IB: International Bluegrass

IB bluegrass international

Lance Leroy 1930-2015 The Man Who Pioneered the IBMA

Donna Ulisse Board spotlight Tim Su rrett Calendar: Bear on the Square Blue Ox Folk Alliance Savannah Music Festival

and MORE! Next issue

Sierra Hull

International Bluegrass Vol. 31 | No. 1 | February 2016

Editor: Shannon Turner shannon@ibma.org

Designer: Erin Faith Erdos erinfaitherdos@gmail.com

STAFF

Paul Schiminger Executive Director

board

Shannon Turner Director of Communications and Professional Development

Leah James Director of Member Services

Eddie Huffman Convention Services and IT Systems Director

Tim Surrett - Board Chairperson

Alan Bartram-Artists/Composers/Publishers Becky Buller-At Large Jamie Deering-Merchandisers/Luthiers Regina Derzon-Secretary, Associations Mike Drudge-Agents, Managers & Publicists John Goad-Print Media/Education Denise Jarvinen-At Large Marian Leighton Levy-Recording/Distribution/Marketing William Lewis-At Large

Steve Martin-At Large Stephen Mougin-At Large Joe Mullins-Treasurer, Artists/Composers/Publishers Ben Surratt- Vice Chair Wayne Taylor-Artists-Composers/Publishers Alan Tompkins-At Large Angelika Torrie- International Bree Tucker-Myers- Event Production Bob Webster-Broadcast Media

info Contact us

International Bluegrass

The monthly emailed publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association

(ISSN #1095-0605) IBMA: IBMA is the trade association

608 W. Iris Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 USA 615-256-3222 | 888-GET-IBMA Fax: 615-256-0450 Email: info@ibma.org Website: www.ibma.org

that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the writers alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers, directors, staff or members of IBMA. Portions of International Bluegrass may be reprinted provided that explicit citation of the source is made: “Reprinted with permission from International Bluegrass, the publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association, www.ibma.org.�

Table of CONT EN T s International bluegrass

February 2016 Cover story 18 THE PASSING of a PIONEER Remembering the life and leadership of bluegrass pioneer and IBMA visionary Lance LeRoy. by Shannon Wayne Turner

4 from the desk of Paul Schiminger Greetings to the IBMA’s members and to our entire bluegrass community!

»»The Social Corner Photo credit: Country Music Hall of Fame

»»p.9

6 Meet your new IBMA Staff Get to know Leah James and Shannon Wayne Turner.

8 Get to know your board of directors Tim Surrett is breaking in his seat as new Chairman of the IBMA Board of Directors, and it seems to be suiting him very well.

10 Donna Ulisse - The Imagination of a Songwriter IBMA nominee Donna Ulisse is far more than just a pretty face with an emotive voice. With her tenth studio album, Hard Cry Moon, she shows maturity and depth in her songwriting. by Ted Lehmann

»»p.16

»»p.10

12 Music Review - The grascals

by Riley Mathews.

14 WOB Save the Date + calendar events 16 Moment of the Month - john cowan John Cowan w/ Darin & Brooke Aldridge give a packed performance at Nashville’s City Winery.

20 Bluegrass industry news

NEXT issue... »»Next Issue Sierra Hull

Cover story Sierra Hull steps out in confidence with a new Weighted Mind album and tour.

a note from Paul

from the desk of Paul Schiminger IBMA Executive Director

Greetings to the IBMA’s members and our entire bluegrass community! We begin 2016 excited about what’s being planned to help our professional members throughout the year and make World of Bluegrass in late September the best one ever. The progress made in 2015 will be the foundation upon which we continue to improve and expand the IBMA’s contribution to our incredible industry. Thankfully, we successfully weathered a real storm in Raleigh in October and have put past political storms further in our rear view mirror. I’m hearing a positive buzz about our association’s direction, and I have all of you to thank for that. It is your contribution and commitment to the IBMA that have and will make it successful.

