Film, television star Ronny Cox heads array of performers at Folk Music Festival

If you visit the Shawano Folk Music Festival this year, chances are you’ll hear actor and folk musician Ronny Cox spinning a yarn.

“My band makes fun of me because there’s always a question of whether I’m going to sing more than I talk,” Cox jokes.

A storyteller to the core, Cox is noted as an actor for his roles in films like “Deliver-ance,” “Bound for Glory” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” On Aug. 10 and 11, Cox will make his debut appearance at the Shawano Folk Music Festival, participating in workshops all weekend and Saturday’s evening concert at the Mielke Arts Center.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said festival coordinator Dori Jerger. “We’ve heard his CD’s and talked to other people who’ve heard him perform. I really enjoy what I hear.”

Although lesser-known for his music, Cox has been pursuing that passion for just as long — or longer — than acting.

“When I was struggling as an actor I was also struggling as a musician. I actually got my first role in Deliverance because I could play,” Cox said.

Growing up in New Mexico, Cox said there was never any doubt in his aspirations to be an musician and actor. He picked up a guitar at age 15 and cut his first records while still in high school. Among his memories of those early days is watching Buddy Holly record “Peggy Sue” at Norman Petty’s Studio in Clovis, N.M.

With 1972’s “Deliverance,” Cox got his first big break as Drew Ballinger, one of four main characters. In the film’s famous “Dueling Banjos” scene, Cox and a mountain boy challenge one another in a guitar and banjo-picking battle.

“That was my first time in front of the camera, and so that film opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed,” Cox said. “All of a sudden, I was getting to play one of the starring roles in a major Hollywood movie.”

In recent years, Cox has found a niche playing antagonistic, professional types in his film and television roles.

“I’ve had such success in the last number of years, mainly playing guys in suits and ties,” Cox said. “Now when people see with a guitar rather than a suit, they think it’s kind of mind blowing. I’m just an old country boy from New Mexico.”

That country boy persona is just what Cox tries to bring across in his performances, which he prefers to be as informal as possible.

“When I do my shows in concerts and things like that, if I have a choice, I ask them to leave the house lights up because I want to be able to make that connection with the audience,” says Cox.

Nowadays, Cox dedicates most of his time to playing concerts and touring the folk festival circuit, keeping up with acting in his spare time. Cox said he made the decision five years ago to not accept an acting role if it interfered with his music.

“These days, everything revolves around my music,” Cox said.

He occasionally films for his recurring role as actress Judy Davis’ husband in USA Network’s series “The Starter Wife,” starring Debra Messing.

“I love acting, don’t get me wrong, but the difference between acting and music is absolutely quantifiable. In acting, there is and must be that imaginary fourth wall between you and the audience. With music, especially the kind of music I do because I also tell stories, there’s the possibility of a profound one-on-one sharing.”

Come festival time, Cox says hopes to get down to that sense of sharing with Shawano audiences.

“He struck me as someone who really enjoys meeting people,” said Jerger. “I hoping that it’s going to interest a lot of people who wouldn’t normally come.”

Over the years, Cox has found a way of storytelling that suits him just fine: just plain making things up. It’s a technique that one might expect from an actor as experienced as Cox. And as long as it engages the audience, he says, that’s good enough for him.

“I like to get the audience interested in the story, and then hopefully you get the pay off in the song,” said Cox, estimating that about 80 percent of his stories are fictional. “That’s half the fun for me.”

The Shawano Folk Music Festival runs Aug. 8-10 at Mielke Arts Center in Shawano. Besides Cox, other performers will include Tom Pease, AnnaLee Scully, Mark Dvorak, Dorothy Zerbe and many more.

Daytime sessions run from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with 7 p.m. concerts at the Mielke Theatre on Friday and Saturday. The festival also features crafts vendors, food vendors and children’s activities.

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