Popular music festival taps Kentucky roots with Wynonna Judd as headliner

With its 30th anniversary approaching this weekend, Somerset’s Master Musicians Festival is doing a lot of looking about.

It’s looking back on three decades of bringing predominantly Americana acts to rural Kentucky – a review that will take the form of a revue when home state favorites Nicholas Jamerson and Brother Smith join forces for a Friday evening headlining tribute featuring songs by many of the featured artists that have played the MMF stages through the decades.

It will look to the present by maintaining the festival’s ongoing mission of honoring a stylistic elder, a Master Musician, whose ripple effect of inspiration is heartily received by a succeeding generation of artists.

This year, a grand representative will be in the spotlight – Kentucky country-and-more empress Wynonna Judd, who will close the festival Saturday evening.

How Master Musicians Festival differs from Railbird

The event will also look to the future in further exploration of what is perhaps its longest running goal – how to grow while still maintaining an appeal as a community-friendly event, one boasting considerably more intimacy than most major corporate festivals.

“That’s probably one of our biggest challenges, to make sure we strike that balance all the time,” said Julie Harris, president of the board of directors for the Master Musicians Festival. “We always have to come back to ‘What is our mission?’ I mean, we can do lots of things to make this festival be more of a Railbird or a Bourbon and Beyond. That’s not what we’re after because we want people to come here to experience what is home for us, which is nestled in that little area behind Somerset Community College that feels so welcoming and calm.”

“People love going to the big mega-festivals,” added MMF executive director Tiffany Finley. “But there is something about being able to come to a smaller town. We pride ourselves on offering Southern hospitality with what is now coined as a ‘boutique festival,’ where you don’t feel crammed. You can go with your whole family, still set up chairs, you can still bring in coolers and blankets. It doesn’t have that corporate feeling. A lot of people don’t want to go and stand the whole day. We’re so kid-friendly, too. We’re really instilling that love of going to music festivals and appreciating Americana music into the next generation.”

The festival is hitting 30 following two banner years, which, in turn, followed its two most dismal summers. In 2019, a major storm hit the festival site at Somerset Community College, causing the last-minute cancellation of headliner Jason Isbell. Then in 2020 came, the COVID-19 pandemic, causing MMF and major music festivals around the country to shut down. A crippled summer followed by a canceled summer. For an event like MMF, those were serious hits.

“After what happened with Jason, obviously, we were at our lowest point,” Finley said. “Then to come back right after that to try and rally, only to be canceled in 2020 ... well, maybe that was a good thing for us, in a way. We were able to take a step back, regroup and have a whole year to plan with pretty much that exact same (artist) lineup we had planned on in 2020 set for 2021.

“Even then, we were lucky. Not long after the festival, it ended up being that we had to go back to some (COVID-caused) restrictions, but we just kind of hit this sweet spot where everything was good. We had the biggest year we ever had in 2021. We went from 2019 being the worst year to 2021 being the best, then following in 2022, which was also great. So, I feel really, really good about going into this festival weekend.”

Second consecutive year female artist headlines Master Musician Festival

Enlisting Judd as MMF’s 2023 headliner offers several reasons for prompting that feeling. First, it marks the second consecutive year the festival is featuring a female artist as headliner (Grace Potter topped the bill in 2022.)

More importantly, Judd cements a 2023 lineup made up almost exclusively of Kentucky artists, several of which come from outside the festival’s usually Americana-leaning parameters. Among them: hip hop favorite Nappy Roots, indie country stylist Brit Taylor, opera artist and educator Amanda Balltrip and singer-songwriter Abby Hamilton. In addition, the Louisville Orchestra will kick off the festival with a free Thursday evening performance.

“At the core, I think we’re an Americana festival, but we also really try to make sure we’re hitting all ends of the spectrum of Americana,” Finley said. “This year, especially, we really wanted to honor Kentucky music. About 99% of our lineup is from Kentucky. For us, being one of the oldest running music festivals in Kentucky, we just wanted to show people what Kentucky music has to offer.”

Still, as Kentucky artists go, Judd possesses a towering legacy, one she revisited last fall at Rupp Arena with the help of Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill and Martina McBride in a tribute concert to The Judds, the hitmaking duo the singer co-led with her late mother Naomi.

“We’ve talked about bringing in Wynonna for years,” Harris said. “But I don’t think there is a more appropriate year than this one for us to have her as our headliner and our Master Musician. Often, the headliner and the Master Musician aren’t always the same person. When that does happen, it’s pretty magical. This year, in particular, we can celebrate the past of Kentucky music and the future of Kentucky music with one incredible woman. I love that.”

“We talk a lot about wanting to get that hot, young artist that’s up and coming,” Finley added. “I always remind our board that our name is the Master Musicians Festival. While it doesn’t always have to be the headliner, we do want to honor someone who has achieved master status in his or her craft. Last year was our first year to have a female headliner. We backed that up again this year with a second one, so there was no arguing about inviting Wynonna at all.

“With everything that’s gone on in her career and life the last year, it was just a no-brainer. She is so much a master, especially in the Kentucky music scene.”

Master Musicians Festival

When: July 13-15

Where: Festival Field of Somerset Community College, 808 Monticello St. in Somerset

Tickets: $55-$100 at eventbrite.com

Information: mastermusiciansfestival.org

Full lineup for Master Musicians Festival

Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m.: The Louisville Orchestra at Center for Rural Development, 2292 S Hwy 27 #300 in Somerset

The performance is free, but all tickets have been distributed.

Friday, July 14 at Festival Field of Somerset Community College, 808 Monticello St. in Somerset

Horse Soldier Bourbon Stage

5 p.m.: Corduroy Brown

6:40 p.m.: Girl Tones

8:20 p.m.: Nicholas Jamerson and the Morning Jays

10 p.m.: MMF30 Tribute with Nicholas Jamerson and Brother Smith

Citizens National Bank Stage

6 p.m.: Rye Davis

7:40 p.m.: Producing a Kind Generation

9:20 p.m.: Brit Taylor

Mill Springs Studio Tent

6 p.m.: Hannah Howard

7:40 p.m.: Nat Myers

Saturday, July 15 at Festival Field of Somerset Community College, 808 Monticello St. in Somerset

Horse Soldier Bourbon Stage

1 p.m.: Young songwriters panel

2 p.m.: Jordan Foster Family & Co.

4:20 p.m.: Abby Hamilton

6 p.m.: Nappy Roots

7:40 p.m.: Ian Noe

9:30 p.m.: Wynonna Judd

Citizens National Bank Stage

2 p.m.: Shades of Raven

3:40 p.m.: Van Winkle and the Spirits

5:20 p.m.: Rachel Crowe

7 p.m.: Moonlight Mile

8:50 p.m.: Brother Smith

Mill Springs Studio Tent

2 p.m.: Amanda Balltrip

3:40 p.m.: Jonathan New’s Country Kids Camp

5:20 p.m.: Scott T. Smith

7 p.m.: Swift Silver