Hometown Stories

ABINGDON, Va. — Adam Bolt doesn’t claim to be the best singer or even the best guitar player. But what the local musician can do is awaken the hearts of people, making them laugh — and sometimes cry.

With guitar in hand and a cowboy hat on his head, the prolific singer and songwriter shares stories of life, family, and this Appalachian region he calls home. It’s something he started doing not long after his grandmother gave him an acoustic guitar when he was only in fourth grade.

Bolt, who’s become a fixture in Abingdon’s music scene, will take his fans on a sentimental journey when he performs at Music on the Front Porch from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 7 at the Greenway Building at 152 E. Main St. in Abingdon. San Taco food truck and Tumbling Creek Cider are vendors for the event.

The music event, hosted by Welkin Developments, is part of Fiddlers’ Week leading up to the second annual Old Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers’ Convention held June 9 and 10 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Abingdon.

“Since we did the renovation on the building in 2022, one of our goals was to use the building for community,” said Chelsea Carneal, who along with her husband Rob Carneal, own and operate Welkin Developments. “For Adam to be singing on Main Street on the porch of this historic building is something I’ve wanted to happen for awhile. Adam is such a staple in the community.”

‘A good story is like nothing else’

During his front porch performance, the local musician will share many of his original songs. Some are thought-provoking and others are downright funny.

“A good story is like nothing else,” said Bolt. “It can evoke so many emotions. It’s like laughter and tears and maybe just a little sensibility.”

He’s been writing songs since he was a teenager, using some of the same guitar chords he learned as a beginner.

“I know about six chords and I write my songs with three of them,” he laughed.

In his early songwriting, Bolt wrote a song called “Mailbox Smashing.” It’s about a friend in high school whose job was to repair mailboxes. Sometimes he smashed them to create a little business for himself,” said Bolt with a grin.

Utilizing his witty sense of humor, Bolt has penned songs that connect to the Appalachian region. After seeing a familiar road sign while driving through Grayson County, Virginia, Bolt wrote a song called “Kissing on the Mouth of Wilson.” The chorus reads, “You’ve been kissing on the Mouth of Wilson, I saw you down by the dam. You told me you needed your Independence, this Grayson boy will never understand.”

“It’s a song about Grayson County. I tried to mention all the little towns,” he said.

Bolt’s memories of growing up in this area are captured in his work.

“It helps preserve the special times for me.”

He wrote the song “Coke for the Road” in honor of his grandmother who died last year. Because the elderly woman had suffered strokes, she wasn’t able to vocalize the words, “I love you.”

“In our family, we don’t say goodbye, we just say ‘I love you.’ That’s how we end a visit,” Bolt explained.

“Her goodbye was replaced by ‘take a Coke for the road.’ She always used to give us a Coke as a special treat when we were kids.”

Bolt mentions in the song the guitar his grandmother gave him years ago, a gift he cherishes so much that he asked D.R. Mullins, a local multi-dimensional visual artist, to embellish designs on the front of the instrument.

Bolt’s artistry of music was nurtured early in his life.

As a young adult, he went to live with his grandmother in Botetourt County, Virginia, to help care for his ailing grandfather. Living on a farm where there were few opportunities for socializing, Bolt resorted to performing his original songs during open mic events in a nearby town. It was those experiences that inspired him to continue his hobby.

He describes his style as the “folksy side of music,” following singers like James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg. But, he mostly gravitates to the iconic music of John Prine, a country-folk singer whose talents have mesmerized Bolt since he was a child.

Many of Prine’s songs are favorites of Bolt, but the young musician talks about one in particular called “Blue Creek Blues,” an original Carter Family Fold song. “I’ve listened to it over and over,” Bolt said. “I love his interpretation of the song.”

He remembers listening to the music of Prine along with his father who was a fan of the singer. At an early age, Bolt became familiar with the song, “The Great Compromise” a protest song that demonstrates the disillusionment of the Vietnam Era.

“It was really heavy stuff for a kid to understand. The song is one that always sticks out for me. I want to write songs that the people can relate to. Music is an escape for me — from the noise of the world.”

After Bolt and his grandmother moved to Abingdon in 2012, he returned to school to graduate from Emory & Henry College with a degree in environmental studies.

When he’s not writing songs and performing on weekends, the musician works a 9-to-5 job at Abingdon Vineyards where he is vineyard manager and cellar master. A lot of the ideas for songs get struck in his head while he’s picking grapes, mowing grass, or driving a tractor.

“I don’t put in ear phones to listen to music when I’m out in the field. I’m just there with my thoughts and feelings. The music and stories just seem to come to me when I’m among nature.”

His music and the topics he writes about have matured over the years. “But, I still like slipping a little humor in there,” he said.

These days, Bolt, a recent newlywed, is composing songs that document his new lifestyle. One of those songs is the whimsical tune, “Fitted Sheets and Matching Socks.”

“When I met my wife, she implemented a few things that were better for me in life and one of those things was fitted sheets. I joke that I didn’t have fitted sheets before I got married because they didn’t make them for recliners,” he laughed.

“I also never wore socks before we met. But, there’s something about wearing matching socks that starts your day off right and it’s good for your mental health, too. My life has changed from having pizza boxes and beer cans on the couch to being in a happier place,” he said.

Bolt has written as many as 50 songs throughout the years, but not all of them have received the widespread attention like the “Grass Cuttin’ Song.” “I wrote it because I reluctantly had to mow the grass at the place I was renting. I didn’t like to mow, and still don’t,” he said with a grin.

A lyric in the song says, “The neighbors think we’re hippy freaks, we don’t wear no shoes on our feet, we got the tallest grass on the whole dang street, and we haven’t seen our kids in weeks.”

Recently becoming popular on TikTok, the Grass Cuttin’ Song is being used by fans for making their own video creations.

Learn more about Bolt at www.adamboltmusic.com, and check out his Facebook page.

A Fiddler’s Convention Pre-Party also will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8, at the Martha Washington Inn. A free Jam session will be held at the gazebo on the front lawn. Pre-ordered barbecue with a cash bar are available in the Edith Wilson Parlor.

Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia. Contact her at [email protected].