July 3, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
A Kentucky boy won the top Jamboree award Saturday as the best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners.
Noah Goebel of Elkton, Kentucky won the coveted James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Award, named for the man who started the children’s competition during the 1980’s as part of the annual Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival. Members of Mr. Driver’s family presented the award to Goebel.
“Our father, patriarch of the Driver family, James G. “Bobo” Driver was one of the organizers, founders of the Jamboree in 1972 and he participated in the Jamboree for 20 years until he passed away. He was a country music performer himself and had his own band back in the day. He loved this kind of music. He, Joe L. Evins, and Berry C. Williams started this festival. We still have a family band. We play quite a bit. This is just part of our family on stage here today. We’re having a family reunion this weekend. We’re just proud to be here. Thank you all for being here. We love this kind of music and you folks. We hope you’ll keep coming back. Its been 50 years but we hope it goes on to infinity and beyond. Thank you for all your support of the Jamboree,” said Mickey Driver, son of Bobo Driver.
Goebel was also named winner of the Nolan Turner Memorial Entertainer of the Year award. The honor is presented to the best overall instrumental entertainer among winners in the dobro guitar, mandolin, five string banjo, and flat top guitar competition. Turner, who died in October 2017, was a long time Fiddlers’ Jamboree supporter and photographer. Goebel won the Mandolin, Banjo, and Flat Top Guitar contests in addition to the Fiddling title
The National Championship for Country Musician Beginners showcases the talents of children up to age twelve in seven categories of competition.
This year’s winners are as follows:
Fiddle: First Place- Noah Goebel of Elkton, Kentucky; Second Place- Jackson Collier of Gallatin; and Third Place- Owen Butler of Smyrna.
Buck Dancing: First Place- Arlee Fowlkes of Hurricane Mills, Second Place- Owen Butler of Smyrna, and Third Place- Noah Fennell of Dickson.
Clogging: First Place- Arlee Fowlkes of Hurricane Mills; Second Place-Noah Fennell of Dickson; and Third Place- Treble Chunn of Greenbrier.
Dobro Guitar: First Place- Jake Atherton of Anderson, Alabama. There were no other contestants.
Mandolin: First Place-Noah Goebel of Elkton, Kentucky; Second Place- Wyatt Ellis of Maryville; and Third Place- Ace Walters of Lebanon.
Five String Banjo: First Place- Noah Goebel of Elkton, Kentucky; Second Place- Sawyer Barrett of Bradyville. There were no other contestants
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Noah Goebel of Elkton, Kentucky; Second Place-Wyatt Ellis of Maryville; and Third Place- Finn Cope of Spring Hill