International Bluegrass

IB

Vol. 27, No. 6 June 2012

MAKE PLANS TO

JOIN US IN MUSIC CITY

BLUEBIRD IN THE BLUEGRASS MUSIC INDUSTRY

NEWS!

BLUEGRASS MUSIC INNOVATORS

Remembering

Douglas Dillard & Everett Lilly

FRESH SOUNDS IN BLUEGRASS

WHAT’S INSIDE? COVER STORIES

4 Register NOW for World of Bluegrass... Join Us As We Remember Earl, Everett, Doug & Doc Don't Miss Our Last WOB In Nashville for a while!

8 Douglas Dillard, 1937-2012: A Tribute

Douglas Flint Dillard my mentor, the person who showed me that music was exciting and fun to play on stage for people… the one who was 'impickable' with the execution of his art... Douglas Flint Dillard--whose grin would hit the back of the wall from any stage he was on--has passed away.

14 Remembering Everett Lilly: A Tribute

Everett Lilly, a revered member of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame, died on Tuesday, May 8 at his home in West Virginia. He was 87 years old.

20 Bluebird in the Bluegrass: A New IBMA Songwriting Venture Next Show June 8, at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee!

21 Foundation for Bluegrass Music Announces Grants to Honor Bluegrass Music Innovators Mr. Warren Hellman and Mr. Earl Scruggs

24 Bluegrass Music Industry News

Artists & Composers, Association News, Broadcaster News, Event Producers, International Focus, Print, Media & Education, Record Labels & Publishers

34 Fresh Sounds in the World of Bluegrass New Music (2nd Quarter, 2012)

3 A Special Message From Nancy Cardwell 6 IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Event Moving To Raleigh in 2013 19 Katherine Coe and Caroline Wright Join IBMA Staff 22 Learn About Negotiating Contracts with Bands and Venues at IBMA's June 12 Webinar 23 Getting Your Songs Out There: Tips on Exposing Your Original Songs 37 Report from the 2012 European World of Bluegrass

a special message from

Nancy Cardwell

During the past few months, the worldwide bluegrass community has been stunned and saddened by the deaths of four of our most beloved pioneers.

As we prepare this issue of International Bluegrass, I ask you to join the staff, officers and directors of IBMA in extending your thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of Earl Scruggs, Everett Lilly, Doug Dillard and Doc Watson.

Each of these men was responsible for bringing many of us to the “fold,” introducing us to the music we love so much, inspiring untold numbers of artists to create their own sounds, and adding tremendous joy to our lives.

Please join us for World of Bluegrass in Nashville in September for a week of unforgettable tributes, performances and storytelling sessions dedicated to the friends we have lost this year--Earl Scruggs, Everett Lilly, Doug Dillard and Doc Watson--with participation by the folks who toured and recorded with them. Registration is open now; click here for details. As the worldwide bluegrass community gathers to remember these pioneers of bluegrass music, we hope you’ll be there, too. You won’t want to miss a single minute, word or note.

We’re also looking for a few good stories about Doc. Just a few days after she began working with us as interim editor and special projects director, author and journalist Caroline Wright started writing stories about Doug and Everett. She collected stories and tributes from their friends and peers and wrote two extraordinary articles about them for this issue.

We’ve also included a reprint of her wonderful 2002 interview with Doc Watson from Bluegrass Now. To see these and other stories, click here.

Caroline would like to hear from the people who loved Doc and his music. She invites Doc’s fans to send their favorite stories, memories and reflections of the beloved American musician to caroline@ibma.org (about 100 words or less would be fine; use more words if you need them). A selection of tributes will appear in the story Caroline is planning for our July edition. Deadline for submission is June 15.

You'll likely notice a few changes in the look of International Bluegrass this month. With a skill set that includes graphic design, website design and digital video production, Katherine Coe, our new administrative/media assistant, is already working with our team to develop exciting new ways to deliver news about the worldwide bluegrass community to your doorstep. Katherine came up with the design we're using for World of Bluegrass marketing and merchandise this year, and we're also premiering her gorgeous new full-color graphic magazine version of International Bluegrass with this issue. As they settle into their new roles, Katherine and Caroline have already made many exciting contributions to the quality and value of our communication.

I look forward to seeing you in Nashville in September for our last World of Bluegrass in Music City for the next few years; to sharing music and memories of Earl, Everett, Doug, and Doc; and to telling you more in the months ahead about Raleigh, N.C., which will host World of Bluegrass in 2013-2015.

Thank you for all you do for bluegrass music!

-N Nancy Cardwell, Interim Executive Director

REGISTER TODAY FOR IBMA’s WORLD OF BLUEGRASS 2012 Don't Miss Our Last WOB In Nashville for a while!

You've probably seen the recent announcements that IBMA's World of Bluegrass event will move to the city of Raleigh, N.C. starting in 2013. As you might expect, we're planning an unforgettable WOB for our final event in Nashville before we take the show to Raleigh for the next three years!

Our annual "bluegrass industry summit and music family reunion" is shaping up to be one of the best ever. This year will definitely be one you just can’t miss.

Fun & fellowship is what the World of Bluegrass all about! It's an action-packed, tuneful week filled with valuable and useful information, plenty of opportunities to make meaningful connections with your friends, peers and idols

in the bluegrass community... and as usual, some of the hottest picking you will hear anywhere! Be sure to join us in Nashville for bluegrass music's biggest event of the year.

The Business Conference: Monday - Thursday, Sept 24-27 The open convention center layout in Nashville will continue this year so that folks have greater access to pick, do business and network with one another in common spaces of the center. But there is SO MUCH MORE to take in! As always, you’ll need to be registered to take part in professional development opportunities, the exhibit hall, official showcases and meal functions. We encourage everyone to support the organization that makes the week possible. Join IBMA, identify the events in the schedule that will

help you succeed, and participate! Full conference registrations begin at only $325. We’re also offering a “four for the price of three” sale on full attendee registrations so gather some colleagues and save! Can’t join us all week? Single day and a la carte tickets will also be available.

Attendee evaluations say… “more emerging talent at official showcases.” Expect to see new faces and discover exciting new music at the official showcases.

After Hours showcases will be presented from 10 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. While conference registration by participants is not required, we know there is a great benefit in participating in the events. Artists are encouraged to get the MOST of the time and money you’ve spent to get here by registering and being a part of

world of bluegrass professional development and networking opportunities. After Hours showcase hosts will be encouraged to only book talent who are IBMA members. If you haven't joined IBMA yet, give us a call at 888-438-4262, join online at this link or join on site at the World of Bluegrass registration desk. www.BluegrassNation.org, a social networking and marketing database for bluegrass enthusiasts around the world, will be up and running and will be a continuing theme for the 2012 events.

Educational Sessions packed with valuable information and ideas are being planned, and there's something for everyone! Our sessions and panel discussions are being planned to serve the needs of the entire bluegrass community! Here are just a few of the sessions that have been confirmed for 2012...

