MerleFest, presented by Lowe's and slated for April 25-28, 2013, is proud to announce the music festival's initial lineup. The four-day event, an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

The initial lineup reflects the diversity and quality of performers that are the hallmark of the festival. Thursday night's schedule will include North Carolina-native country rocker Charlie Daniels (with the Charlie Daniels Band); on Saturday evening, fans can expect special remembrances of the late Doc Watson, with a performance by the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who worked with Doc Watson on their classic Will The Circle Be Unbroken album, and a special all-star tribute to Doc, assembled by mandolin virtuoso - and longtime Doc Watson friend - Sam Bush.

The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture has written that "Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels." His iconic rock anthem "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," as well as other classics such as "In America," "Uneasy Rider," "The South's Gonna Do It," "Long Haired Country Boy," "Still in Saigon," "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" and many others are part of a catalog that spans 50 years of record making and represents more than 20 million in sales. About his long and highly successful career, the famed fiddler has said, "I have been blessed with gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, I have appeared many times on network television, even in moving pictures. I'm a member of the Grand Ole Opry and have won multiple awards from The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music, The Gospel Music Association and even a Grammy. Ain't God good!!!!" Charlie Daniels' most recent album is Land That I Love.

The iconic and profoundly influential Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, often cited as a catalyst for an entire movement in country rock and American roots music, continues to add to their legendary status. With multiplatinum and gold records, strings of top ten hits such as "Fishin' In The Dark" and "Mr. Bojangles", multiple Grammy, IBMA, CMA Awards and nominations, the band's accolades continue to accumulate. Their groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken album - which featured Doc Watson, among other traditional music icons - has been inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame. NGDB's recording of "Mr. Bojangles" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.

"This year's festival will celebrate the life and music of our dear friend Doc Watson, who passed away on May 29," says Ted Hagaman, director of the festival. "For the past 25 years he has been the artistic and spiritual center of this festival, so this year, we will come together as a family to pay special tribute to the man and the musician who meant so much to us all."

MerleFest is known for its unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, Americana, blues, country, Celtic, Cajun, cowboy, zydeco, rock and many other styles that Doc Watson referred to as "traditional plus."

"From the beginning, Doc and his wife RosaLee wanted this festival to honor the memory of their beloved son, Eddy Merle," Hagaman continues. "In the many conversations I've had with Doc through the years, he made clear that it was his desire to keep MerleFest as a quality event, with a focus both on family and providing a diverse collection of music. Going forward, it will be our honor to carry on that tradition."

The following are among the artists scheduled to perform at MerleFest 2013:

Susana and Timmy Abell 

Alberti Flea Circus 

Banknotes

Glenn Bannerman 

Gregg 'Buffalo' Barfield 

Riley Baugus 

Bayou Diesel 

Matraca Berg 

The Black Lillies 

Blind Boy Paxton 

Bobby and Blue Ridge Tradition

Roy Book Binder 

Laura Boosinger 

Sam Bush 

Calico Moon

Chatham County Line 

Charlie Daniels Band 

T. Michael Coleman

Dehlia Low 

Donna The Buffalo 

Jerry Douglas 

Enter The Haggis 

Tom Feldmann 

French Broad Playboys 

The Greencards 

Mitch Greenhill 

Wayne Henderson 

Orville Hicks 

Bob Hill

David Holt 

The Honeycutters 

The InterACTive Theater of Jef 

Eilen Jewell 

Johnson's Crossroad 

The Kickin Grass Band 

The Kruger Brothers 

Pokey LaFarge 

Jim Lauderdale 

Jack Lawrence 

Jeff Little Trio 

The Local Boys 

Doug MacLeod 

Bill Mathis

Andy May 

Tift Merritt 

Misty River Band 

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out 

Mountain Heart 

Michael Martin Murphey 

Nashville Bluegrass Band 

The Neighbors 

The New Familiars 

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 

Paul's Creek Band 

The Quebe Sisters Band 

Red Molly 

Carol Rifkin 

Peter Rowan 

Scythian 

The Sheets Family Band 

The Sigmon Stringers 

Steve and Ruth Smith 

Chris Smither 

Joe Smothers

Snyder Family Band 

South Carolina Broadcasters 

Kirk Sutphin 

Bryan Sutton 

Sutton, Holt and Coleman 

Patrick Sweany 

Tut Taylor 

ToneBlazers 

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage 

The Waybacks 

Charles Welch

Pete and Joan Wernick 

Ted White

Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris 

The Wild Rumpus 

Tony Williamson 

"As MerleFest fans have learned, we release up-to-the-minute lineup additions and other festival news through our social media outlets," said Hagaman. "So, staying in touch with us via our electronic newsletter, website (www.merlefest.org), Facebook and Twitter is crucial."

The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is now accepting applications from aspiring songwriters via U.S. Mail (P.O. Box 121855, Nashville, TN 37212). Entries may also be submitted through Sonicbids (www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongwritingcontest). The deadline for submissions is February 19, 2013.

Now in its 21th year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals, under the direction of this year's volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale.  

The first round of the CASC competition takes place in Nashville, Tenn., and is narrowed down to 12 finalists representing four categories: bluegrass, country, general and gospel/inspirational. Finalists are then invited to the final round of the competition, which takes place during MerleFest on the campus of Wilkes Community College.

Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception the scholarship has awarded over $36,000 to 75 deserving students.

The Walker Center, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, will present "Restless Heart Christmas" on November 30 at 8 p.m. This performance is sponsored by Hardee's.

Legendary country music band Restless Heart will combine songs of the season with their greatest hits to create a wonderful holiday evening to remember. With over 27 years of musical history to their credit, the five original members of Restless Heart continue to thrill audiences with their award-winning talent, showmanship and flawless harmonies on hits including "I'll Still Be Loving You," "Why Does It Have to be (Wrong or Right)," "Bluest Eyes in Texas," and "Dancy's Dream" just to name a few.

Gold became the standard for the group with the release of their self-titled album. Three more gold albums followed along with Grammy, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music nominations that culminated in Restless Heart being named ACM's Vocal Group of the Year. Restless Heart continues to thrill old and new fans by doing what they do best - appreciating their audiences and having a good time making great music.