International News

Bluegrass Music For USA Elementary Schools

11 Jan, 19 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is set to present the Bluegrass Assemblies program in local elementary (primary) schools. The program will feature The Price Sisters with Randy Lanham. As part of the Bluegrass in the Schools (BITS) initiative, the assemblies are presented to further the Hall of Fame’s mission of education in bluegrass music.

Funding for the assemblies comes in part via grants received from the Michael E. Horn Family Foundation and the Lester E. Yeager Charitable Trust.

The Price Sisters, featuring Lauren and Leanna, are Ohio natives who recently signed with Rebel Records. With their latest release, A Heart Never Knows, The Price Sisters have generated an exciting buzz within the traditional music community by presenting their own unique interpretation of the ancient tones set forth by Bill Monroe. Accompanied by the Hall of Fame’s education director Randy Lanham and Kristy Westerfield, the group is set to perform for all elementary students in Daviess County, in both public and private school systems. The group’s goal is to educate children about the history of bluegrass music and to encourage budding musicians to enroll in the Saturday Lesson Program.

The Hall of Fame’s Saturday Lesson Program begins February 9th. Working with the previously mentioned granting agencies, the Hall of Fame offers music lessons at an affordable rate, which includes an instrument on loan while enrolled in the program. Registration also includes a t-shirt and the opportunity to perform on the main stage at ROMP Festival in June. The fee for the entire session of Saturday Lessons is $90, and $50 for each additional family member. Parents are encouraged to take lessons along with their children. Lessons are available to anyone age six to adult, no previous skills required.

More information and registration visit the website.

About the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum:

Located in Owensboro, Kentucky, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is a nonprofit dedicated to the history and preservation of bluegrass music. Among the many community and educational events produced by the Hall of Fame is the annual ROMP Festival, a four-day bluegrass music festival attended by over 25,000 annually. Learn more about the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum at bluegrasshall.org and connect with them on social media @bluegrasshall.

Spring Concert Series for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame

31 Dec, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

The series of bluegrass concerts set for the USA Springtime has been released. If you are heading to the Kentucky, USA anytime this coming April or May be sure to keep these dates in mind. The Spring Bluegrass Concert Series kicks off March 9th with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Presented by Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, the series features past ROMP artists set to take the stage in Owensboro, Kentucky this spring.

Concert Schedule:

March 9th – Steep Canyon Rangers
March 16th – Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
March 23rd – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
March 30th – Dailey & Vincent
April 6th – The Isaacs
April 12th – Sierra Hull

Locals can enjoy big savings by purchasing the entire series.

2019 ROMP Artists Announced

15 Dec, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Heading to Kentucky next year? Here is a festival you might want to take in – Romp Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky from 26th to 29th June 2019.

ROMP Festival takes place at Yellow Creek Park, in Owensboro, Kentucky. Produced by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, the four-day music festival celebrates bluegrass and roots music, local artists, and healthy, farm-to-table food vendors.

Headlining the initial lineup release are Hall of Fame members Ricky Skaggs and Del McCoury.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will feature special guest Patty Loveless. Also appearing are bluegrass/folk-rock favourites Trampled by Turtles and Americana music icon, Steve Earle. Rounding out the initial release are Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, The Wood Brothers, Billy Strings, the Jeff Austin Band along with The Travelin’ McCourys performing The Grateful Ball, and Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers.

More artists to be announced soon.

Presale tickets are on sale now. Four-day tickets are available at the heavily discounted rate of $130 through Sunday night, when prices go up. Onsite tent and RV camping passes are also available. Children 12 & under are free.

More information can be found at: rompfest.com.

True Grass Tops the Charts

29 Nov, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road are celebrating this month as their hit single True Grass officially tops the Bluegrass Unlimited National Airplay Survey for the month of December. The achievement marks the award-winning group’s third trip to the top of the chart, and first since 2014.

Download or stream True Grass here.

