Summer music in the Sandhills continues with two shows on the calendar for July as The Rooster's Wife is at home in the gallery room of Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St. in downtown Aberdeen.

The doors open at 6 p.m. for this week's show, with the music kicking off at 6:45. Picnics are welcome.

Ed Snodderly, of the Down Home in Johnson City, Tenn., and the Hot Seats share the bill Sunday, July 24.

When Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled its new building in 2001, Ed Snodderly was permanently honored when his song lyrics were literally inscribed into the wall.

"It is quite an honor to be recognized by an institution that could have picked any one of hundreds of legendary and renowned songwriters to distill the essence of what the museum embodies," says a spokesman.

Snodderly, who was born in East Tennessee, attributes his love of music and his ability to inspire others with his own grandfather, who was an old-time fiddler. Together with Ed's father on guitar and his uncles playing fiddle, piano and banjo, his family's band played for square dances back in the 1930s , alternating weekends with Roy Acuff's group

Snodderly's family were tobacco and cattle farmers, with music an inherent part of family life. His own down-to-earth outlook and artistry draws from his background, where his rich musical heritage nurtured the artist within.

His songs have been covered by Missy Raines, John Cowan, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, to name a few.

Alongside his musical endeavors, Snodderly has been an actor for most of his life. His most famous role occurred in the movie phenomenon "Oh Brother Where Art Thou," where Ed's fiddling took center stage in the character of the "Village Idiot." He has also worked as an actor in theater companies such as The Denver Center Theatre, State Theatre of Virginia and The Barter Theatre.

Likewise, the Hot Seats play string band music with the simple intention to keep the role of traditional musician as entertainer and commentator very much alive.

The action is virtually nonstop, the musicianship superb, with fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar coalescing with humor and speed and powered by a communally owned and played double-bass, drums and washboard. The young five-man acoustic band play with verve, vigor and a true feel for the roots of their chosen idiom.

"Their original music is simultaneously hard to identify and instantly recognizable, combining virtuoso solos with tight bluegrass combos, the hard drive of old time, the jaunty rhythm of ragtime and the swagger of good old rock 'n' roll," says the spokesman.

The Rooster's Wife is a nonprofit community arts organization committed to bringing the best in live music to the Sandhills. Home base is the gallery room of Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St. in downtown Aberdeen.

Medical outreach and school programs occur regularly offsite.

For more information visit www.theroosterswife.org or call (910) 585-1614.