The feedback from attendees of the World of Bluegrass Business Conference, the IBMA Awards Show, and the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival has been overwhelmingly positive. This is not to say we didn’t receive constructive feedback on what could be done to improve the experience further.

We take that feedback seriously, and we are looking into improving specific areas such as the registration process and some conference logistics. Our conference attendees especially liked the doubling of seminar content and the afternoon showcases.

We are already working to build on those improvements by adding new content to help an even greater number of our professionals, expanding the Talent Buyer Track to help artists book new gigs, adding more networking opportunities, and facilitating more effective communication sessions to connect the IBMA’s Board of Directors and staff with our members. Collaboration and transparency are big priorities for us.

2015 was certainly a year of transition for the IBMA. I am excited to now have the office fully staffed. In December, we added two excellent professionals who are already rolling up their sleeves and making a big contribution. Leah James joined us as Director of Member Services, and Shannon Turner came onboard as Director of Communications and Professional Development. Leah has a strong organizational and business background, having managed district offices for Senate and Congressional representatives in Louisiana. Shannon has a long career in the music industry in media, as a journalist and publicist with various entities including CMT, Bluegrass Today, and the Bluegrass Situation. She is a graduate of Leadership Bluegrass’ Class of 2013.

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Having Leah and Shannon join Eddie Huffman and me is so important because we are small staff even under normal conditions.

What Eddie and Taylor Coughlin accomplished in a difficult 2015 was remarkable, as they were asked to take on multiple and often brand new responsibilities.

A big “Thank you!” to them, and a big welcome to Leah and Shannon!

I also want to thank the Board of Directors, past and present, for their time, passion, and commitment to the IBMA. This year’s Board is energized and engaged to implement new ideas and improve communication.

I look forward to an exciting 2016 where we continue to move the IBMA forward with your help. It is your association, and we appreciate the opportunity to assist in any way we can to help our members and expand the global appreciation of bluegrass music.

Respectfully, Paul Schiminger, Executive Director

Meet the Team

Say Hello to Shannon Turner …

IBMA’s new Director of Communications and Professional Development

Hi everybody! My name is Shannon Wayne Turner, and I am thrilled to be your Director of Communications and Professional Development. I am delighted by the prospect of working to elevate the goals of the IBMA and its members, providing opportunities to build on *your* bluegrass experience from wherever you are in the industry and spreading the love of bluegrass music around this fair planet.

I was born and raised in the little pocket of the world that is Jackson County, West Virginia, which is something for which I’m very grateful. Music has always been in my life – my dad and his family offered a palate of bluegrass and gospel influences, while Mother taught us what it meant to love Elvis, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. I learned piano and clarinet as a kid, and picked up guitar at 28, but don’t ask me

to pick! I’m more of a strum-along kind of player. It’s not bluegrass-y, but I do have a 50th Anniversary Eric Clapton Signature model Fender Stratocaster in pewter, which is my most prized material possession. If you have a Martin D-28 or certain pre-war banjos, I know you understand what I’m talking about.

mixed in from time to time.

In 2012, I had the opportunity to write articles for both Bluegrass Unlimited and Fiddler magazines, and with that, my career in bluegrass was born. I’ve so enjoyed getting to meet and work with many of you, and am stoked about the opportunities that lie ahead for all of us.

I graduated from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, with a B.A. degree in Speech Communication with minors in History, English and Spanish.

Later, I picked up certificates in Management from Belmont University in Nashville and Directing TV Commercials from the Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine.

When I’m not at 608 W. Iris Drive (Bluegrass Central), I like to see a LOT of live music, hang out with my friends and family and traveling or dreaming about traveling.

The insistent pull of the road and skies is hard to ignore, and I love exploring new places near and far.

So much to see, so little time! I’m a curious person, and a life-long learner.