We’re so thankful to the fans, to the DJs and everyone who helped take ‘True Grass’ to the top. My good friend and True Grass songwriter David Stewart felt we were the right band to record this song and carry the torch for Traditional music. We were honoured and blessed that we got to be part of such a great message – Lorraine Jordan.

True Grass features fan favourites Junior Sisk and Danny Paisley on the thought-provoking track which asks the question, ‘why can’t Bluegrass just be true grass again?’ The song has sparked the True Grass Movement, which is fuelled by the dynamic singers commitment to keep the traditional style alive which was made famous by genre legends like Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.

To celebrate hitting the top spot, Lorraine Jordan will be the special guest on an all-new episode of the nationally syndicated TV program “Bluegrass Ridge” which airs on the Heartland Network. Tune in this week as the “Female Vocalist of the Year” winner talks about the new project, and the movement the song has generated (check local listings). Bluegrass fans can also catch Jordan on a special edition of Bluegrass Ridge Radio, which will be featured on Bluegrass Unlimited’s official website through the end of the week (listen HERE).

The No. 1 hit is the lead single from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s latest project True Grass Again, released earlier this year. Fans can catch the chart toppers December 5-8 in scenic Pigeon Forge, where they will host the annual Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies Festival. Other artists appearing at the event include Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Paul Williams, Big Country Bluegrass and many more.

615 Hideaway to Present Live Bluegrass Music Online

17 Nov, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Multi music genre Live Streaming show The 615 Hideaway is creating a new weekly Bluegrass Live Streaming show dedicated to Bluegrass music that will post on the RFD-TV and Bluegrass Live Facebook page which combined will garner over 600,000 likes. The show will debut in early January 2019 and The 615 Hideaway is now lining up bluegrass artists for the first quarter to appear on the new show, Bluegrass Fridays’ live streaming show.

Bluegrass Fridays falls on the music Industries official new release day of the week, Friday, and goes live on the artists’ Facebook page giving the artist a great place to showcase and premier new singles and albums.

For over 18 years I have been actively involved in bringing wonderful Bluegrass music to Bluegrass fans all over the world. It is only natural and right that we dedicate a new weekly show to Bluegrass Music from The 615 Hideaway. Bluegrass Fridays will be a great way for emerging artists and established artists to introduce new music and beloved fan favorites to their audience base and hundreds of thousands other highly targeted listeners – Sammy Passamano, 3 – President, The 615 Hideaway.

Below is a recent video on The 615 Hideaway from Bluegrass artist Eddie Sanders performing his hit song A Train Can Run Two Ways.

Online live streaming has become a tremendous vehicle to connect music performers with their core fan base in ways never before achieved. Live stream providers like The 615 Hideaway facilitate the elements needed by artists to perform live music online, talk to their fan base and engage in real time live chat conversations. Fans of the artists can request songs during the episode, as well as, ask questions about the artist’s music and other related topics.

Third generation music veteran, Sammy Passamano, 3 has been developing and creating the live stream platform since 2014 and aired the first live stream 615 Hideaway episode with American Idol star Alex Preston in early 2017. The 615 Hideaway produces approximately 2-3 live streaming shows per week ranging in a variety of formats including Pop, Country, Rock, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass, etc. Recent performers at The 615 Hideaway include Gretchen Wilson, John Berry, T.G. Shepard, Kelly Lang, Ken Mellons, Bradley Walker, Uncle Si, 2Steele Girls, Steve Gulley, Frank Foster, The Young Fables, Craig Wayne Boyd ….and Bluegrass Legends Mac Wiseman, Jesse McReynolds, Ronnie Reno.

Utilizing the artists’s Facebook page and our live stream partner RFD-TV’s facebook page the live stream viewership has reached over three quarters of a million views. In addition, each live stream, which is hosted on the facebook pages, is permanently posted so fans can go back and view the episode at any time, or watch the new episode at their convenience.

Weekly sponsors on The 615 Hideaway have included Durango Boots, Deering Banjos and D’Addario Strings. Sponsorship opportunities are available including 30 second and 60 second video ads, on-screen branding logo display and on-screen product display during the live stream.

