SMITHVILLE FIDDLERS' JAMBOREE®

Music contestants will be scored by three judges, with no scores being thrown out. All three scores will be added together to determine the contestant’s final score. In case of a tie, the scores will be averaged.

Five judges will score each dance contestant. The high and low scores will be thrown out, and the remaining three scores will be averaged to determine the contestant’s final score.

If you would like to be considered for a judging position for the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, please email your information to smithvillejamboree@gmail.com

Music Judges for 2026

Tyler Andal - Head Judge Tyler Andal is a Nashville-born multi-instrumentalist rooted in bluegrass and folk, whose versatile playing has earned him multiple state and national championships. Known for warm, expressive tone and precise technique, Tyler brings authentic, story-driven music to every stage. Offstage he supports the fiddle and violin community as a skilled maker and restorer of violin bows—a craft he’s refined since the early 2010s. Tyler has won numerous competitions throughout the Southeast and is currently the reigning Grand Champion Fiddler of the Smithville Fiddle Jamboree. He has also performed at the Grand Ole Opry.

Gail Johnson: Known for her work in traditional bluegrass and country music as well as fiddle instruction, Gail Rudisill Johnson first gained national recognition as a member of the all-female bluegrass band Petticoat Junction. Formed in the late 1980s, the group became widely respected for its energetic traditional bluegrass performances and recordings on Pinecastle Records. Johnson established herself early as an accomplished fiddler, earning the title of Illinois State Fiddle Champion in 1989 at 14 years old, a distinction that highlighted her skill in both traditional and contest-style fiddling. She has won or placed in the top 3 in many other contests in several states over the years, including the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree.

In 1995, Johnson graduated from Belmont University with a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and a minor in Music Business. Just months later, she was invited to join Bill Anderson’s Po’ Folks Band, where she remained for eight years.

Alongside her performing career, she became highly regarded as a teacher and mentor, helping develop young musicians through private instruction and educational materials, including Absolute Beginners: Fiddle, a step-by-step guide designed for beginning fiddle players.

Throughout her career, Johnson has contributed fiddle and viola performances to numerous recordings for artists including Bill Anderson, John Conlee, Gene Watson, and many other gospel and bluegrass recordings, in addition to her work with Petticoat Junction and her solo fiddle recording.

In 2024, Johnson returned to Bill Anderson’s band and continues to perform regularly on the Grand Ole Opry as well as performing with other artists, while teaching fiddle lessons full time.

Randall Franks the Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle, brings unmatched expertise, tradition, and star power to fiddle contests nationwide. With a 48-year career rooted in Georgia’s rich fiddling heritage, Randall honed his craft under masters like Dallas Burrell, Cotton Carrier, Anita Sorrells Mathis, and Gordon Tanner during his youth. As a teenager, he led The Peachtree Pickers, finding mentorship under Bill Monroe and stepping into the Blue Grass Boys in 1984 as a successor to Kenny Baker. He later joined Jim & Jesse’s Virginia Boys, solidifying his status among bluegrass royalty. Influenced by fiddle giants—Kenny Baker, Chubby Wise (with whom he toured), Buddy Spicher, Jim Buchanan, Vassar Clements, Red Taylor, Benny Martin, Curly Ray and Charlie Cline, Bobby Hicks, Mac Magaha, Tommy Jackson, and Paul Warren— Randall’s playing has enriched the legacies of over 40 Hall of Famers across country, bluegrass, gospel, and rock genres. His fiddling mastery earned him the 2024 Josie Music Awards: Musician of the Year – Fiddle at the Grand Ole Opry House, a testament to his enduring talent. It was in 1992, that he was honored with the prestigious Fiddlin’ John Carson Award. During his association with the Grand Ole Opry guest star, he was made a regular feature entertainer at the Grand Ole Opry’s Grand Master Fiddler Championship in the 1990s, a contest he competed in a decade earlier. Randall Franks, the Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle, brings unmatched expertise, tradition, and star power to fiddle contests nationwide. With a 48-year career rooted in Georgia’s rich fiddling heritage, Randall honed his craft under masters like Dallas Burrell, Cotton Carrier, Anita Sorrells Mathis, and Gordon Tanner during his youth. As a teenager, he led The Peachtree Pickers, finding mentorship under Bill Monroe and stepping into the Blue Grass Boys in 1984 as a successor to Kenny Baker. He later joined Jim & Jesse’s Virginia Boys, solidifying his status among bluegrass royalty. Influenced by fiddle giants—Kenny Baker, Chubby Wise (with whom he toured), Buddy Spicher, Jim Buchanan, Vassar Clements, Red Taylor, Benny Martin, Curly Ray and Charlie Cline, Bobby Hicks, Mac Magaha, Tommy Jackson, and Paul Warren— Randall’s playing has enriched the legacies of over 40 Hall of Famers across country, bluegrass, gospel, and rock genres. His fiddling mastery earned him the 2024 Josie Music Awards Musician of the Year – Fiddle at the Grand Ole Opry House, a testament to his enduring talent. It was in 1992, that he was honored with the prestigious Fiddlin’ John Carson Award. During his association with the Grand Ole Opry guest star, he was made a regular feature entertainer at the Grand Ole Opry’s Grand Master Fiddler Championship in the 1990s, a contest he competed in a decade earlier.