After college graduation, the music biz called me to Nashville, and I’ve been here since. I’ve been in a lot of different media roles, all of which I learned after I got here. I’ve been a writer/producer in TV promotions and features, a website writer/producer, a music news reporter and producer for syndicated radio and a freelance writer/producer for everything from TV to publicity to journalism, which has occupied most of my efforts in recent years. All of this experience was in country music, much of it with CMT, with a little bluegrass

As are the rest of the staff, I am here at the IBMA for one reason, ultimately – to serve YOU, our members. If you have questions or concerns at any time, or have an idea that you know is going to blow everyone out of the water, please call me at 615-256-3222, email at shannon@ibma.org, or stop by and visit. Otherwise, I’ll see you out there in Bluegrass Nirvana!

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Meet the Team

Say Hello to Leah James …

IBMA’s new Director of Member Services musician, I felt that Nashville was the best place to follow my passion and work in the music industry. I am drawn to different genres of music and love being introduced to new artists and sounds. I am so excited to be a part of the IBMA, as it offers, in my opinion, some of the best musicians in the world.

Hi, my name is Leah James.

I grew up in the small town of Vidalia, Louisiana (not where the onions are from!). After graduating high school, I attended Louisiana Tech University (GO DAWGS!!), where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. After graduation I spent seven years working for the United States House of Representatives.

Just recently, I earned my Masters of Business

Administration from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. I have a beautiful 6 year-old daughter who is my world and gets most of my free time.

Music has always been a passion, as I grew up singing in church. Unfortunately, carrying a tune is the only musical talent I acquired. My mother plays piano and her patience in teaching me anything behind basic chords growing up was pretty nonexistent! After meeting my significant other, who is a country

As Member Services Director I get the opportunity to connect directly with our members and essentially be their voice in our association. I consider this a privilege, and welcome the opportunity for our members to get involved and voice their ideas as to what we, as an organization, can do to better serve them and the industry.

You may reach me at 615-2563222, or email leah@ibma.org.

International Buegrass

| September 2015

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Board Q&A

Meet Your board of directors Tim Surrett

Chairman, IBMA Board of Directors Bass player, Balsam Range

Tim Surrett is breaking in his seat as new Chairman of the IBMA Board of Directors, and it seems to be suiting him very well. After assuming the role during World of Bluegrass at the beginning of October after a short term as Vice Chair, Tim has set goals to better the IBMA as an organization, improve the benefits and value of membership and further the role of bluegrass in its reach and influence around the country and throughout the world.

These concerns are personal for Tim. As current Bass Player of the Year for Vocal Group of the Year Balsam Range, he has vested interest in the success of the IBMA as a whole, yet he understands clearly that there is no Association without its members.

Since he is a cornerstone of the IBMA and affects much of how the organization moves forward, we thought that you might like to get to know him a little better.

Here is Tim, in his own words.

IBMA – What do you enjoy most about your role as Chairman?

Tim - Well, it’s still a new process, but I’m enjoying working with Paul Schiminger on the

many issues we have to deal with. I also really enjoy working with our Raleigh partners on World of Bluegrass. I am located halfway between Raleigh and Nashville, so I try to act as a middleman, pun intended.

IBMA - What are some primary goals you have for the IBMA as we move through 2016?

Tim - We have a lot going on within the organization. Our Raleigh experience has been greatly successful, but we have pieces that can be improved upon.

We want to work harder to become a truly national and international organization. Efforts are already underway to expand further nationally and to form good relationships with our related organizations.

I would like to see a more open line of communication between board, staff, and membership.

We are all on the same team after all. That is my hope.

IBMA - Is there anything that you’d like to personally say directly to the membership in this forum?

8 International Bluegrass | September 2015

Tim - I’m proud to be a part of this organization, and to serve on the Board. We have a really good Board, with great representation from all aspects of our industry. We have artists, educators, attorneys, agents, broadcasters, writers, promoters, recording professionals, and instrument company professionals on this Board.