- The Words & Music of Larry Cordle with guests Larry Cordle, Larry Shell, and Carl Jackson - Event Volunteer Management & Support with Dwight Worden - Time Management with Debra Russell - What Is Leadership Bluegrass? A Panel Discussion with Trisha Tubbs, Jon Weisberger and Ben Surratt - Creative Music Arrangement with Harry Stinson of The Fabulous Superlatives Also in the works: unforgettable tributes and storytelling sessions dedicated to the friends we have lost this year--Earl Scruggs, Everett Lilly, Doug Dillard and Doc Watson--with participation by the folks who toured with them, recorded with them and knew them best. Please join us as we gather to remember these very, very special pioneers of bluegrass music.

The Emerging Artist Educational Track will continue in 2012, with topics specifically chosen by new bands. And popular events like the Songwriter Showcase, Song Circles, Gig Fair, Mentor Sessions, Storytelling Sessions, Song Demo Listening and an Artist/DJ Reception will return along with several member-suggested

seminars, workshops and labs dedicated to cutting edge industry information and new trends.

The Awards Show: Thursday, Sept 27 We’ll return to the historic Ryman Auditorium for The International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 27—always a joyous night filled with unique moments you absolutely will not see anywhere else! And don’t forget the Awards after party at Margaritaville on lower Broad(way)—a fundraiser for The Foundation for Bluegrass Music.

The Festival: Friday-Sunday, Sept 28-30 Bluegrass Fan Fest wraps up the week with more than 60 acts, unique collaborations and not-to-miss reunions. We're working on an AMAZING lineup for the spectacular weekend event that wraps up World of Bluegrass each year. Order reserved tickets early if you want to have the best seats in the house! Here's a list of some of the red-hot bluegrass acts that are confirmed so far... with more to come!...

The Steep Canyon Rangers The Grascals Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Claire Lynch Band Balsam Range Junior Sisk & Rambler's Choice Josh Williams Band Sleepy Man Banjo Boys The Roys Register NOW for our last WOB event in Nashville for the next few years!

world of bluegrass We’ll be having a WORLD of fun at our last World of Bluegrass in Nashville this year... you don't want to miss it! You should already have received a full World of Bluegrass brochure in the mail (if you didn't, let us know, and we'll be happy to send you another). Registration is open as of June 1, and tickets are available NOW at www.worldofbluegrass.org or by calling 888-GET-IBMA. “Nashvegas” is the Las Vegas of the South, offering a small town feel and big city fun combined with some of the greatest live music in the world—especially during IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Week! Make your reservations now to stay at the convenient and comfortable Renaissance Hotel—close to all the World of Bluegrass action!

Plan to come early and stay late, to enjoy everything the city has to offer.

Click here for some fun things to do while you’re in Music City... and email us your suggestions, too!

World of Bluegrass 2013-2015 will be hosted at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Raleigh Amphitheater and Memorial Auditorium, with hotel blocks at the Raleigh Marriott City Center, the Sheraton Raleigh and six additional nearby hotels. “If we had designed a perfect venue for our events, it would look a lot like the facilities in Raleigh,” said IBMA Board chair Stan Zdonik.

We can’t wait for our members and friends to see this place! In the months ahead, look for more information about the city of Raleigh as an exciting new venue for World of Bluegrass. Here are just a few of its benefits and attractions: - A compact “campus” with options for hosting Fan Fest indoors or outdoors—or both, with more stage options - A state-of-the-art, Silver LEED certified convention center that incorporates a bright and open atmosphere (lots of windows and solar panels on the roof!)

IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Event Moving To Raleigh in 2013 On May 16, the IBMA Board of Directors announced plans to move World of Bluegrass events to Raleigh, North Carolina for the next three years, 2013-2015.

IBMA's “World of Bluegrass Week” includes the four-day IBMA Business Conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, and the three-day Bluegrass Fan Fest.

Our annual industry summit/ bluegrass family reunion draws more than 16,000 attendees, providing opportunities for showcasing, professional development and networking at the largest concentrated week of powerful, live bluegrass music on the planet.

The following World of Bluegrass dates have been announced, with the option for a five- or seven-day event each year: September 23 - 29, 2013 September 29 - October 5, 2014 September 28 - October 4, 2015.

- Substantially lower hotel rates, with the host hotel at $139/night and other lodging in our block as low as $66/night. The Raleigh Marriott City Center is connected to the Raleigh Convention Center and the Sheraton Raleigh is half a block away across the street, connected by an underground walkway (both $139/night). The Clarion Hotel State Capital ($85) is five blocks away. MORE: The Hampton Inn Glenwood Avenue (1 mile, $139), the Doubletree by Hilton Brownstone (2 miles, $154), the Hilton North Raleigh (5 miles, $101), Holiday Inn Express-Suites NCSU (2 miles, $89.99), Red Roof Inn NCSU (1 mile, $65.99). Note: These rates will not be available until spring 2013.

- Plenty of parking at the Raleigh Convention Center, $7/day - Free shuttle rides in downtown Raleigh to its five entertainment districts. This shuttle also has access to the Marriott, Sheraton, Clarion and Hampton.

- Free Wi-Fi for individual World of Bluegrass attendees in the lobby of the Raleigh Convention Center and in designated outside hotspots downtown - Substantial savings and value from Raleigh both for individual World of Bluegrass attendees and for our trade association as a whole, plus help with media promotion and sponsorship connections - A strong network of volunteers already working bluegrass concerts at PineCone events (Piedmont Council of Traditional Music) - A performing arts hall-style venue for the IBMA Awards, with a few more (and softer) seats - Accessible by air, interstate highway or Amtrak - And more!

We’re looking forward to working with a local organizing committee in Raleigh to plan World of Bluegrass and a city-wide celebration, with showcase and performance opportunities for dozens of bands in the Raleigh Convention Center, the headquarter hotels, local schools, and up and down the streets in local music clubs and cafes.

North Carolina has a rich bluegrass music history. A number of our Bluegrass Hall of Fame members hail from the Tar Heel State, including Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Red Smiley, Carlton Haney, Curly Seckler, Carl Story and George Shuffler.

Pre-bluegrass pioneers Wade Mainer and Charlie Poole are from North Carolina, and the Monroe Brothers (Charlie and Bill) made their first recordings in Charlotte, N.C.—including the classic “What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?” Some argue that Bill Monroe might not have made it to the Opry to unveil his new genre of music if not for Raleigh, N.C.—the place where he and his brother Charlie famously parted ways in 1938, beginning the chain of events that would lead the younger brother to form the Blue Grass Boys.

North Carolina is also the home of Smilin’ Jim Mills, Tony Williamson, Bryan Sutton, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Tony Rice, Balsam Range, The Grass Cats, Kickin Grass Band, Nu-Blu, Steve Dilling, Cindy & Terry Baucom, Lou Reid & Carolina, The Skip Cherryholmes Quintet, Si Kahn, The WBT Briarhoppers, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, The Snyder Family Band, Lorraine Jordan, Tommy Edwards & the Bluegrass Experience, The Shady Grove Band, Town Mountain, The Kruger Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Chatham County Line, David Holt, the Red Clay Ramblers and more.