The Banjo Pilot by Barry R Willis

8 Nov, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

The Banjo Pilot is the story of Duke Steel, a North Carolina bluegrass banjo player who played banjo with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in 1949. He then goes on to start his own band. After a personal tragedy involving a plane accident with his wife on board, he later joins a major airline as a pilot in 1958. After twenty years, he re-acquaints himself with the bluegrass community when his daughter brings him back into the world of bluegrass. He teaches a new band how to play the style of bluegrass he learned from Bill Monroe and helps them learn enough to possibly win the band contest. The next week he takes the entire band to an important festival in a private plane. He has another flying incident coming home.

The novel features extensive coverage of flying, bluegrass music and its pioneers, Christianity, tension and excitement, even a love story. This is for the bluegrass music newbie, as well as the veteran historian. It also features loads of excitement for the bush pilot as well as the airline pilot.

2018 IBMA Awards Announced

29 Sep, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

The 2018 IBMAAwards have concluded and the winners are no doubt celebrating their achievements along with their band members, record companies and families.

Here are some of the awards from last night’s awards show:

Female Vocalist of the Year: Brooke Aldridge(her second win in this category, previously in 2017)

Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton (his second win in this category, previously in 2014)

Banjo Player of the Year: Ned Luberecki (his first win in this category)

Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett (his second win in this category, previously in 2015)

Dobro Player of the Year: Justin Moses(his first win in this category)

Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland (his 11th win in this category, previously in 2015)

Guitar Player of the Year: Molly Tuttle (her second win in this category, previously in 2017)

Mandolin Player of the Year: Sierra Hull (her third win in this category, previously 2016 and 2017)

For a full list of IBMA Awards visit our 2018 IBMA Awards Page.

Steve Martin Banjo Prize Goes to Kristin Scott Benson

27 Sep, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Kristin Scott Benson, of the Grascals, is the 2018 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. The award was founded by actor, comedian, and musician, Steve Martin, and is meant to bring national attention to those who are masters of the banjo. Funded by the Steve Martin Charitable Foundation, the award includes a $50,000 cash prize and an original sculpture from Eric Fischl.

Kristin Scott Benson is a veteran banjo player from South Carolina. She is a four-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Banjo Player of the Year, a five-time Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Banjo Player of the Year, and is celebrating ten years as a member of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band, The Grascals. A graduate of Nashville’s Belmont University, Benson has previously performed with Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, The Larry Stephenson Band, Petticoat Junction and more.

For over a decade, Kristin has remained one of bluegrass music’s premier banjo players, quickly tossing the ill-advised “pretty good for a girl” caveat aside.

There was one grass ceiling no woman could cut through, until Kristin Scott Benson came along, that is. Almost two years ago, she joined The Grascals. Not to front the band, not to sing, not to be eye candy, but instead to drive the group with her five-string banjo. Until then, no woman had ever been hired to play one of the most defining of the bluegrass instruments in an A-list, festival-headlining, all-male band….It’s a high-profile gig, as Kristin takes the banjo where no woman has taken it before – Larry Nager Bluegrass Unlimited.

A banjo hero to pickers male and female alike, Kristin is known above all as a hard-working, generous, humble and kind human being, whose love for the banjo is only topped by her love for people. She resides in South Carolina with her husband, Wayne, and their son, Hogan.

My family and I are overwhelmed with gratefulness! Getting to know my banjo heroes, many of whom are on the board, is prize enough, but Steve Martin’s graciousness is a huge blessing. We don’t know how to adequately say thank you for something like this – Kristin Scott Benson.

2018 has already been an exciting year for Benson. She served as an instructor Kristin seeks to win her fifth Banjo Player of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association this Thursday, September 27th during the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show in Raleigh, North Carolina. She and The Grascals are also nominated for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year for their tune, Lynchburg Chicken Run.

The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass is voted on by a panel of experts in the field, which includes banjo masters J.D. Crowe, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, Noam Pikelny, and Steve Martin, among others.