I encourage members to contact your representative and express ideas or concerns. You can reach any of us by email directly from the IBMA website. Even though we aren’t paid, we work for you.

the Social Corner Check this out!

The great Earl Scruggs

Here’s a clip of Earl, Lester Flatt & the Foggy Mountain Boys with a 1965 Grand Ole Opry performance of the Facebook favorite. Do you agree with their choice?

would have been 88 years old on January 6, and to celebrate, we asked our 54,000+ Facebook followers to tell us their favorite Scruggs tune.

It was no surprise that the Photo credit: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum overwhelming favorite was “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” perhaps the most famous banjo song of all time.

Grow Your Bluegrass Business Advertise with

IBMA

International Buegrass See our many options at IBMA.org

| September 2015

9

Donna Ulisse The Imagination of a Songwriter

by Ted Lehmann

D

onna Ulisse’s new Hard Cry Moon represents the tenth studio album in a remarkable recording career, notable for its second story elements and her ability to effectively weave country and bluegrass strands together to meld her background, her character and one of the most lovely voices to be found. By resurrecting an earlier promising career

as a young country singer into a mature outlook and marvelous productivity as a singer/songwriter, Ulisse has established herself through a strong body of works presented in some of the most polished and well-produced recordings of recent years. Whenever you listen to a Donna Ulisse song, you hear a mature performer working with carefully crafted, heartfelt, honest

10 International Bluegrass | September 2015

material. Donna Ulisse presents listeners with depth of feeling and thoughtful consideration of sensory experience. Her sensuality luxuriates in deep relationships and wholesome graciousness.

Donna’s story has been told before.

How she grew up in Hampton Roads, Virginia, the child of a second

Donna Ulisse Have Learned,” which was written for Bill Monroe, covered by Ricky Skaggs, and appears on Tony Rice’s Manzanita album.

In her book The Songwriter in Me (Hadley Music Group, 2014, 156 pages, $19.95, eBook $8.99), Donna writes of ways to harness personal experience, one’s own or that of others, and turn it into a story, lyrics, and finally, a song. She says, “Creativity has to be nurtured. It must be fed and given the light of day to grow. I use it in so many parts of my life. I love decorating, sewing, painting, dreaming up projects for grand babies, making up recipes and cooking. All of these things are born out of my imagination and dredged up from my creative well. Even my dreams find me creating. The more I feed this gift the bigger it grows!”

She presents examples and then exercises to help turn those experiences into the language and cadence of poetry, songs. Donna harnesses exercises and discipline to create her own songs, using them in her workshops to aid aspiring songwriters wishing to turn their “aha moments,” their inspiration, into full blown songs. Donna explores how she mines her childhood, family, formative experiences, nature, and her mixed cultural heritage as the center of her writing and then allows her imagination and intelligence to wander freely, exploring the possibilities. The exercises she includes and her willingness to examine herself and her process in public can enrich anyone wanting to write, whether it’s songs, poems, simple meditations on life, or longer material. The process clearly shows itself in the writing and production of Hard Cry Moon.

Donna Ulisse’s debut in bluegrass music was early on greeted with suspicion because of her association with country music, as well as, perhaps, the warmth and absence of nasal overtones in her singing. Her earliest efforts were characterized, cruelly, as a person not coming from the “bluegrass world,” using it as a way to encroach on the seemingly less competitive world of bluegrass music. This unfair assessment has mostly been overcome by Ulisse’s persistence, the high quality of her work, her growth as a performer and her increased competence as a guitarist.

generation Italian man and Virginia working people. Her grandfather was an Italian immigrant who eventually landed in Virginia’s Tidelands. Her maternal grandmother’s family moved to Mineral, Virginia, from the Carolinas.

Country and bluegrass music was a part of the family, mostly as listeners.

