Marty Stuart will perform on the final night of the Wartrace MusicFest. [Click to enlarge]

The sounds of guitars and voices will fill the air at the end of May in Bedford County, with country and bluegrass artists converging once again for the Wartrace MusicFest.

The event is set for the weekend of May 30-31 and is funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee Department of Tourism. The festival begins at 2 p.m. that Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Country music star Marty Stuart is Saturday night's headline act. Stuart was discovered at the age of 13 by bluegrass legend Lester Flatt, which led the young man into a career that includes six top-ten hits, one platinum and five gold albums, and four Grammy Awards.

On Friday evening, bluegrass group Cherryholmes will take the stage. A relatively new group which has recorded five albums since 2001, the group is all self-taught family members. The group were recipients of the International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainers of the Year award for 2005 and were nominated for the same award in 2007. They have also had Grammy nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Best Bluegrass Album.

Performing on both Friday and Saturday will be Jack Lawrence, known as one of the best acoustic guitarists in the country, playing Americana, blues, bluegrass and "sophisticated folk."

Chris Jones and the Nightdrivers will be playing Saturday. Jones was named Broadcaster Of The Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual awards for his work as a DJ on Sirius Satellite Radio's bluegrass channel.

He also took home a co-writer's Song Of The Year trophy for "Fork In The Road," the title track of an Album Of The Year winner by the Infamous Stringdusters.

Also performing Saturday is bluegrass artist Phillip Steinmetz, the great-nephew of music legend Grandpa Jones. Steinmetz has a special connection to Bedford County, playing Jones's old Gallagher guitar, which was made in Wartrace, and continues the family tradition of old time music.

Other acts appearing at the festival will be the Creek, Steve Rector, Jon Garon, Buck and Nelson and 2nd Nature.

But music won't be the only thing happening. A cornbread and white bean dinner will be served Friday night and a guitar contest will be held at 10 a.m. May 31 at the Walking Horse Hotel, with the first place prize being a custom Gallagher guitar. For more information about the contest, call. (931) 205-4955.

A kid's zone and rough camping sites will also be available. Admission will be $10 Friday and $15 on Saturday.

The event is sponsored by First Community Bank of Bedford County, Gallagher Guitars, Green Hills Music Group, Linda and Doug Howard and the Walking Horse Hotel. The festival is being presented by the town of Wartrace and the Wartrace Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on the Wartrace MusicFest, call 389-6144.