Learn more about Kristin Scott Benson at www.ksbbanjo.com. More information about the Grascals can be found at www.grascals.com.

San Deigo Bluegrass Documentary by Rick Bowman

27 Sep, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Here is news of a documentary filmmaker named Rick Bowman of Backyard Green Films who has completed as new project on the history of bluegrass music in San Diego, California.

In the early 1960’s the “folk music revival” had a very large impact on bluegrass music across the USA including San Diego, California. There a group of young men from different backgrounds gathered to make this traditional music.

Banjos, Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers, looks specifically at the San Diego, CA bluegrass scene, from its inception in the 1960s on to the present day. This significant work takes a look at a number of prominent artists who got their start there including Chris Hillman, Alison Brown, Ron Block, and Stuart Duncan, plus the grand-daddies of the San Diego set, The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers. That was the group that helped propel the careers of Hillman, along with Bernie Leadon of The Eagles and Kenny Wertz of Country Gazette.

This film is an amazing and nostalgic look at the history of a region that inspired, nurtured and delivered so many great bluegrass musicians that are household names today.

The film is now available on iTunes and Amazon, entitled Banjos, Bluegrass and Squirrel Barkers. The film was accepted into 8 film festivals this past year, screening in London, Wales, Canada, Los Angeles, Miami and New York winning 3 awards.

Dewey and Leslie Brown Awarded Traditional American Bluegrass CD of the Year

28 Aug, 18 by Greg McGrath Leave a Comment

Dewey & Leslie Brown And The Carolina Gentleman Awarded Traditional American Bluegrass CD Of The Year for Latest Project ‘Under The Mountain’

Rising bluegrass band Dewey & Leslie Brown and the Carolina Gentleman have just been announced as the recipient for Traditional American Bluegrass CD of the Year, awarded by the Rural Roots Music Commission. The category recognises the band’s work for their latest debut album, Under the Mountain, released earlier this year.

It’s such an honour to receive this award, and we are ecstatic about the recognition the new album is getting – Leslie Brown.

We want to thank everyone who has been a part of this journey, and we’re so excited to see what the future holds – Dewey Brown.

The award-winning group head to Iowa on Friday, August 31 to receive the award at the 43rd National Old Time Country Music Festival. In addition to receiving the accolade, the band will also treat concertgoers to a very special full-band performance, where they will play songs from the critically acclaimed project. Fans can buy tickets to the festival here.

I’ve been listening to the old-style, the Monroe & Stanley Brothers ‘style’ of mountain bluegrass music, for a very very long time, this new CD by Dewey & Leslie Brown is an exact ‘statement’ of how that music sounded, and how it should sound – Bob Everhart, president of the National Traditional Country Music Association.

The dynamic pair has continued to turn heads since the release of their latest project, Under the Mountain. Inspired by Dewey’s time playing with the iconic Dr. Ralph Stanley, it features the authentic mountain sound made famous by the late singer. With Leslie penning 12 of the 14 tracks, the collection is heavily inspired by the singer/songwriter’s upbringing as an authentic coal miner’s daughter. In addition to seeing major traction from the lead single, Those Old Mountain, released earlier this year, the track Ultimate Sacrifice has struck another chord, charting at No. 6 on Bluegrass Today’s Gospel Weekly Airplay Chart.

About Dewey & Leslie Brown and The Carolina Gentlemen:

Inspired by authentic mountain Bluegrass music, Dewey & Leslie Brown have continued to captivate fans throughout North America. Married in 2007, the couple hosts 2 festivals each year, DeweyFest and GospelFest, held on their 52 acre farm in Burlington. The band’s sound is heavily influenced by Dewey’s time playing for the iconic Dr. Ralph Stanley. Spending over 11 years playing with the Bluegrass legend, Dewey made a number of high-profile appearances, including The Late Show With David Letterman, Carnegie Hall, while also performing for the Queen of England. Combine that experience with the talented singing and songwriting of Leslie, and the result is a sound that is sure to remind audiences that true bluegrass is more alive than ever.