As a young musician, Randall competed in fiddle, mandolin, and bluegrass band contests such as Hiawassee, Yellow Daisy, Menlo, Prater’s Mill, Dalton, Lake Lanier, Chattahoochee, Athens, and Dogwood across Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, consistently ranking among the top performers. He claimed titles such as the 1982 WKHX Fiddling Champ, the 1983 Cumberland County (Tenn.) Fiddle Champion, and the 1985 Georgia State Bluegrass Band Champion at Stone Mountain, while narrowly missing the Georgia Mandolin title by a fraction of a point, securing second place on Mountain Music Showdown airing on national PBS at the Yellow Daisy Festival. The National Folk Festival tapped Randall Franks to teach their fiddle styles workshop in 1985 representing Southern Appalachia fiddle styles while he was there performing with the legendary fiddle band – Doodle and the Golden River Grass. Rising to music and TV stardom, in the 1990s, he became the second-most visible fiddler of his generation, alongside Alison Krauss, showcasing his musical talents to over 150 million viewers worldwide as "Officer Randy Goode" on In the Heat of the Night (1988–1993).

Dance Judges for 2026

Jeff Driggs Jeff Driggs grew up in West Virginia where he learned to dance from watching old time masters like the late D. Ray White, and modern cloggers like Tony Burgess and Jamie Bullins. The West Virginia style he developed early on was often referred to as "back-stepping," a combination of flatfooting (a low to the floor dance style punctuated by heel skuffs and pitter patter on the ball of the foot) and Appalachian style clogging which is recognized by its constant drag-slide motion on the flat of the foot with the heel keeping time.

Jeff was offered the opportunity to dance with a local team and learned the terminology and techniques of precision clogging. The team performed locally and on the road with cast members of the Hee Haw Road show and opening in concert shows for Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels and others. His first festival teaching engagement was in 1983 and since that time he has taught in all fifty U.S. states, as well as Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia and has received numerous awards and honors, both as a competitor and an instructor.

As a performer, Jeff made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in 1985, after winning the U.S. male clogging title. He has danced on that hallowed stage many times throughout the years, and in shows with country music artists such as Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers, Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, and others. His routines are taught and danced worldwide, and his choreography has been performed in international parades and festivals, bowl game halftime shows, theme parks and more. Jeff has written several books on clogging and old-time square dancing, owned and distributed the Double Toe Times magazine read by thousands of dancers worldwide and has served as an officer in many national clogging organizations.

He has been honored with the Clogging Champions of America’s (CCA) Legacy Award, the Clogging Leaders Organization (CLOG, Inc.) Pioneer Award and was been inducted in the America’s Clogging of Fame in 2014.

Jeff lives in Winfield, West Virginia, where he works for West Virginia University’s School of Medicine.

Susan Phillips is the Co-Executive Director with her husband David of the National Clogging Organization, Inc. Susan has taught clogging since she was 15 and recently stopped to devote her attention to C.L.O.G. activities. She was a member of the National Champion Southern Connection Cloggers of Hendersonville, NC. She is a Certified Clogging Instructor and serves on the Steering Committee of the program. She is a Certified Clogging Judge with all 4 competition circuits.