World of Bluegrass is moving to Raleigh through 2015, but IBMA’s office will remain in Nashville. IBMA hosted World of Bluegrass events in Owensboro and Louisville, Kentucky before moving to Nashville in 2005. We have a good home in Nashville, and we intend to stay actively involved throughout the year in local efforts to keep a high profile for bluegrass music in Music City, including quarterly “’Bluebird in the Bluegrass’” songwriter rounds at The Bluebird Café, a ‘“September is Worldwide Bluegrass Month’” downtown noon concert organized by the Foundation for Bluegrass Music, and other events produced by local members.

IBMA’s 2012 dates for World of Bluegrass are Sept. 24-30, in Nashville, Tennessee. We invite our members to come to the conference in Nashville, to secure a ticket early for the 23rd International Bluegrass Music Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium for Sept. 27, and to absolutely enjoy everything Music City has to offer one last time before we move to Raleigh for the next three years. We’ll see you in Nashville this September, and then we’ll put on our traveling shoes and meet in Raleigh in 2013!

Douglas Flint Dillard a tribute "Douglas Flint Dillard… my mentor, the person who showed me that music was exciting and fun to play on stage for people… the one who was 'impickable' with the execution of his art... Douglas Flint Dillard-whose grin would hit the back of the wall from any stage he was on--has passed away." – John McEuen, from a statement on Nashville.com, May 19, 2012 *** With a smile that could warm up a room on a winter night--and a powerful banjo-picking style that could burn the rest of the house down--Doug Dillard, who passed away last month, was an entertainer whose music charmed audiences in pastures and palaces all over the world.

Born on March 6, 1937 in East St. Louis, Ill., Douglas Flint Dillard was the second of three brothers born to Homer and Lorene Dillard.

In Salem, Mo., where Doug was raised, Homer played fiddle, Lorene was a guitarist and Doug’s eldest sibling, Earl, played keyboards. Doug started playing guitar when he was just five, and at 15, he received his first banjo as a Christmas gift from his parents.

RODNEY DILLARD, singer/guitarist, original member of The Dillards, currently with The Dillard Band; Doug’s younger brother: Doug used to play with Dad and me when he first started discovering fingerpicks—we’d pick squaredances, and he’d play with his fingers ‘cause he didn’t know about fingerpicks. And his fingers would bleed!

He’d play all night long and jam till his fingers would get blistered up.

GINGER BOATWRIGHT, singer/guitarist, former member of The Doug Dillard Band: Douglas was driving his dad's car and listening o the Grand Old Opry [on the radio] when Earl Scruggs started picking.

Douglas got so excited he ran off into a ditch and had to be towed out.

Many years later we heard Earl on a talk show, and Douglas called in and told him the story about running off the road the first time he heard Earl pick. Earl said “Sorry about your trouble!”

After he got the banjo and started playing, he decided he needed Scruggs tuners. His parents drove to Earl Scruggs’ house in Nashville and knocked on the door. Earl graciously invited them in and sold them the tuners and installed them on his table. He asked Douglas where his fingerpicks were, and Douglas asked what fingerpicks were.

He had learned to play listening to records, and got his volume by pulling harder on the strings than most banjo players did. Earl gave him some picks, and that REEEEE-ALLLY made him loud!

RODNEY DILLARD: When he discovered finger picks, he came in one weekend and said, “Listen to this!” And it was like a symphony orchestra. Later on in life, I would bring big orchestras into our music, and it never had the same thrill as hearing those fingerpicks on my brother’s fingers [for the first time]. *** After younger brother Rodney learned to play guitar, the two played in several local groups with other local musicians. In 1958, the brothers joined a St. Louis band called Joel Noel and The Dixie Ramblers (whose members also included a young John Hartford). Shortly after joining The Dixie Ramblers, Doug and Rodney began recording for Mario Records (K-Ark Records).

RODNEY DILLARD: We made a lot of tapes that I’m going to release one of these days, but the first record we ever made together was a song called “Banjo in the Hollow” on a little local label out of Missouri [K-Ark Records 615, by Joel Noel & The Dixie Ramblers: “Banjo In The Hollow”/ ”You're On My Mind”]. He was working for the city, and I was still in high school.

He got in about twelve or one in the morning, and he was so excited! He put the record on and we listened to it over and over, all night long, until dawn. It was amazing, to hear something with that fidelity and quality! It was a 45. We played it over and over and over again. We wore it out.

And you know what? Of all the records we ever made together, that was the most exciting moment in our musical career.

It’s always the first one. *** Doug and Rodney also performed on a St. Louis radio station as The Dillard Brothers in 1958, recording for a local label. They met Dean Webb, a mandolin player from Independence, MO, through Dale Sledd, later a member of the Osborne Brothers, who was then a performer on the Ozark Opry.

They asked Dean to play mandolin and bass on another record that was eventually heard by Mitch Jayne, a schoolteacher who hosted a radio show called “Hickory Holler Time" on KSMO in Salem, and whom Doug knew from his earliest years as a musician. Mitch, fired up by a conversation with a Hollywood talent manager he met in 1961, learned to play bass and joined the band as emcee and storyteller.

In 1962, The Dillards played their first debut show at Washington University in St. Louis, where Doug had earned an accounting

degree. Their high-energy performance was recorded and preserved, finally remastered by Rodney and released in 1999 on The Dillards: A Long Time Ago/The First Time Live! Inspired by their successful show, they left for Los Angeles with $300 in their pockets—with a detour for some gigs in Oklahoma. *** BYRON BERLINE, former member of Dillard & Clark and the Dillard Expedition; memoirist; author of Diary of a Fiddler (with Jane Frost); now in publication: I just heard the news about Doug Dillard passing away. It saddens my heart as I have wonderful memories of the times I spent with Doug. I will never forget the first time I met the Dillards: November 22, 1963 at the University of Oklahoma. Same day President Kennedy was killed. The Dillards changed my life from that day, especially Doug. I remember him asking me if I could play old-time fiddle tunes and that was about all I could play back then. I can still remember the first tune I played with them as we jammed after their performance, and that was “Hamilton County Breakdown.” I had never played with a band like that before and I felt like I was floating up near the ceiling somewhere, it was incredible.

From that [first] meeting the Dillards asked me to record a fiddle album with them. What a break for me, and we did record the following summer in Los Angeles. Doug could back up a fiddle better than any banjo player because he really understood the fiddle as his dad played--and also Doug played some fiddle. There are so many stories I could tell about Doug, and I do in my upcoming book. Rest in peace, Doug Dillard; you were one of my favorites.

*** “I’d like to say hi to my mom and dad up in Salem, Mo., and all the folks up there.” –Doug Dillard on Nashville Now *** The very first night that Doug, Rodney, Mitch and Dean arrived in Los Angeles, they went to the famed Ash Grove, a club that often featured big folk, country and bluegrass acts, to see the Greenbriar Boys, a New York bluegrass band. When the show was over, they took their instruments onstage to jam—and an A&R man from Elektra Records happened to be in the crowd.

