Old Settler’s Music Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary, 4/19-22
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.]
The Lonesome River Band Adds a New Member
The Lonesome River Band, whose latest Rural Rhythm Records release, Still Learning, was #1 on Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s top 15 albums chart in March, has added a new member. Randy Jones made his debut appearance with the band, on mandolin and vocals, during a March 19 concert in South Carolina.
[To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Carlton Haney, Bluegrass Festival Promoter and Booking Agent, 1928-2011
Carlton Haney, who launched the first multi-day bluegrass music festival with camping, the second prominent magazine focused on the genre, and served as a booking agent for Bill Monroe and others, died on March 16 at a hospital in Greensburg, North Carolina, following a stroke earlier in the month. He was 82.
[To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Winners Named in 37th Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards
Dailey & Vincent were the top winners in the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) 37th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards, taking home seven trophies, while Rhonda Vincent retained her title as Entertainer of the Year. Winners in 23 categories were announced during an awards show on February 6, 2011 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
[To read the entire article and see the complete list of winners, click on the headline.]
Jim Lauderdale Engages in Live Facebook Chat on Songwriting, 2/1
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale, who also serves as volunteer chairperson for MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, will engage in a live chat on Facebook on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. EST. Fans and aspiring songwriters can join the chat and pose questions to Lauderdale about the contest and songwriting in general by visiting the official page of the contest at the social media site.
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
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