Programs, Projects, and Education
I've always worked in the academic arena, but my main focus has been translating the best scholarship to a diverse and popular audience. I have worked on everything from the restoration of Richmond's Tredegar Iron Works to teacher's workshops on the Underground Railroad. My music education projects have included exhibitions, a blues historic marker program, Blues in the Schools programs, teacher's institutes, and live, multimedia performances on music history. Below are some links to these activities.
I have a broad knowledge of American history and music based on more than forty years of teaching, writing, researching, and performing. I give compelling, lively talks on a variety of topics, often employing images and sound to enhance the experience. Some of my main presentation themes are traditional music in America, African American history, the antebellum South, the history of work and working people, and a variety of Virginia topics.
I enjoy combining my skills as an educator, historian, and musician to present fun and engaging multimedia shows on traditional music. I weave musical stories on the history of working people and their music. I've presented programs with Phil Wiggins, Corey Harris, Kinney Rorrer, and many other fine musicians at venues such as Colonial Williamsburg's Hennage Auditorium, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the North Carolina Museum of History, and to many professional and historical organizations. Explore the links below to learn more about Gregg's multimedia shows.
I am passionate about making the stories of our shared history and culture available to everyone. I have been deeply involved with communities and organizations across Virginia, assisting with a wide range of projects ranging from cemetery preservation to historical markers to the restoration of historical sites. In 2020, I won the Petersburg Heritage Award from the Historic Petersburg Foundation for my research on Susie R.C. Byrd, a teacher and federal worker who recorded the memories of formerly enslaved people in Virginia. In 2001, I received an award from the Burying Ground Preservation Society of Virginia, Inc. for my contributions to the history and preservation of the Barton Heights Cemetery, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I also served on the commonwealth's Virginia Indian Advisory Board.
| Some of Gregg's Notable Projects |
| Five State Historical Markers honoring Virginia Blues musicians (James River Blues Society) |
| State Humanities Scholar for "New Harmonies" Traveling Exhibition (Smithsonian Institute, 2008) |
| "Old Dominion Songsters: Traditional Blues in Virginia" (Library of Virginia Traveling Exhibition, 2005) |
| Folklife Area for National Folk Festival, Richmond (Labor theme, 2006) |
| "Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Traditions" (Library of Virginia Exhibition,2001) |
| State Historic Marker and tours of Richmond's Barton Heights Cemetery (2005) |
| Restoration and interpretation of the Tredegar Iron Works (Valentine Museum, 1992-1993) |
| " The Working People of Richmond" (Valentine Museum Exhibition at Tobacco Row, 1991) |