Within a day, they had a record deal. The Dillards’ first Elektra recording was called Back Porch Bluegrass, reportedly because many of the songs on it were composed on the back porch of Mitch's home back in Salem.

Shortly, Elektra placed an ad in Variety about the exciting new band it had signed. A rep from DesiLu Studios saw the ad, and invited the band to audition for the role of The Darlings, also known as “the Darlin Boys,” a musicallyinclined backwoods mountain family, on The Andy Griffith Show.

They were signed immediately as semi-regular cast members.

Although The Dillards appeared on only six episodes, they may still be seen playing bluegrass on television, thanks to re-runs of the program. *** “They had this script written about this family of hillbillies, so they figured they might as well get the hillbillies to play music!” –Doug Dillard, as told to Ralph Emery on Nashville Now. *** GINGER BOATWRIGHT: Douglas was very proud of his tenure with the Dillards, and in particular,

the time spent as The Darlings on The Andy Griffith Show. But he was most known for his blistering fast banjo style, and his many banjo songs that have become classics (e.g. “Doug's Tune,” “Hickory Hollow”). He played on numerous film sound tracks, and was featured in Popeye with Robin Williams. If you blinked you might miss it, but it was a full screen of Douglas grinning and picking the banjo.

VIC JORDAN, banjo player, former Blue Grass Boy: He was an excellent banjo player, first and foremost. He and The Dillards were early pioneers of this music, especially taking it to the West Coast the way they did, and Hollywood and The Andy Griffith Show, all that stuff. A lot of people learned from them, I think, and gained experience, in a way, just by knowing their experiencesthe jokes and funny stories Mitch Jayne would tell, the kinds of songs they sang.

ALAN TOMPKINS, banjo player; president of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation: I always enjoyed seeing "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show, of course. But shortly after I began learning to play banjo, I heard a guy playing what I thought was one of the prettiest banjo tunes I'd ever heard.

He said it was "Doug's Tune" by Doug Dillard. I learned a lot by working on that song and still enjoy hearing it played today. I appreciate Doug's effort to write what I consider to be a timelessly memorable banjo tune.

TIM CARTER, banjo player, member of the Carter Brothers: Playing outside the box in bluegrass has always been what the Carter Brothers is all about. Early in our career, the Dillards were one of our biggest influences. We wore out many Dillard records.

Knowing what these guys had gone through, and how much they believed in what they were doing and holding strong to it, was an inspiration. It seemed like if the Dillards did it, then it must be okay. *** After being “discovered” by America via Mayberry and Andy Griffith, The Dillards made appearances on television specials (with Judy Garland and Tennessee Ernie Ford, among others) and performed at high-profile events like the Newport Folk Festival, Monterey Folk Festival, and New York Folk Festival. After joining the Byrds on a two-week tour of Europe, Doug left The Dillards to follow his own musical vision.

Doug’s distinctive style would keep him busy with session work for a variety of artists from many genres. Over his long career, he added his magic to albums with Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Vassar Clements, Harry Nilsson, Linda Ronstadt, Kay Starr, John Hartford, Glen Campbell, The Monkees, Aztec Two Step, Gene Clark, The Byrds, Michael Martin Murphey, John Anderson, Larry Perkins, The Beach Boys and many others. *** JONATHAN YUDKIN, fiddler, former member of The Doug Dillard Band: While on tour with the Byrds and the Rolling Stones, Doug once gave Mick Jagger a needed pair of dry socks. I don’t know if he ever got them back.

PETER ROWAN, singer / songwriter: When we would come through L.A., he would take us around town the whole night and we’d play music. He had incredible stamina. I wrote “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy” about experiences with Doug, though the character was another person. It was Doug that took me around town so that I

could see and pick up the information to help me write that; it wasn’t exactly about him. But anytime you hung out in L.A., you had to be the L.A. cowboy!

RODNEY DILLARD: [His banjo style] represented his personality.

Douglas was much more complex than his smile led people to believe. He was much more complex than that.

He lived his life exactly the way he wanted to. And very few people have that luxury. Douglas did. He lived life to its fullest; he lived it abundantly. Sometimes it was good; sometimes it wasn’t. That’s life. That’s the little lessons we go through.

PETER ROWAN: When I moved back to Nashville in the ‘80s, Doug was around and he was always agreeable to play. And that made it really fun. He always had his own direction, and he was one of the greatest banjo players, and just a super-nice guy. Unfortunately, he wasn’t nice to himself, but that’s not for us to judge, is it? *** When the tour was over, Doug and his new friend Gene Clark from the Byrds launched a series of musical enterprises. The pair toured and recorded as The Dillard & Clark Expedition and Dillard & Clark (with fiddler Byron Berline) and set the stage for a new kind of back-country rock music. Doug recorded his critically acclaimed Banjo Album in 1969, and went on to record other solo projects in the 1970s, finishing the decade with a couple of whimsical Flying Fish recordings with his brother Rodney and his old friend John Hartford, and a couple of classic banjo projects as well: Jackrabbit and Heaven. *** ALAN MUNDE, banjo player: I

moved to Los Angeles in early 1972 to play with Byron Berline, Kenny Wertz, and Roger Bush in the newly formed Country Gazette. I met Doug Dillard not long after hat and we developed a friendship over time as we picked at various parties and a gig or two.

Certainly Doug was a huge influence on me before I met him, with his wonderfully quick-fingered, creative banjo playing and his contribution to the wondrous sound of The Dillards.

One morning I received a call from Paul Rothschild, who produced Janis Joplin and many others. He also produced the seminal bluegrass album Beatle Country with the Charles River Valley Boys (Joe Val, Buddy Spicher, and Eric Thompson). He was in the studio that morning with Valdy, the Canadian singer, and had contracted with a banjo player, but the session was on and the player had not shown up and could not be located (hard to remember a time before cell phones and the Internet). So he asked if I could do the session. I was available and rushed down to the Hollywood studio.

When I arrived, I was told by Paul they had located the banjo player and he was on his way and I would not be needed but would be paid nonetheless. I asked who the player was. He said it was Doug Dillard. I was thrilled, and asked if I could hang around until Doug came, say hello to him, and then leave them to their music making.

We waited, and no Doug. Paul suggested that since I was there, the artist and session musicians could run the first song, I could play the banjo to get levels, and Doug could just jump in and do the take of the song. The producer thought it sounded pretty good so we might as well try for a take. It

went well, Paul suggested he would keep that cut, and we went to the next song.

I recorded all four songs scheduled that day with Valdy. We were packed up and leaving when Doug finally showed up. Paul was all smiles. "I am so glad to see you found the note I left on your car!" he said.

Doug, dismayed but excited, said, “You know where my car is???”