Donna’s Uncle, Eugene “Curly” Butler, is listed as a co-writer of “I Hope You

Hard Cry Moon marks a return to Donna’s recording mostly her own songs after her sojourn into a cover album called Showin’ My Roots, where she included many country and bluegrass songs that had influenced her development as a singer. The new album contains eleven originals and one cover, and was produced by Bryan Sutton.

Paying tribute directly to her maternal grandfather is the song “Workin’ on the C & O,” which celebrates a railroad career in which, even after promotions to an office position with the railroad, he yearns for the sound of the hammer driving spikes on the road. In “Papa’s Garden,” she celebrates her Italian paternal grandfather, who loved the garden he grew to satisfy both his love of growing things and his wish to make a place for his grandchildren to play. The haunting murder song called “The River’s Runnin’ Free” captures the imagination, with Scott

International Buegrass

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Donna Ulisse

See the official video for “Hard Cry Moon” Vestal’s insistent banjo carrying the very real threat of danger. Casey Campbell on mandolin may be young, but his playing is filled with thoughtful lines that capture the intent of each song. Stuart Duncan on fiddle takes each Ulisse lyric and weaves a comfortable lyrical line around it.

Rick Stanley and Jerry Salley bring wonderful understated harmonies, always supporting Donna’s clear, supple voice while never seeking the foreground or interfering with the line she so clearly intends. Her songs almost always lie within the experience of listeners, written so that they can immediately say, “That’s my song, too.” This is a contemporary bluegrass recording, using the familiar themes of the genre. It’s very much worth adding to a collection.

In addition to her recording career, Donna has found herself branching out to spread her experience, the result of many years toiling within the music industry in Nashville. She has emerged as a writer. Her songwriting workshops have established her as a mentor, and recently, Donna’s begun producing in the studio, working with emerging younger artists. She has worked with Rebekah Long on a bluegrass album and Danny Crabtree on an all-gospel offering.

This work provides Donna with an opportunity to spread the skills and knowledge gained through decades of productivity in the industry.

During the past few years, Donna has been teaching song writing workshops around the country, working with mostly unpublished and aspiring songwriters, first at festivals and now at standalone workshop/performances.

In The Songwriter in Me, she writes about using her life experiences as the initial background for exploring herself and her reactions to them.

She gives examples of turning those experiences into imagery and description while placing them in a musical setting. There are a few exercises in her book to facilitate this effort, and she is busily developing more of them, refining them in her workshops, while she is collecting them into a workbook of exercises and ways to realize the poet within.

She presented her “Songwriter Escape Workshop” at the Flagler Beach Hotel in Florida in January, and will do so at several other venues during the year.

These experiential workshops are usually accompanied by her husband, Rick Stanley, or other members of her band, and may include instrument instruction as well as a concert by the Donna Ulisse Trio. Other workshops are planned in Yorktown, Virginia, and Bloomingdale, Indiana, this year.

Ulisse has survived mid-career reversals by spending time as a staff songwriter in the Nashville publishing industry. She has used this experience to marry her already considerable strengths to writing and performing levels she didn’t really know she had until they started to develop, helping her to thrive. She

12 International Bluegrass | September 2015

recorded her first album for limited distribution in songwriter settings, which Keith Sewell urged her to take public. Kyle Cantrell of Sirius/XM Radio’s Bluegrass Junction started playing “I’m Calling Heaven Down” on the air, and then brought her into the studio for an interview. The rest is history. With the release of Hard Cry Moon, she shows that she deserves to be in the top rank of singers.

Meanwhile, her songs have been recorded by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Del McCoury and several others. She has grown in confidence sufficiently to embrace the role of mentor herself. Donna Ulisse’s future seems to be limited only by her imagination these days, and her imagination is rich and varied.

Ted Lehmann is a past nominee for the IBMA’s Print Media Person of the Year. He and his wife, Irene, spend much of their time on the road attending bluegrass festivals.

He is the author of Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms.

