A seventh-generation ballad singer, storyteller, and musician, Sheila Kay Adams was born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, North Carolina, an area renowned for its unbroken tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing dating back to the early Scottish, Scots/Irish and English settlers in the mid-17th century. She learned the art of ballad singing directly from elder tradition-bearers in her community.

In addition to her powerful voice and deep knowledge of traditional ballads, Adams is also an accomplished clawhammer banjo player and a captivating storyteller. She began performing publicly as a teenager and has since graced stages at festivals, music camps, workshops, and storytelling events across the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Her notable appearances include the prestigious National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in both 1976 (for the Bicentennial Celebration) and 2003 (for Appalachia: Heritage and Harmony).

In September, 2013, she received the nation’s highest award for the arts, The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award which recognizes folk and traditional artists for their artistic excellence and efforts to conserve America's culture for future generations. In 2016, Sheila received the North Carolina Heritage Award, the state’s highest award for the arts. More recently, Sheila was recognized as a 2026 United States Artist Fellow.

Sheila is also the author of two books, has released several acclaimed recordings, and has served as a singing coach and advisor for multiple film projects including Last of the Mohicans and Songcatcher. Through her performances, teaching, and advocacy, she continues to inspire a new generation to carry forward the songs and stories of Southern Appalachia.

Sheila has been featured at the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Newport Folk, Folk Alliance International, the International Storytelling Festival, Smithsonian, and more.

As George Holt, Director of Performing Arts and Film Studies at the North Carolina Museum of Art, wrote in support of her NEA nomination:

“Sheila Kay Adams is the key figure in carrying forward to this day the tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing that has enriched her community for more than two centuries, promoting its beauty throughout our country and beyond, and ensuring that it will be perpetuated by younger generations of singers well into the 21st century.”

Now, for the first time, Sheila Kay’s life’s work will be gathered into a beautifully produced career retrospective: part documentary narrative, part oral history archive, part visual celebration of Appalachian music. This project, produced through Sound Archive books, will highlight Sheila Kay not only as a musician and author but, most importantly, as a community builder, documenting how she is passing the tradition of ballad singing to a new generation of artists who now gather round her to carry this music forward.

The project will also result in a first-edition hardcover book, a curated archival record of photos and oral histories, and a live ballad swap tour designed to carry this book and the work it represents to audiences nationwide.

Community is essential to realizing this project. Learn more here and join the Launch Circle to ensure this critical documentation of one of Appalachia’s most iconic culture bearers is preserved for generations to follow.

Pre-order the book now and access one of these contributor levels and experiences :

• Supporter Edition: includes a limited edition hardcover copy of the book, recognition as a contributor at book events and in print, and priority access to the ballad swap and book events.

• The Porch Party: includes two signed limited and first edition hardcovers, invitation for two to an exclusive Porch Party and ballad swap at Sheila’s property, a Personal experience in the environment where these traditions live, and your name listed in the book as a Launch Circle Supporter.

• The Sodom Laurel Heritage Tour is a private, guided journey through the heart of the Madison County ballad tradition for a group of up to six people hosted by Sheila Kay offering firsthand history and lore of the community. It also includes six signed limited edition hardcovers of the book.

• Host a Private Book Signing + Ballad Swap and bring the music home! Hosting includes a live performance by select members of Sheila Kay Adams’ Nest of Singing Birds, 50 copies of the book, and a private book signing during a custom evening of stories and ballads at a venue of your choosing.

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