Doug lived a very large life, but sometimes he couldn't remember where he left his car. His music and permanent smile will be missed. Bless his heart. *** Doug decided to move to Nashville in 1982, where he promptly formed an eponymous band with vocalist Ginger Boatwright, and formed a friendship with former Blue Grass Boy Vic Jordan, who was his neighbor. The Doug Dillard Band, which would also feature guitarist David Grier, fiddler Jonathan Yudkin and vocalist Kathy Chiavola. The band’s 1988 release, Heartbreak Hotel, was produced by Rodney Dillard and nominated for a FolkBluegrass Grammy. *** VIC JORDAN: I saw him sometimes on the street by his van, carrying his banjo case. He always wore kind of a floppy hat, and I never saw his face much. I just saw a guy walking in and out with a banjo case. I thought, “That’s a banjo picker! I need to go introduce myself!’ I went and introduced myself and he said, “Well, hey, how you doin’? I’m Doug Dillard!” That’s how we met.

Doug was a good friend. We used to get together once and a while, to have coffee, watch a little TV, go somewhere and eat… We both liked buffets. We talked about

music, and sometimes Doug would talk a little about the early days of The Dillards. Most of the time, it was just friendly guy talk.

We’d get something to eat and we’d bring it home to his apartment, or mine.

He was just a likeable guy, fun to be around. He would share thoughts with you in a heartbeat, and laugh at the drop of a hat, and his smile was unmistakable. He had that little sparkle kinda devilish look in his eyes all the time, like he was gonna pull a chair out from under you!

GINGER BOATWRIGHT: I had the pleasure of becoming Doug's music partner in 1981. I had formed a group in 1969--Red, White & Blue(grass)--and had disbanded in January 1980. Then, I had a 'ladies' group called the Bushwhackers, but disbanded that when Douglas asked me to play music with him.

We toured all over the United States and Canada, and had an absolute ball! Douglas loved to drive, and would often go 24 hours without changing drivers... until one night he ran off the road into a gully. He called me aside and asked me if I'd drive. From then on, he and I had split shifts at the wheel, but he wouldn't let anyone else drive.

KATHY CHIAVOLA, singer, former member of The Doug Dillard Band: It was somewhat unique to have two women in a bluegrass band in the early '80s.

This did not happen by design, rather he loved the sound of our voices in harmony and we had a great rapport.

JONATHAN YUDKIN: My favorite memory of Doug would have to be the hundreds of hours I spent sitting beside him in the van, driving through the night and talking

about life, the universe and everything (Douglas Adams). This is when he would tell me the stories (all true), which were not meant for the rest of the world to hear. Oh joy.

GINGER BOATWRIGHT: Once we went to church and afterwards took Bill Monroe to Shoney's because Bill liked their peach pie.

Douglas produced a mini-tape recorder and got Bill to sing “Blue Moon of Kentucky” as Elvis did. It was great!!! “A-well, a-wella, Blue Moona of-a Kentucky just keep on-a shinin’...” That should be worth a mint!!! *** The Dillards were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Owensboro, KY in 2009,

by John McEuen. Their first three albums include a wealth of original songs that have become muchbeloved bluegrass standards: “The Old Home Place,” “Dooley,” “Doug’s Tune,” “Banjo in the Holler” and “There is a Time.”

Their music, comedy, and accessibility endeared them to new bluegrass audiences everywhere—in settings that were sophisticated and urban, rural and absolutely humble, and everything in between. Sadly, Doug’s fellow Dillard Mitch Jayne, 82, died Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, in Columbia. Mo. George Lindsey, who played Goober on The Andy Griffith Show, passed away on May 6, just days before Doug himself. He was 83. *** DIANA JAYNE, widow of original Dillards member, the late Mitch Jayne: When I first met Douglas, in the 1990s, it was like meeting a long-time friend that I hadn’t seen in a while. My fondest memories are being in some motel room listening to he and Mitch recalling the earlier times of The Dillards.

One remembering some detail the other had forgotten, and then laughter… followed by more stories. Like the music they played, they were weaving doilies.

RANDY CAMPBELL, agent for The Dillards, 2002-2010: I owe my friendship with Douglas to Nancy Cardwell at IBMA, who connected me with Rodney Dillard in Branson, Mo. in the summer of 2002. I found a kinship with Rodney, who was always The Dillards’ bandleader in their many reincarnations and reunions. He was looking for some help to put the finishing touches on an invitation he had from Arlo Guthrie, to play Carnegie Hall with Arlo's family band and Pete Seeger.

I rented a tour bus in Nashville, and that’s where I first laid eyes on Douglas. Rodney followed in a motor home with about 26 "Dillards and friends." We took the whole thing to New York City for Thanksgiving weekend in 2002.

The magic was such that I saw some real value in The Dillards-particularly Rodney and Douglas—reuniting. They were both up for it, and it lasted for 7+ years.

JOHN McEUEN, banjo player, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, producer of The Dillards: A Night in the Ozarks - An Audiolithograph (2006): There was a confluence of events that I would trace back to Doug Dillard.

If Doug hadn’t gotten me hot to play music on stage, playing the banjo, I wouldn’t have been in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band! And if I hadn’t been in the band, there wouldn’t have been a Will The Circle Be Unbroken album.

Thanks to Earl, and Louise Scruggs, we got Maybelle, Earl Huskey, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake.

If Doug hadn’t been influenced by

Earl Scruggs, and called on him a long time ago… It’s very strange that the record’s origins go back to Earl through Doug.

BÉLA FLECK, banjo player: Doug Dillard is a guy whose playing always turned me on. He had an amazing drive, and a beautiful clear concept on the banjo. The Dillards’ Live!!! Almost!!! album was an important record and a big favorite for me. Doug somehow was very traditional but open and musical, and different in interesting ways from Earl Scruggs. He also was a very sweet guy, and how ‘bout that crazy smile? Wow, he really meant it, too!

BOBBY OSBORNE, singer / mandolinist; member of IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame: I became great friends with Douglas many years ago. I admired his talents with the banjo. He and his brother Rodney were a credit to bluegrass music and made many friends happy with their style of bluegrass.

The group name “”The Dillards” became a household word, and Douglas was a big part of that, with his talent with the five-string banjo. We have lost one of our pioneers of bluegrass. I’m very proud to have known Douglas Dillard. He was one of my dear friends and will be missed by many.

TONY TRISCHKA, banjo player: Doug Dillard singed my brain cells with his crackling tone and full throttle attack. “Dooley,” “Doug's Tune,” “Dixie Breakdown” and “Old Home Place” were all "slicker than deer guts on a door knob" to me, to quote Mitch Jayne. Doug’s playing always made my life a better place to live in.

RODNEY DILLARD: Thanks to the miracle of technology, Doug is part of the history of the genre of

music that he played. His legacy will live on. He’ll always be remembered—at least by his brother, me--as one of the finest banjo players that ever played. *** For the last few years of Doug’s life, he and Rodney made occasional appearances and even toured together, but Doug’s health finally forced him to go off the road. On Wednesday, May 16, 2012, Douglas Flint Dillard passed away in Nashville, after a long illness. His wife, singer-songwriter Vikki Sallee-Dillard, was by his side. He was 75 years old. Survivors include his older brother Homer Earl Dillard, Jr. of St. Louis, Mo. and his younger brother Rodney Adean Dillard of Branson, Mo. He was interred at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens in Nashville on May 24, 2012. Donations may be made to the Douglas Dillard Legacy Fund, PO Box 90537, Nashville, TN 37209. *** KATHY CHIAVOLA: Doug Dillard had a magic; a childlike, mischievous, and joyous spirit. He always had a twinkle in his eye and never met a stranger. He made the best pot of beans I ever had and could not duplicate. When he played the banjo he exuded and conveyed excitement in the sound, the tune, the harmony, the rhythm. He loved it and never tired of it. He could drive 30 hours at a stretch and was generous to a fault. He was, of course, a great musician and songwriter, who played a pivotal role in the development and spread of bluegrass and country rock music. He was a musical adventurer until the end. He will be missed.

