JOE COLLINS - Mountain Dulcimer

Joe fell in love with the mountain dulcimer back in 1978. At the time he was doing occasional coffeehouses as a college student in eastern North Carolina, and a good friend thought that he might be interested in tackling another instrument besides the guitar. He took her little instrument home, and she did not get it back for three years! Today he plays a lot less guitar and a lot more dulcimer than he did in those early days.

    After competing in a number of competitions and winning several regional competitions over a ten-year period, he won the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship in 2007 in Winfield, KS. Over the past 20 years he has had the opportunity to play in festivals from California to the east coast, from Florida to Vermont, and a lot of places in between. 

    A folk musician and mountain dulcimer player since the late 70's Joe combines mountain dulcimer wizardry with good solid vocals. He is a songwriter and vocalist, inspired by artist like Simon & Garfunkle, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, and Kris Kristofferson. But as he grows older and pudgier, he realizes that perhaps the most profound influence on his musical bent was the old Burl Ives records that listened to over and over again as a kid, His performances are sprinkled with a lot of humor and some excellent mountain dulcimer playing - sure to bring a smile to audiences of all ages.

Joe graduated from East Carolina University with Bachelor and Masters degrees in English, from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity with Religious Education, and from NC State University with a Doctorate in Adult Education. He has worked in Religious Education for most of his professional career and is Professor emeritus of religion at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC. Now that he has retired, he has more time for dulcimer, writing music, and traveling to work with clubs and in festivals.