Bluegrass & Beyond – Page 6 – AcousticMusicScene.com

Chris Thile (photo:Cassandra Jenkins)

Chris Thile Awarded MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant

Post published:October 3, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Chris Thile, 31, a multi-instrumentalist and composer best known for his role as virtuosic mandolinist and singer for the Grammy Award-winning progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and currently with the Punch Brothers, has been awarded a “Genius” grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. As a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, he will receive an unrestricted award of $500,000 over the next five years. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

The Gibson Brothers at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium (Photo: Alane Anno for IBMA)

International Bluegrass Music Awards Presented for 2012

Post published:October 2, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

The Gibson Brothers, winners of last year’s Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year awards, were named Entertainer of the Year during this year’s 23rd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday night, Sept. 27, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. This ended a three year winning streak by Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers that had been preceded by another three-year streak by the popular duo Dailey & Vincent.. [To read the full article and learn of all the other winners and honorees, click on the headline].

Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops (Jim Brock Photography)

Banjo Symposium at UNC-Chapel Hill, Aug. 25

Post published:August 15, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Conferences of Note News - U.S. National

“The Banjo: Southern Roots, American Branches” will be explored during s series of free lectures and panel discussions presented by The Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The symposium, extending from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be followed in the evening with a 7:30 p.m. concert showcasing the banjo at the campus’ Memorial Hall featuring Tony Trischka, Riley Baugus with Kirk Sutphin, and Don Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Bluegrass Pioneer Everett Lilly, 1924-2012

Post published:May 11, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Funeral services will be held on Sunday for Everett Lilly, one of the forefathers of bluegrass music, who died May 8 at his home in southern West Virginia. He was 87. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]

Old Settler’s Music Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary, 4/19-22

Post published:April 4, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus

The roots and Americana-oriented Old Settler’s Music Festival returns to the Salt Lick BBQ Pavilion and Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, Texas, April 19-22. Although now in its 25th year, the festival is not as well-known outside the state as some others in the Austin area – and that’s part of its allure. Old Settler’s Music Festival also takes place during what’s usually the height of Texas Hill Country’s bluebonnet and wildflower season. [To view a short preview of the festival, click on the headline.]

Earl Scruggs, Pioneering Banjo Player,Bluegrass Legend, 1924-2012

Post published:March 29, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Earl Scruggs, a celebrated and highly influential banjo player, whose innovative three-fingered picking style helped to popularize the instrument, has joined that great bluegrass jam in the sky. Scruggs, who was a large presence in both the folk and country music worlds and was honored by both, died of natural causes on March 28 at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 88. [To read the obituary in its entirety, click on the headline.]

San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival Now Under Way

Post published:February 11, 2012
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus

The 13th Annual San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival began yesterday and runs through February 19. Musical performances, dances, workshops and jam sessions abound, along with a Saturday night old-time square dance. [To read the article, click on the headline.]

Warren Hellman, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Founder, 1934-2011

Post published:December 19, 2011
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus News - U.S. National

Warren Hellman, a San Francisco-based financier and philanthropist who founded and funded the city’s nationally renowned Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and toured earlier this year with his band, The Wronglers, died Dec. 18 from complications of leukemia. He was 77. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers Win IBMA’s Top Award

Post published:October 2, 2011
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers were named Entertainer of the Year during the 22nd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, ending a three-year winning streak by Dailey & Vincent. [To read the article in its entirety and learn of all the award winners, click on the headline.]

Bluegrass Fiddler Kenny Baker Dies at 85

Post published:July 12, 2011
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Funeral services are being held today (July 12) in Letcher County, Kentucky for master fiddler Kenny Baker, who played with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys for many years and was subsequently part of a fiddle-dobro duo with Josh Graves for more than 20 years (1984-2006). Baker died July 8 at 85, following a stroke. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Hazel Dickens, a Pioneering Woman in Bluegrass Music, 1935-2011

Post published:April 24, 2011
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Hazel Dickens, a trailblazer for women in bluegrass music, who captivated audiences with her high, lonesome vocal style and was widely recognized for her contributions to music and for championing the cause of coal miners and working people, died on April 22 . She was 75. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Foundation for Bluegrass Music Awards $20,000 in Grants for 2011

Post published:April 13, 2011
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond

The Foundation for Bluegrass Music will distribute $20,000 in funds to charitable public programs in 2011. These include youth-focused educational efforts, a film project and celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe -- the “father of bluegrass music.” The six grant recipients were selected from among more than two-dozen applicants. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]