K.T. Vandyke

Born and raised deep in the black diamond hills of southwestern Virginia, K.T. Vandyke is a unique and gripping song-smith, who wields country-folk songs and prose that weave a curious and unique life story. His songs tell the story of growing up in the coalfields of Buchanan County, Virginia and the trials and victories of those who came before. A collector of song and story alike, Vandyke parallels his own songs and delivery to that of Appalachian greats such as Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Ola Belle Reed, Tim O’Brien and Tony Rice. A student of traditional Appalachian folk music, Vandyke presents a captivating contemporary narrative through his banter and songwriting.
Currently stationed in Bristol, Virginia, he has been performing in the greater Appalachian region and neighboring metropolitan areas for more than a decade. A seasoned performer and multi-instrumentalist, Vandyke can be found performing as a solo songwriter or as one-half of the country swing duo Virginia West. Throughout the last several years he has been affiliated with Johnson City indie-rock acts Pocket Sand and Floyd Strange.
In 2015 he graduated from East Tennessee State University, where he studied Appalachian Studies, with a specialization in Bluegrass, Old-Time, Celtic and Country Music. During his time there he performed regularly with numerous bands most notably the university acclaimed ETSU Country Pride Band.
In 2012 Vandyke took home 1st place in the Richard Leigh Songwriters Competition with his song “Huck Finn”, and was a featured performer in the festival the following years. In 2014 he was a finalist in the Visit Music City Songwriting Competition, as well as being named a Telluride
Troubadour, a nationally renowned songwriting competition held by Planet Bluegrass at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival held in Telluride, Colorado. In 2019 he was selected as a finalist in the Tennessee Dept. of Tourism Songwriting contest.