Roy Carter, DelFest creator, dead at 68

May 8—CUMBERLAND — Roy Carter, a promoter and organizer of music festivals across the country, including DelFest, died April 29 after a long illness. He was 68.

Carter is credited for bringing Del McCoury to Cumberland in 2007, which led to McCoury's decision to bring the popular DelFest bluegrass and Americana music festival to the Allegany County Fairgrounds.

This Memorial Day weekend will mark the 16th anniversary of the four-day festival.

"He was a quiet, behind-the-scenes guy," said Ronnie McCoury, Del McCoury's son and part of The Del McCoury Band. "But those of us who knew him and loved him will miss him for sure."

Barb Buehl, local DelFest liaison, said Carter was great to work with and will be missed.

"We have a lot to be thankful for because of him," she said.

Carter, who lived in Northern California, had roots in the music industry that date back to the 1970s. His experience in the industry ultimately led to him founding the successful High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California.

Launched in 1992, that four-day festival is held the first week of July each year. The Del McCoury Band has played the festival several times.

"He built what they had with High Sierra," Ronnie McCoury said. "We'd play his festivals and we liked playing them."

Stan Strickland, Del McCoury's manager, said he had considered several different festival organizers to establish DelFest, but it was the laid-back Carter who he felt was the right fit.

"It was the vibe they created at High Sierra and the gracious way in which they treated the artists," said Strickland. "Carter was very concerned about the fan experience. He paid attention to details and knew how to treat people."

When he was looking for a site for DelFest, Del McCoury requested that it be in the mid-Atlantic region close to where he grew up in rural York County, Pennsylvania. Carter selected five locations, with the fairgrounds being on the top of the list for Del McCoury to see.

When Carter and business partner Rebecca Sparks met Del McCoury at the fairgrounds in 2007, McCoury loved the site, which featured the cliffs of neighboring West Virginia overlooking the Potomac River and plenty of space for camping. Del McCoury didn't want to look any further; he settled on the site right there.

"The location where the fairgrounds sits is so special," said Sparks, now the president of High Sierra Music. "I do remember when we made that first site visit to get Del's approval. He turned around and said, 'It kind of reminds of a little Telluride.' We knew we found the place."

In a February interview for the book "Fairgo Forever! 100 years of the Allegany County Fairgrounds," Carter shed some light on the reasoning for selecting the fairgrounds. He said the location in Allegany County was beautiful and practical.

"I've worked with festivals on the West Coast and we'd had great success in working with fairgrounds because there is a lot of infrastructure that comes with them," Carter said. "They have power, water, restrooms already in place."

Carter was known for introducing recycling and sustainable operations into festivals.

"It ran so smoothly because Roy put the people in place to get it done," Ronnie McCoury said. "All those people, they learned from Roy."

Sparks has been busy preparing for the 16th DelFest without Carter.

"It's been rough around here," said Sparks. "But we were glad to call him a friend. He was a kind soul who really made an indelible mark on the festival world."

Roy Carter is survived by his wife, Carla, and daughter, as well as sister Anne and brother Bob. In a fitting tribute to his selfless service, Carter has requested donations to the American Heart Association or local food banks in lieu of flowers.

Greg Larry is a reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. To reach him, call 304-639-4951, email glarry@times-news.com and follow him on Twitter @GregLarryCTN.