The multi-talented John McCutcheon is doing a benefit for Habitat for Humanity in Hickory this Sunday afternoon beginning at 5 p.m. in the Belk Centrum auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University. The concert honors the late Suzie Jeffers, a faculty member (English) at L-R. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. It ought to be a most enjoyable afternoon/evening, for McCutcheon is tremendously versatile.

To mention just a few instruments that McCutcheon can play, there are guitar, banjo, hammer dulcimer, autoharp, and fiddle. Let's hope that he brings them all to Hickory. He is also a terrific storyteller and may feature that as well.

Steve Martin -- yes, the comic -- performed in Charlotte recently, and he did so as a banjo player. He's quite good, and, of course, he was inspired to take up the banjo by no other than Shelby's Earl Scruggs. I would love to have gone, but Charlotte is just a bit too far away when it comes to returning from evening performances in that city. It makes for too long a night. Tickets began at $54 which was another factor.

I am on the email list for a PR firm having to do with bluegrass, and I have been bombarded lately with news of Dale Ann Bradley's winning the outstanding female performer for the third year in a row from the International Bluegrass Music Award people. Let's hope that she is one of the headliners at Merlefest next year. It would be a real treat.

Those with computer access might like to check out the Web site www.folkmusic.com. Schedules for favorite musicians are available there, and there is plenty of background material on dozens of musicians.

Another fairly recent concert in Shelby was the one of Earl Scruggs and Friends in June. Scruggs appears to be performing slightly less than once a month these days. The three most recent performances of his have been in Colorado (July), Michigan (August), and San Francisco (Oct. 4).

PBS recently broadcast an older film of a bluegrass concert in San Francisco (in sight of the Bay Bridge). There was such a huge crowd that there seemed to be absolutely no room to move. While everyone there seemed well-behaved and having a lovely time, just the picture of it gave me ever-so-slight claustrophobia. No festival in this area comes even close to having that problem, and most of the time there is ample room for bring-your-own chairs. I did not see a chair in sight during the PBS show.

Since no date was given that I heard, I had to go by the appearance of some of the performers and also the slight gradation of the color film. Earl Scruggs and family were some of the performing artists, and, judging by the warm reception, I can see why he would return to San Francisco at least annually.

His Web site, www.earlscruggs.com, still honors his wife, who died in 2006 and who was a large part of his success. It is good to hear that he is still going strong after his terrible fall off a stage a couple of years ago.

I wish some enterprising follower of bluegrass would organize a bus tour to Shelby if Scruggs returns there another year. How pleasant it would be to attend a concert and let a professional driver bring us all home!

Avis O. Gachet can be reached by e-mail at agachet@earthlink.net.