VIC JORDAN: He really loved eatin’ cornbread and beans. Doug was down-to-earth country. He always talked about someday opening a restaurant that special

ized in cornbread and beans. He was gonna call it "The Windbreaker!"

My wife and I both talked to him when he was in the hospital, and he told both of us he was feeling better, and looking forward to coming over for dinner. My wife said, ‘What would you like?’

He said, “Cornbread and beans!”

GINGER BOATWRIGHT: He was funny; he was generous; he loved a good joke, even if it was on himself; he was loyal to his friends; he was well-spoken--surprising people who interviewed him with his insight and charm; he loved Greek fisherman caps and Western-style shirts and coats; he had two cats he named Willard Dillard. Willard Dillard the 2nd, he taught to box and wink. He'd put up his fists like a prizefighter, and Willard would roll back on his haunches, put his front feet in the air and start punching! The kitty got lotsa treats.

RODNEY DILLARD: The last time I was able to speak with him, we had an extensive talk about our childhood, and about spiritual things. Douglas, as much as anybody I know, was a very spiritual person, and I’d like for people to know that. He was ready to go. He had it together. And he died peacefully, because I think he thought he knew where he was going.

JONATHAN YUDKIN: I think his most important contribution to the bluegrass tradition was the way he was able to bridge all musical barriers without anyone feeling that it was out of place. He took his music from the hardest right to the hardest left of all musical styles, and everyone was just fine with it.

DEAN WEBB, mandolinist, original member of The Dillards; current member of the Missouri

Boatride Bluegrass Band: Douglas Flint Dillard was an incredibly innovative banjo player who had a style touching on the super physical which I've not heard or seen anyone else replicate. His style inspired all who heard him. He had a sweet spirit and was a good friend who will be greatly missed.

BÉLA FLECK: He is one of the few guys whose playing made a lot of people go learn to play the banjo. Not all great banjoists have that power, but he did.

RODNEY DILLARD: Douglas had such a sense of wonder about things, like a child. He never lost that. It went along with his ability and his creativity on the five-string banjo. When he played, it was beyond magic; it became spiritual.

He reached a place in everybody’s heart and soul, a common denominator that brought a sense of peace and good feeling. He was an encourager when it came to music and picking with other people. He made them sound good and he spurred them to do better than they might have done.

He was a musical facilitator in any kind of jam session—he made you feel good when he picked with you.

We need people like that on the planet: people who don’t criticize, but actually put things together. It’s easy to take a watch apart, but it’s very difficult to put one back together again. Douglas was one who could put it together. I’ll miss him very much.

Written and collected by Caroline Wright for IBMA, May 2012.

regular work that provided a decent living. They tried coal mining for a while, but Everett burned his hands in an electrical accident, and Bea almost lost his life in a cave-in. *** EVERETT ALAN LILLY, son: When I was six or seven years old, I went to pick a cucumber from the garden. My dad approached and said that he and his brother Bea were going to play for Pearl and asked if I would like to come. I sat between my Dad and Bea in the green pickup and we headed up McDough Hollow to Pearl's house.

Pearl was a member of the closeknit community at Clear Creek and she was dying. Her house sat right by a creek, and the hills were within a few feet of the creek in that narrow hollow. I sat in the truck as the moon rose and listened to the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard--the Lilly Brothers singing the old songs. The mandolin and fiddle sounded especially beautiful on this moonlight night.

Remembering

Everett Lilly Everett Lilly,

a revered member of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame, died on Tuesday, May 8 at his home in West Virginia. He was 87 years old.

Born Charley Edwin Lilly on July 1, 1924, in Clear Creek—the same town in which he’d live most of his life, in West Virginia’s remote Raleigh County--Everett and his brother Bea (born December 5, 1921) became interested in mountain-style music when they were young children. Both learned guitar, mandolin and the vocal parts of the “brother duet” style then popular on radio and records. Eventually, Everett became the mandolin player, tenor, and leader of their group. According to family legend, Everett and Bea left their families one Christmas Eve to join up with Bill and Charlie Monroe to play music. When they ran into a blizzard, they gave up and went home.

The brothers began performing on radio station WJLS in 1938. Like many men from Raleigh County at that time, they found it difficult to find

It was a defining moment in my life.

I had a sudden realization that this music has meaning and that it is part of our culture. It is no coincidence that I now present workshops on the music and its connections to culture and continued relevance in modern society. These presentations always include a performance by The Songcatchers [Everett Alan’s multi-generational music group; his 12-year-old daughter, Ashley, is also a member]. My father and Bea contributed greatly to my development on that evening, and many other occasions. *** Everett and Bea finally got a break in 1948, with a regular spot on WWVA in Wheeling, WV, where the Saturday night Jamboree reached millions of homes in the Northeast.

They also started working with fiddler Tex Logan, then on a break

from his graduate studies at MIT.

engineering

Though he loved playing music with his brother and Tex, Everett accepted a job with Flatt & Scruggs in the early 1950s, to support his growing family. He helped make 14 historically significant recordings that featured many classics, like "I'm Workin' on a Road (to Glory Land)," "Somehow Tonight," and "Over the Hills to the Poorhouse." *** TIM O’BRIEN, singer / songwriter / instrumentalist: Everett was the reason the Lilly Brothers' music is known internationally. He was not only a wonderful singer and player; he was also a good businessman who had a knack for finding new audiences for bluegrass music in New England and Japan. His powerful mandolin and tenor voice were noted by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who hired him to play in their Foggy Mountain Boys. But Everett didn't stay long, knowing he was more vital as a partner with his brother Bea, and together they made their own special brand of bluegrass.

EVERETT ALAN LILLY: My father became an important part of bluegrass history during his two stints with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

And of course he made their first Columbia recordings with them.

They revealed his beautiful and powerful tenor voice to a much wider audience.

I expect that most people don't know this story. Dad and Lester Flatt recorded “Your Love is Like a Flower” under both their names.

However, it was actually Bea Lilly who wrote the song! Dad acknowledged this on any number of occasions. Dad took the song to Lester with Bea's permission and they recorded it under their name. Bea wrote the song as a young man, sitting on a large rock in the creek

near his home. I believe his goal was to get the song recorded and thus to a wider audience. There was never even a hint of a problem between Dad and Bea about this. *** After a visit from Tex Logan, Everett decided to move to Boston to check out New England’s active folk and country music scene. Bea and banjo wizard Don Stover, who had been playing together in West Virginia, joined them in short order.