She and her husband coordinate the National Clogging Convention and the USA National Clogging Championships. They also direct the Silver Dollar City Clogging Championships in Branson, MO and the Southern National Clogging Classic in Pigeon Forge, TN. David and Susan reside in Dacula, GA.

Chip Summey has been clogging since 1982. He is a Certified Judge and Certified Clogging Instructor, with active participation in leading training sessions.

Chip has traveled throughout the world, including Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, France, Italy and 47 States, as a workshop instructor, judge, event promoter, and dancer. Chip has been a board member for the Clogging Champions of America as well as the National Clogging Hoedown Council.

His competition team, the Southern Connection cloggers of Asheville, North Carolina has been National Champions in 4 or More Couple Precision, 4 or More Couple Hoedown, Country Hoedown, Running Set Hoedown, and Open Smooth Mountain Square Dance.

Chip has taught and judged all over the US, including the many CLOG National Conventions.

He has had teams to Dance in International and World Festivals with a recent trip to Moscow, Russia and the surrounding countryside with the Southern Connection Cloggers.

Professionally, Chip is a Travel Consultant & Coordinator with Wilcox Travel.

Marci Rickard is an influential leader in modern competitive and performance clogging with a career spanning more than 45 years.

She began clogging in 1981 and developed a passion for the dance that resulted in a competitive clogging career on teams like Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Mountain Echoes and Leather ‘n Lace before establishing her own national championship clogging team, PowerTaps.

Marci has played a key role in shaping the competitive landscape as a founding board member of Clogging Champions of America. Her contributions to the sport have earned numerous honors including induction into the NCHC Hall of Fame, the America’s Clogging Hall of Fame All-American team, UCA Hall of Fame and being named the CCA All-Pro Director.

Beyond the competitive stage, Marci and her husband, Ryan, have founded America’s Clogging All-Stars which brings dancers from across the country together for high-profile international and domestic performance opportunities including the London’s New Years Day Parade, Alamo and Liberty Bowl half-time shows, Hawaii Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, Chicago Thanksgiving Parade and the upcoming Hollywood Christmas Parade, Daytona 500 performance, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland.

Continuing the passion for bringing cloggers together in fellowship, her family, including her two daughters, will host a 4-day summer camp next week for over 120 cloggers in East Tennessee. Marci is committed to maintaining and showcasing the tradition of clogging while growing the dance we all love for future generations.

C.J. Tate is a respected clogging instructor, performer, and choreographer who has earned recognition throughout the clogging community for his strong traditional footwork, energetic teaching style, and dedication to preserving Appalachian dance traditions while embracing contemporary influences. He first gained national attention as a member of the renowned Bailey Mountain Cloggers, one of the most successful collegiate clogging teams in the United States. During his time with the team, Tate received individual honors in national competition, including a top-three finish in Traditional Male Solos and a Buck and Wing Duet award.

Known for his versatility as both a dancer and teacher, Tate has taught workshops across the country, sharing traditional footwork, figures, and contemporary routines with dancers of all ages and experience levels. He has been featured as an instructor at numerous major clogging events, including the Fontana Clogging Jamboree and OktoberClogFest, where he has worked alongside many of the nation's leading clogging educators.

Tate's background with the Bailey Mountain Cloggers helped shape his appreciation for the history and evolution of clogging. He has participated in educational presentations highlighting the origins of Appalachian clogging, demonstrating styles ranging from traditional flatfooting and buck dancing to modern competitive clogging.

Throughout his career, C.J. Tate has been admired not only for his technical skill and rhythmic precision but also for his enthusiasm and ability to connect with dancers. Whether teaching a workshop, performing on stage, or mentoring younger dancers, he continues to contribute to the growth and preservation of one of America's most distinctive folk dance traditions.

Today, C.J. Tate remains a familiar and respected figure within the clogging world, known for his commitment to excellence, his passion for dance education, and his ongoing efforts to keep the art of clogging vibrant for future generations.