Matthew Weaver
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Matthew Weaver was born on July 12, 1972 in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. A talented musician that play 19 different instruments. He moved to Salisbury, N.C. in 1984. He has traveled all over the United States performing in hundreds of Bluegrass Shows, Appalachian Mountain Music shows, and 15 off-Broadway musical shows. He comes from a musical family, the "Tommy Schaffer & The Blue Mountain Ramblers," that performed mountain, hillbilly, and country music, for over 80 years, hosted the longest running live radio show in Pennsylvania, and made several guest appearances on The Grand Ole Opry.
From 1994-1999 he traveled and performed with the bluegrass off-Broadway show, "Smoke on the Mountain." In 2000, he performed in the reunion show, Sander's Family Christmas, which became the sequel to Smoke on the Mountain. In 2001, he performed and danced in Pump Boys and Dinettes.
Matthew has performed at Tweetsie Railroad, in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and appeared on PBS's Across The Blue Ridge. He has also been featured in Country Weekly Magazine, amongst several other publications.
He has performed for the North Carolina Republican State Convention, and for political fund raisers for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole and N.C. Congressman Robin Hayes. He holds first degree knight status in the Knights of Columbus. He is actively involved in the GOP, National Right to Life Committee, and Habitat for Humanity International, as well as animal and land conservation groups.
Matthew started playing the piano at the age of three, and developed a "Floyd Cramer style" that is in demand for studio productions all over the South. He has eight CDs that are currently available, as well as two new CDs which will be released this year.
In November of 2006, Matthew will be performing in a world premier of a new Smoke on the Mountain - The Homecoming. For the show, he provides vocals and plays banjo, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, and piano. He has also been a recipient of numerous awards for the banjo, guitar, and mandolin. He was a close friend to the great, late actress, Ellen Corby, who played the role of Esther Walton, on the hit TV series, The Waltons.
He serves as director of music at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Salisbury, North Carolina. He is completing a Master's Degree in Appalachian Mountain Bluegrass Music at Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C. His undergraduate degree is a concentration of American history with a minor in Appalachian Studies. He is an avid reader and collector of early American history, as well as Civil War studies and artifacts.
Matthew has performed and recorded with the legendary Mike Craver, who is a former member of The Original Red Clay Ramblers, and has appeared numerous times on public radio's, A Prairie Home Companion.
He is actively involved in mountain music preservation societies, and supports BITS, or Bluegrass In The Schools, a program which introduces a new generation of public school students to bluegrass, mountain, and gospel music to over 8,000 students; it teaches the banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and bass. This organization is run by IBMA, or International Bluegrass Music Association. This program teaches an appreciation for America's Roots Music.
Matthew's favorite time of the year is early fall till Christmas. He has written many Christmas songs, and loves Christmas movies, and books on Appalachian Christmas. He performs Appalachian Mountains Christmas shows, and performs his music at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. When he takes time off from his road schedule, you will find him and his family, dad, best friend Justin, and his dad Tom, fishing, camping, and hiking in the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.