Stover and the Lilly Brothers introduced bluegrass music to New England through a long-term, seven-night-a-week engagement at a nightclub called the Hillbilly Ranch, where they played from 1952 till 1970. Musicians like Bill Monroe, Tex Ritter, Doc Watson, and Mike Seeger sat in with them when they were in town. Audiences were electrified by the band’s authentic “brother-style” vocal harmonies, and Stover's threefinger banjo and guitar work. The legendary Joe Val, discussing the band’s influence on urban Massachusetts, once told an interviewer, “Those guys hit on like a bombshell.

Nobody’d ever heard anything like that before.” *** EVERETT ALAN LILLY: Tex Logan paved the way for the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover to come to Boston and play with him at the Hillbilly Ranch. They soon had a regular live show on a major radio station, followed by other achievements, despite playing seven nights a week working a grueling schedule.

They played a key role in helping to spread bluegrass music in the Northeast region, influencing a new generation of musicians in New England. Their two groundbreaking tours of Japan in the 1970s helped to open up that market.

The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover helped set the standard in bluegrass

grass music during their Boston days. They did not record as much as some groups but their recordings were very well received. They stayed true to their music and never would have changed it for commercial success. My dad's mandolin playing was unquestionably in the Bill Monroe tradition. His right hand was fast and very powerful. One of my favorites was their recording of “John Henry” as it featured Dad's powerful mandolin, and Don Stover's great break on that song. He could switch gears on the very next song and play beautiful breaks on those old tunes the Lilly Brothers were famous for singing. Dad also wrote “Over the Hills to the Poorhouse,” recorded with Lester, and “Southern Sky,” which he recorded with Bea and Don. PETER ROWAN, singer / songwriter: When I was a teenage kid up in Massachusetts, I became a big fan of the Lilly Brothers, who I discovered when I was playing at a little rock and roll dance. I had heard about this music, bluegrass, appearing in Boston. And after those little record hops, we used to go between Harvard Square and Park Square to see what music was going on. I was just discovering it all. I didn’t realize that as a kid, I’d heard it on the radio.

When I finally started to come more of age—when I was 15 or 16--we used to stand outside the door of the Hillbilly Ranch and listen to Don Stover and the Lilly Brothers and occasionally Tex Logan playing fiddle. Tex was instrumental in bringing the Lilly Brothers up to Boston. Post-World War II, there were a lot of Southern troopssailors and soldiers coming back from the war and landing in Boston.

I was actually playing in the Hillbilly Ranch when I was 17. (It was easier in those days to be underage; if you were on the bandstand,

nobody really bothered you.) So I became “the kid.” Everett Lilly was super-nice to me, as was his brother, Bea, and Don Stover, and of course Tex Logan. *** TEX LOGAN, fiddler; former Blue Grass Boy; worked with the Lilly Brothers & Don Stover: In the early ‘50s, we were working a nightclub, the Plaza, on Tremont Street, just across from the Boston Common.

On this particular evening, we could not park near the Plaza, and we wound up in front of the highend department store, BonwitTeller.

As we unloaded, Bea Lilly asked, “Everett, what’s that buildin’?”

And Everett turned and looked at it, and I could see his lips moving.

“Bea, cain’t you read? That’s where you get your damn clothes tellered!”

EVERETT ALAN LILLY: When I graduated high school in West Virginia I went to Boston with a one-year plan for college. The plan was I would play music with Dad, Bea, and Don. I played guitar and learned to play the bass on my father's advice because he correctly pointed out that guitar players were common, but good bass players were not. I played bass on Country Songs of the Lilly Brothers, as well as the recordings at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. I got to do some wonderful things with the Lilly Brothers. a

But my playing wasn't that good on my first big concert with them. I remember well Dad and Bea talking with me before the show held in a large auditorium in Boston. They explained that after a break, the applause would be so thunderous that I would be unable to hear anything for several seconds. They emphasized how important it was to keep time so

that "when the sound comes back you will still be in time." I thought, “How difficult can that be?"

Well, it happened exactly like they said it would. The audience applauded, and as I watched my Dad, Bea, and Don, I thought everything was just fine. Then the sound came back and I could hear them. And I was completely out of time. My uncle turned and gave me a "look" of disapproval and, turning back to the audience, he simply tapped his right foot to give me the time. Dad gave me a quick, most disapproving "look" as well. At intermission they were their usual friendly, supportive selves. Neither mentioned it, then or ever. And I never again lost time again with them, or anyone else.

TEX LOGAN: The Lilly Brothers, Don Stover and myself were playing a bluegrass festival in Ontario, Canada, near Toronto. We had just opened with a fast instrumental when Everett stepped up to the mic and said something like this: [in Everett’s broad West Virginia drawl] “Thank yew just a whole lot there, friends and neighbors, for those applause… We are mighty proud to be here at your festival.

And I’d like to say if you keep workin’ hard on it, you will have the best festival in the whole U-nited States!”

I quickly whistled to him. “Hey, Everett, we’re in Canada!” (in Everett’s voice): “Weeeellll, friends and neighbors, Tex Logan tells me we’re in Canada. Now, I want you to know that we think y’all are just as good as we are!

At this point, Sam Bush—who was filling in playing bass with usnearly fell off the stage laughing.

PETER ROWAN: One afternoon Bea Lilly put his hat down on the table in front of the stage—it was very hot; it was summertime—and

sometime in the night, somebody made off with his hat. The next Sunday, they came back to play the same place, and Everett saw somebody wearing Bea’s hat. The story goes that he walked up to the table and laid a 45-caliber pistol on the table and said to the guy, “Lookee here, dear buddy. I do believe you’re wearing my brother Bea’s hat!”

TEX LOGAN: Well, first of all, it wasn't a pistol; it was a knife... *** In January of 1970, Everett's 16-year-old son Jiles was killed in an auto accident. Everett, heartsick and weary of city living, moved his family back to his home in Clear Creek. Over the years, the Lilly Brothers & Don Stover reunited periodically for festival appearances and a couple of tours of Japan that deepened the country’s fascination with bluegrass music.

They would also appear in Bluegrass Country Soul, a documentary filmed over Labor Day weekend in 1971 at Carlton Haney’s legendary Camp Springs, NC bluegrass festival. *** EVERETT ALAN LILLY: In 1973, my father, Bea, Don Stover and I went to Japan for our first tour. We were one of the early bluegrass bands to make that trip. They told us in Osaka that, unlike in Tokyo a few days earlier, the crowd would respond politely with applause but it would not be overwhelming as the applause could take time from songs. They said the applause at the end would be like rolling thunder. And it was! We came back out for an extended encore and I will forever remember it. My Dad and Bea stood together in their matching blue jackets shimmering in the bright lights and their usual white hats, and smiled at the ovation they were receiving. Near them stood the great Don Stover, also smiling.

I thought how wonderful it was for these two brothers from Clear Creek, WV--and for Don Stover, who grew up nearby--to be standing here, being so appreciated.

