So who are the Resonateurs and what exactly is the Gathering of Resonateurs, or ResoGat for short?  Well, the quick answer is, we're a loosely knit group of individuals who are drawn together out a love or fascination for the dobro, or resonator guitar.  Invented and developed in the late 1920's and early 30's, the five Dopyera brothers presented America and the world with a totally unique instrument centered around a mechanical resonating sound or amplification system.  The brothers tossed around the question of what to call this new class of stringed instruments and finally coined the term 'Dobro' which was a combination of the words DOpyera and BROthers.  Following WWII, electrified instruments appeared and interest in the dobro subsided somewhat until bluegrass music appeared.  Josh (Buck) Graves converted the Earl Scruggs style of banjo picking to the dobro and the rest is history as notable players (Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes...) made the instrument 'main stream.'  Knowing the contribution his father had made to the world of music, John Dopyera and his wife anyone with a strong interest in the dobro / resonator guitar...luthier, collector, musician, connoisseur, or?...to join them at their home in Pennsylvania for a week long 'Gathering in the Woods' during the Fourth of July week of 2000.  From this beginning it has grown every year up to, and including, the recent Annual Gathering of Resonateurs held at Wilkesboro, NC.  Following the 2004 Gathering, John and Margaret made the hard decision to sell their Pennsylvania wooded retreat and a committee was formed to see if the Gathering could successfully transfer and find a new 'home.'  The communities of Wilkesboro/N. Wilkesboro rolled out a 'red carpet' invite to our group which still left us with the unanswered question..."would people be willing to  relocate to a new location some 600 miles from John and Margaret's home?"  The pleasant answer was a resounding 'yes'...with over 100 attendees from 20 states and Canada.

So we are proceeding with plans for the 2008 Annual Gathering.  Trip around our web site, get to know the 'gang,' and hopefully plan on joining us at the next Gathering.  It's important to note that we've intentionally maintained an informal unstructured style to the event...with the only rule being that there are no rules.  All levels of players are encouraged to attend, whether an early-on beginner or a full up professional.  The main 'requirement' to attend is a desire to become involved with other devotees of the resonator guitar.