Music Review

And Then There’s

The Grascals

by Riley Mathews

W

elcoming the New Year with banjo, tight vocal harmonies and a brandnew record. That’s how The Grascals like to roll.

With a slight roster change since their last album, their newest collection, and then there’s this... (No, that’s not a dramatic lead-in), was released earlier this month on Mountain Home Music Company. John Bryan joins the group and shares lead vocal duties with the group’s veteran, Terry Eldridge.

Tight harmonies and the diversity of the two lead vocalists are enough to keep you engaged throughout the ride. Bryan certainly does not disappoint, adding a smooth young voice to complement and contrast Eldridge’s more rugged and edgy sound. If you want an excellent example of Bryan’s vocal chops, give a listen to the ballad, “If You Want Me To,” especially the tag to the last chorus. The vocals are definitely one of the biggest highlights of this album.

Not to be outplayed by the singers, however, the band lays down a catchy instrumental track with their new original, “Autumn Glen.” This tune gives Danny Roberts, Kristen Scott Benson and Adam Haynes a chance to show off their picking prowess and abilities to create a beautifully flowing melody sans lyrics.

accustomed to hearing, such as drums. Even so, listeners will find themselves tapping and singing along with this wonderful album.

That’s not to say the rest of the album doesn’t give them chances to shine as well; tasteful solos are found throughout the album, along with fills masterfully woven into the vocal lines.

Fans of traditional bluegrass will appreciate many of the tracks on this album. The group has gone full circle, back to the roots of their first bluegrass releases.

Alternatively, fans of more recent Grascals releases may be disappointed by the absence of the country influences they have become

Riley Mathews is a student at Belmont University in Nashville, studying Commercial Music with a minor in Music Business. This is his first entry in IB.

International Buegrass

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Save the Date

Tickets Go on Sale for World of Bluegrass ’16 on APRIL 5 It may be hard to believe, but it is already time to start planning for World of Bluegrass 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina! The event will be held September 27 – October 1, at the Raleigh Convention Center, Red Hat Amphitheater and other venues around town. Here’s what you need to know:

APRIL 5, 10 a.m. Central Time – ON SALE TO IbmA MEMBERS ONLY • World of Bluegrass Industry Conference Tickets on Sale • Bluegrass Ramble Tickets on Sale • IBMA Awards Show Tickets on Sale • Wide Open Bluegrass Festival Tickets on Sale • World of Bluegrass Expo Exhibitor Space on Sale • Discounted Hotel Rooms on Sale **IMPORTANT NOTE: Access link to the discounted hotel block is provided upon purchase of a World of Bluegrass conference registration, World of Bluegrass Expo space or Wide Open Bluegrass Festival tickets only. Bluegrass Ramble only passes do not include access to the Marriott or Sheraton hotel discounts.

APRIL 19, 10 a.m. Central Time – ON SALE TO IBMA NON-MEMBERS • All items as noted above There will be more details to come in the weeks ahead, including pricing information.

To access member Priority Access (April 5 On Sale date) and discounted rates, join the IBmA today.

Pencil it In

Events & happenings

When & Where to find a patch of bluegrass near you!

Feb. 17 – 21 February

17 march

24

Folk Alliance International Conference, Camp, Fair & Awards Kansas City, MO Featuring Alison Brown, Roland White & Diane Bouska

March 24 - April 9 Savannah Music Festival Savannah, GA Feat. Steep Canyon Rangers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

April 16 - 17 april

16

20th Annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Dahlonega, GA bearonthesquare.org Feat. The Becky Buller Band, Chris Jones & the Nightdrivers

June

9

June 9 – 11 Blue Ox Music Festival Eau Claire, WI blueoxmusicfestival.com Feat. Pert Near Sandstone, Green Sky Bluegrass, Del McCoury Band

International Buegrass

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IBMA Moment of the Month John Cowan w/ Darin & Brooke Aldridge City Winery, Nashville, TN - January 30, 2016

photo by LuAnn Adams

Brooke Aldridge, John Cowan and Darin Aldridge were flanked by Jimmy Fortune and John Berry in Nashville It was a full house at City Winery on Saturday night, January 30th, when John Cowan with Darin & Brooke Aldridge stopped at City Winery in Nashville. The trio have been touring for the past couple of months with banjoist Tyler Collins and fiddler Shad Cobb, showcasing material from Cowan’s solo career, New Grass Revival favorites and music from the Aldridge catalogue including their hit-making album, Snapshots.

