Chris Gage, a guitarist and songwriter born and bred in Pierre, is an alum of Hee Haw and Roy Clark’s band, and a founding member of The Red Willow Band.
Now a musician and studio owner in Austin, Texas, Gage returns to his hometown to play the 1969 Martin D-28 guitar customized for country artist Merle Travis and passed down, respectively, to Marty Stuart, Johnny Cash, and Travis’ son Thom Bresh.
In addition to Gage's live performance, the evening includes a brief sneak-peek of Ken Burns' latest documentary Country Music as well as the fabled backstory of the historic Martin D-28 from Arian Sheets, Curator of Stringed Instruments at the National Music Museum-Vermillion.
Saturday, Sept. 7, 7pm
Ramkota Ampitheater #2, Pierre, SD
Free and open to the public.
In conjunction with the premiere of Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary, SDPB and the National Music Museum (NMM) are partnering to showcase South Dakota’s own rich heritage and connections to country music.
Fabled instruments once owned and played by Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs emerge from the National Music Museum’s unrivaled collection to be played by some of South Dakota’s finest country music musicians.
Join SDPB and the NMM for three incredible events at three locations across South Dakota. Learn the backstories of these priceless instruments from Arian Sheets, NMM’s Curator of Stringed Instruments. See a sneak peek of Ken Burns’ Country Music. Then sit back and listen to local artists play a piece of country music history.
