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The show must go on, and that’s exactly what’s happening at the Reidsville Showcase at the Rockingham Theater, thanks to the efforts of Dewey and Leslie Brown. The Browns bought the historic theater in July 2021 and are preparing for another season of country and bluegrass music in Rockingham County. First built in 1929, the historic venue has been through many changes in the past century. It was one of the first theaters in the country that was equipped for “talkies,” or movies with sound. Over the past 93 years, it’s seen more than its fair share of entertainment before going dormant in 2019. Now, the venue has been given new life by Dewey and Leslie Brown, a husband-and-wife team of musicians who want to bring Rockingham County the same gift of music that brought them together.
PHOTO BY MICHELLE DALTON PHOTOGRAPHY
“Dewey and I met through music,” Leslie Brown said. Dewey played the fiddle in bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley’s band for 13 years, and the pair’s shared love of bluegrass led to a lasting connection. Leslie, who is originally from the mountain town of Grundy, Virginia, met Dewey at an event in tiny Saltville, Virginia, before they married and moved to North Carolina.
BRINGING GOOD MUSIC to Good Folks
One day, the two were driving past the Liberty Showcase Theater in Liberty, North Carolina, when Dewey revealed a plan for a career after his days playing in Stanley’s band were over. “He said ‘I used to play there, and I’m gonna own that theater one day,’” Leslie said. “I really just kind of followed his
by Sam Jackson photos courtesy of Reidsville Showcase Continued to Page 16 14
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