As is often the case in Nashville, a few friends stopped by to make the night special. Joining the ensemble on stage for a number or few were IBMA winner Marty Raybon; country singer John Berry; the Statler Brothers’ Jimmy Fortune; Ed Toth, Cowan’s drumming partner in The Doobie Brothers; Ray Cardwell; and New Grass Revival guitarist Pat Flynn, who awed the crowd with some hot flatpicking. In addition, The Bankesters provided opening entertainment.

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The Cowan and Aldridge combo is a creative, if not obvious, pairing – Cowan and Brooke Aldridge have the pipes to raise any roof, and with Darin Aldridge’s creative mandolin and guitar work, along with Cobb’s singular fiddle and excellent banjo from young Collins, it’s a great night of music.

MOTM- February

In Memoriam

THE PASSING of a PIONEER Lance LeRoy was the Impetus Behind Creating the IBMA Lance LeRoy, one of the first booking agents in bluegrass music and a pioneer in the founding of the International Bluegrass Music Association, died December 17, 2015 at his son’s home in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

He was 85 years old.

by Shannon Wayne Turner

photos courtesy of Lanny LeRoy

A fiddle player and lifelong lover of bluegrass music, LeRoy worked as a bookkeeper before he turned his attention to becoming a booking agent. During a career that spanned over 30 years, he represented Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements, Del McCoury and The Johnson Mountain Boys, among others. When Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs parted ways in 1969 to pursue their own interests, he became the former’s manager until Flatt died in 1979.

McCoury was a client at LeRoy’s Lancer Agency when he was an up-and-coming artist from Pennsylvania.

By the time they worked together, however, they had known each other for years. “The first time I met Lance was in 1963 or 64, when I was playing with Bill Monroe in Lavonia, Georgia. He was playing fiddle in the opening band that night,” the 2011 IBMA Hall of Fame inductee recalls. “Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s he worked with all the hot acts in Bluegrass, so I was very fortunate to have him as my agent during that time.

“Bluegrass owes Lance a debt of gratitude for all of his hard work growing the industry and keeping acts like Lester Flatt and the Bluegrass Cardinals on the road, but what I think most people will remember about Lance is how funny he was. He liked to have a good time and keep people on their toes. I know I’m going to miss him.”

The bluegrass industry was in a downturn during the mid-80’s when LeRoy had the idea to establish a trade organization for the music. While a version of the notion had been tossed around before by booking agent and festival promoter Carlton Haney and LeRoy started The Lancer Agency to book bluegrass acts.

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In Memoriam L-R: Don Light, Lester Flatt, and Lance LeRoy.

others as early as 1970, it was LeRoy who pushed to make it happen. He brought together some friends and notables to begin planning. Some of those present were Sonny Osborne, Bluegrass Unlimited publisher Pete Kuykendall, Doyle Lawson, Jesse and the late Jim McReynolds, Mac Wiseman and Bill and James Monroe. On October 16, 1985, the International Bluegrass Music Association was born. The new organization celebrated by throwing a bash in Nashville.

Speaking of the critical time in bluegrass history leading up to the formation of the IBMA, founding member and IBMA Hall of Fame inductee Kuykendall took note of LeRoy’s efforts, saying, “He was probably the most important person in the formation of the IBMA. His passion for traditional bluegrass music was unparalleled.”

