Winners Named in 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition
Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts that streamed online October 10 and 11 on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel as part of a Virtual Celebration held in place of the annual event on the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.
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TradMad Virtual Camp 2020 Airs on Folk Music Notebook, Aug. 31-Sept. 3
Each summer, folks flock to Pinewoods Camp in Plymouth, Massachusetts for an annual six-day gathering of live music and dance for adults interested in Anglo-American traditional music and dance known as TradMad. Although the current COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Folk Music Society of New York (aka Pinewoods Folk Music Club) to postpone this year’s event, TradMad Virtual Camp 2020 will be presented Aug. 31 - Sept. 3 via FolkMusicNotebook.com.
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Online Tribute to John Prine Premieres June 11
Family and friends of John Prine will share memories of and songs by the internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter during Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine on Thursday, June 11. The online celebration of his life and music will stream on Prine’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, as well as Oh Boy Records' Twitch channel, at 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT/4:30 p.m. PDT and can be replayed through Sunday. A songwriter’s songwriter, who toured and plied his craft for nearly 50 years, Prine died April 7 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
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Doc Watson Week on Social Media, May 25-29
A number of artists will celebrate the life and legacy of American music legend Doc Watson on social media during the week of May 25-29, 2020 under the auspices of MerleFest, one of America’s premiere music festivals.
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Kerrville Folk Festival Hosts Virtual Celebration; 24 New Folk Finalists Named
Although the annual Kerrville Folk Festival won’t be taking place in late May- June on the Quiet Valley Ranch campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, “virtual concerts” featuring nearly 40 of the artists who were booked to perform during it will be streamed from the festival’s website and its Facebook page on three successive Saturdays in late May-early June. Meanwhile, 24 songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Contest for Emerging Songwriters that organizers hope will take place Oct. 9 and 10 during the 49th annual Kerrville Folk Festival that has been tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 8-18.
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Livestreaming Links and Websites of Note
In the wake of the continuing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of Facebook groups and pages have been launched that welcome artists and presenters to post their livestreaming concerts and/or information about them.
[To view a descriptive listing of some new Facebook groups and pages -- as well as websites -- that include livestreaming concerts, click on the headline.]
Eric Taylor, Singer-Songwriter, 1949-2020
Eric Taylor, an internationally touring Houston, Texas-based singer-songwriter, storyteller and guitarist, died March 9 at the age of 70. Taylor released 10 studio and live albums, while his songs have been recorded by such notable artists as Nanci Griffith (to whom he was formerly married) and Lyle Lovett, on whom he was a major influence.
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Bluegrass Now! Airs on PBS Television Stations
Bluegrass Now!, a television special featuring a wide array of the musical genre’s leading performing artists, will begin airing on PBS stations across the U.S. on Saturday, February 29. Fittingly, it was filmed during a concert on December 19, 2019 at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s Woodward Theatre in Owensboro, Kentucky -- near the home of Bill Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass Music."
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Bob Shane, Co-Founder of The Kingston Trio, 1934-2020
Bob Shane, the last original member of The Kingston Trio, died on January 26 – just a few days shy of his 86h birthday. Along with his bandmates, Shane, a singer and guitarist, helped to spur the folk revival of the late 1950s -1960s.
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