Aspiring Dreams & Hope Fulfilled
Tracy Farnham
The News Herald

A dream is a wild fancy or hope, an aspiration or an ambition. And everyone has at least one.

Some dream for riches, achievements, bigger houses and fame.

For one local couple the journey has taken them through struggles to stardom, all the while fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Juleigh Ed is a gracious, striking lady with a lot of spunk. AJ Hodges, her husband, a gentle cowboy by nature, helps to manage Juleigh’s career with the greatest of ease.

They met in Morganton in the mid 1980s. AJ was in town on business while Juleigh had just quit her job in a bank to pursue a musical career. Juleigh says, “We fell in love and put our dreams together that very night.”

Juleigh had always been on stage singing and acting. She was a horse trainer and breeder, a real cowgirl at heart. They combined AJ’s dream of owning a horse ranch with Juleigh’s music, and together they started a horse ranch and retreat on Burkemont Mountain.

Now known as Poco Rhythm Retreat, they offer groups and individuals a mountaintop getaway with trail rides and a concert to boot. AJ says, “I get up early and cook a big cowboy breakfast then we ride trails during the day.” After supper, AJ introduces Juleigh and she performs on stage, entertaining the guests with her music.

Juleigh has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, convention centers and coliseums and on a smaller scale in nursing homes and hospitals.

“She entertained 15,000 marines on Christmas day only 15 miles from the Iraqi border,” AJ says.

He adds, she’s done shows in New York City, but she cut her teeth on the mountain with which groups.

“She had to make them happy,” he says.

When it rained the groups couldn’t trail ride. Juleigh would say, “Let’s go make them happy.”

“Juleigh would do that,” AJ says.

In 2005, they filmed a movie “A Tale About Bootlegging.” Juleigh sang the theme song, “Hillbilly Brothers In The Carolina Wood.”

She also sang in another movie called “The Mill,” in which her manager was the executive producer.

After Juleigh met manager Maxann Crotts Harvey, she got a record deal with Cupit Records and produced a video for a song on her upcoming CD entitled “Full Blooded Half Breed.”

The song tells a story of a girl whose parents are Indian and Caucasian. Juleigh says, “I’m not a half- breed, but a mixed breed with lots of Indian blood in my family tree.”

Juleigh was introduced to Jerry Cupit who has produced a lot of No. 1 hits for other artists. He listened to every recording of Juleigh’s, says AJ. Cupit helped to polish her vocals. “Cupit said she didn’t need developing, she just needed polishing,” AJ says.

Hope Fulfilled at Whippoorwill

With the contacts Juleigh and AJ have made throughout her musical career, they had dreamed of doing a music fest for 10 or 12 years. With an expected 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend, there would be no place to park on Burkemont Mountain. They knew the former owner of the property at Whippoorwill and had kept their horses there.

Three men in New York own Whippoorwill and they allowed AJ to continue boarding his horses there. Together they have started a rent-a-ranch, where travelers with horses can stay in the rock house and put the horses in the barn or pasture during their stay. Someone mentioned that Whippoorwill would be a great place for the music fest, says AJ.

“We grabbed a kitty cat by the tail and it turned into a tiger,” AJ says. “We met with civic groups, fire departments and everyone has been willing to help.”

Ken Harris of Harris Realty in Marion was the first sponsor they approached.

Other sponsors, such as The Big Dawg and The News Herald, also said yes.

“We want to do something good for the people of this area,” Juleigh adds. “This is good for the community of the Whippoorwill area, the children and family as well as the artists.

“We’ve dreamed about living the dream for many years. We are living our dream by putting on this festival.

“This is like another vehicle to preserve the dream of music.”

“I’ve been on stage all my life,” Juleigh says, “I started singing in church around the age of 4.” Through the years she has sung in weddings, funerals and community functions.

Juleigh adds, “This was my profession when I left the bank. Other people have their professions, I am a performer. I love to do it, I like to make people happy. I sing for my audience.”

Through the years Juleigh has sung to a lot of children and couples from one to 10,000. Her music has touched a lot of people.

Juleigh has been told by her listeners that whether she has a hit record or not, “You have changed lives for the better.” She says, “I want people to feel the emotions in the songs.”

Delores Brown, who is helping Juleigh and AJ with the festival, says, “In getting to know these two, they give a lot more than they get back.” They always show their appreciation for all you do, she adds.

Juleigh says, “It’s a God thing. We couldn’t do it without our creator. There have been many wonderful people who have influenced me through the years.Newt Roberts, who taught me to feel the song in my heart and Dave Rogers, who believed in me and gave me songs which gave me confidence, along with Joe Franklin whom I learned from being on stage with, have all given me this chance."

“I was one woman doing small shows from charity work to coliseums. These were building blocks for where I was going. This festival is part of the big picture and the dream is part of our career.”