Art Menius was the first Executive Director of the IBMA, and he remembers LeRoy as a singular figure.

“He remained part of the core group which put the IBMA together, but he had no interest in being on the Board of Directors,” says Menius. “In many ways, Lance projected the old school, a living connection to an earlier Nashville and a fast-disappearing music industry based on personal relationships.”

IBMA Hall of Famer Doyle Lawson shares some personal memories of his friend, while emphasizing LeRoy’s legacy in the industry.

“He was a good friend to me and all of those involved in this great music we refer to as bluegrass,” Lawson notes. “Maybe some folks don’t know that Lance could play the fiddle, and [he] told me that Howard ‘Howdy’ Forrester was probably his favorite fiddler. And we loved talking about bluegrass music! [Chatting about] Flatt and Scruggs was one of our favorite discussions.

“My condolences to the family. Lance is missed.”

LeRoy was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2000.

Leroy and Earl Scruggs

International Buegrass

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Bluegrass Music Industry News Register Now for Folk Alliance 2016

Folk Alliance International is throwing their annual onestop-shop extravaganza February 17 – 21 in Kansas City, rightfully billed as a “Conference, Camp, Music Fair & Awards Show.” They mean it, too; over 190 juried artists will play for “the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community.” There will also be over 1000 late-night private showcases – yes, 1000! In addition,

folk icon Judy Collins will deliver the keynote address.

The conference features artists and folk traditions from all over the world, and is a great opportunity to learn, network and bask in music. For more information and to register, visit Folk Alliance International’s website.

In Remembrance Drusilla Adams Smith, December 13, 2015. Adams was an early champion of recorded bluegrass music, founding Blue Ridge Records with her father, Noah Adams, in Wilkes County, North Carolina. The label was active from 1951-1958, and was one of the first independent labels in North Carolina to feature bluegrass music. It released sides

from The Stanley Brothers, Bill Clifton and The Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers, among others.

Adams was also a prolific songwriter, crafting songs often with Bill Church of The Church Brothers. Two of her recorded songs were “No One to Love Me” and “The Rose of My Heart.”

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Drusilla Adams Smith with The Church Brothers

industry news

MerleFest Announces Judges for 2016 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

Dailey & Vincent Capture Emmy Nomination

They’ve been nominated for Grammy awards before, but Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent of Dailey & Vincent were recognized for excellence in their television work when they were nominated for a Midsouth Regional Emmy Award. The recognition comes for their PBS special, Dailey & Vincent – ALIVE! In Concert, in the Entertainment Program category. The show has been seen in over 84 markets.

Says Darrin Vincent, “We had a great time producing our public television special. It was a lot of hard work, and it feels really good to be recognized by the Emmys for [that].”

The Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony will be telecast live on February 27, 2016, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee.

A Hip New Gig for Former IBMA Executive Director Nancy Cardwell Singer, musician, journalist, author, executive and now booking agent…the multi-talented Nancy Cardwell, former Executive Director of the IBMA, has announced that she is now booking dates for 2016 and 2017 for Bluegrass Hall of Fame member and Grand Ole Opry star Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys; Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike and Ray Cardwell. Working with BuckleDown Productions, owned by Smith and Gregory Heinike, you may reach Cardwell at nancyk.cardwell@gmail.com or 615-260-4807.

MerleFest has announced a commanding trio of judges for the 24th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, held during the festival taking place April 28 – May 1 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

All esteemed in their own right, Appalachian and folk artist John Cloyd Miller, bluegrass songwriter Milan Miller and Nashville songwriter Sarah Potenza will determine the winners of the on-site final round of the competition.

IBMA 2015 Songwriter of the Year Becky Buller is a past winner of the contest. All submissions had to be turned in by February 1st.

For more information about the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest or the MerleFest four-day event, visit www.merlefest.org.

If you need the home office of BuckleDown Productions in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, that number is 931-389-0222.

International Buegrass

| September 2015

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