many national clogging organizations.

He has been honored with the Clogging Champions of America’s (CCA) Legacy Award, the Clogging Leaders Organization (CLOG, Inc.) Pioneer Award and was been inducted in the America’s Clogging of Fame in 2014.

Jeff lives in Winfield, West Virginia, where he works for West Virginia University’s School of Medicine.

Lynne Ogle Holbrook Lynne Ogle Holbrook has been in the clogging world for more than 40 years and coordinating clogging events for over 30 years. Her family boasts three generations of cloggers and since the 1990s they achieved several national titles.

She is president of the Clogging Champions of America organization and hosts the world’s largest clogging workshop gathering each year, the Smoky Mountain Encore held each March in Gatlinburg Tennessee.

She was inducted into the United Clogging Association’s Clogging Hall of Fame in 2018.

Chip Summey has been clogging since 1982. He is a Certified Judge and Certified Clogging Instructor, with active participation in leading training sessions.

Chip has traveled throughout the world, including Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, France, Italy and 47 States, as a workshop instructor, judge, event promoter, and dancer. Chip has been a board member for the Clogging Champions of America as well as the National Clogging Hoedown Council.

His competition team, the Southern Connection cloggers of Asheville, North Carolina has been National Champions in 4 or More Couple Precision, 4 or More Couple Hoedown, Country Hoedown, Running Set Hoedown, and Open Smooth Mountain Square Dance.

Chip has taught and judged all over the US, including the many CLOG National Conventions.

He has had teams to Dance in International and World Festivals with a recent trip to Moscow, Russia and the surrounding countryside with the Southern Connection Cloggers.

Professionally, Chip is a Travel Consultant & Coordinator with Wilcox Travel.