They opened the encore with "Open Up Them Pearly Gates" with such obvious happiness, energy, and beauty. I was momentarily taken back to that night, many years ago, when Dad and Bea played for Pearl. Standing to their right, with my old Gibson guitar, I knew this was one of those moments that would forever be etched in my memory. *** Back in West Virginia, Everett created a new band called Everett Lilly & the Lilly Mountaineers with his sons Mark, Charles, and Daniel, and occasionally their older brother Everett Alan. Sadly, Everett's son Charles lost his life in an accident while on tour with country music star Billy Walker in 2006; Everett’s son Tennis passed away a few years ago as well. Don Stover died in 1996, two months after the passing of Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music.

Everett and Bea reunited in 2001 as The Lilly Brothers & The Lilly Mountaineers. One year later, on October 17, 2002, the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Bea Lilly, suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease, died in 2005. *** IRA GITLIN, instrumentalist, teacher, writer: A bunch of us were jamming by the elevator late one night in the Galt House [at World of Bluegrass]. As I recall, it was the year Stover and the Lilly Brothers were inducted into the Hall of Honor. Anyway, we were just finishing up "Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone" when Everett and Bea came by. Right after the song, they asked us - almost apologetically, it

seemed - if we would mind doing it again so they could sing it with us.

We all looked at each other as if to say "Duh!" and fired up the song again, with the Lilly Brothers on board as vocalists. *** In 2008, Everett proudly accepted an award for IBMA Recorded Event of the Year for his album Everett Lilly and Everybody & Their Brother. The delightful celebration included his sons, plus friends like Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Darrin Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie & Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger. A year later, he received the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folklife honor. *** RHONDA VINCENT, singer / songwriter / instrumentalist: Everett Lilly was one of the sweetest men I've ever met. His entire family welcomed me as I joined them to sing on their project, and performed on a few shows together. He was a man who dearly loved the music. I am proud to have known and performed with him.

BILL WOLFENBARGER, co-producer of Everett Lilly and Everybody & Their Brother: Years ago when I first met Everett Lilly, I felt as if I already knew him. His son, Charles, and I were best friends, sort of a “brothers from different mothers” kind of thing. I finally met Everett in person one night at the Station Inn as he was getting ready to perform a show.

Within ten minutes of our meeting, he looked me straight in the eyes and very solemnly and seriously said, “Brother, do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” I responded that I certainly did and

we spent the next thirty minutes discussing the Bible. I talked with Everett many times over the years by phone calls, visits when he came to Nashville, and our conversations weren’t as much about music as they were our love for God. When we won the IBMA 2008 Recorded Event of the Year award, Everett was too sick at the time to attend, but was listening at home.

When he heard the acceptance speech and the fact that God got the glory, he felt that was as important, or more so, than the award.

MARCIA CAMPBELL, on-air personality at WSM: Bluegrass legend Mr. Everett Lilly was a dear friend and great talent. He was a Professor of Entertainment! It was my honor to work with him and participate on the Everett Lilly and Everybody & Their Brother project.

He will be greatly missed. My love and prayers to the Everett family, friends and legions of fans.

LARRY STEPHENSON, singer / entertainer: It was an honor to record on the Everett Lilly CD. He's one of the pioneers of bluegrass music and I'm always humbled to be around the first generation players and singers. They should never be forgotten!

TEX LOGAN: I don’t know what kind of schooling they ever had but they started playing music pretty early; they were taught by their father and mother. They had a tendency to pronounce words funny. They’d put extra symbols in a word, like “Minnie-annapolis.”

“We’re goin’ up to Minnieannapolis!"

I don’t want to embarrass him, but here’s one other little thing.

Everett’s advice to me: “Tex, never put a new part on an old car, because it’ll put a strain on the OTHER old parts and break them!”

TIM O’BRIEN: I had met Everett and his sons at a Mountain Stage radio show taping, and then one Wednesday at the World of Bluegrass in Louisville--I think it was 2000. I ran into him and his son Everett Alan walking down the midway at the Galt House. They were both dressed in the denim jackets the Lilly Mountaineers often wore on stage, and Everett Sr. under his trademark Stetson hat.

They had come to test the waters at the IBMA, and I was just one of many who was happy to see them mingling in the greater fold that week. The next day, I invited them to visit my wife and me in our suite after the awards show. Sure enough, they showed up about midnight and we proceeded to visit and pick and sing. I think Pete Wernick and his wife Joan were there, and banjoist Phil Easterbook. Everett played my mandolin, Everett Alan played my guitar, and I tried to follow on the fiddle.

Everett spoke at length about his religion and his strong faith in the Lord. And he told stories about the old days at Boston's Hillbilly Ranch, and of meeting some Japanese businessmen there who eventually booked the Lilly Brothers on a tour of Japan. At one point I asked him, "Do you realize what an honor it is to have you visit with us here?" His response: "Do you have another beer?" Everett wanted you to know who he was as a man, and he was obviously proud of his accomplishments, but he wouldn't let anyone dwell on it.

After they left about 3 a.m. or so, we all kept marveling at the sound of Everett's voice ringing in that room, a voice we'd heard countless times from records and occasionally from the stage. Of course it was a thrill to hear him play my mandolin, but the biggest thrill was to sit beside that venerable musical ambassador from my home state of West Virginia.

*** In his last decade, Everett Lilly continued to perform occasionally with the Lilly Mountaineers, which included sons Daniel and Mark and several other musicians. “He played music right up to the end,” Daniel Lilly told a reporter from the New York Times. “He was enjoying life and still riding his four-wheeler through the woods at the age of 87.

He died at the kitchen table.” *** EVERETT ALAN LILLY: Dad and I traveled to New England for his brother Bea's service a few years ago. And, as was done at Bea's service, there were Lilly Brothers and Don Stover recordings playing at my dad’s service. So it, too, was also a celebration. Of course we are all very sad that it was his appointed time, but he was so very blessed to have such a long fulfilling life.

KITSY KUYKENDALL, Bluegrass Unlimited magazine; IBMM Board of Trustees: Everett will be sorely missed by many of us who knew him. He showed up one year at the Fan Fest in Louisville. I was producing the show that year and immediately asked him if he would like to play on one of the stages. I had a great little roots stage and one of the bands was a conglomeration of several excellent oldtime players, and it was the best place for him that year too. He had a ball and so did the other players getting to play with him that day.

Tim O'Brien told me the next day that Everett went up to Tim's suite and jammed with him until about three in the morning and really did not want to quit. We should treasure our memories of these pioneers. They are quickly all going away.

TIM O’BRIEN: He loved music and people and was a strong Christian through his life. His faith and his strong sense of humor helped him

keep a positive view of things in spite of some terrible tragedies. He will be missed greatly but his music will never die.

BILL WOLFENBARGER: Everett Lilly inspired many people thru his music and his kindness he extended to everyone, no matter their walk in life. But his music was secondary in his life to his love for his family and serving God. Heaven without a doubt got a new angel on Tuesday, May 8th when Everett Lilly closed his eyes here on earth and opened them to the Glory of Heaven!

I think the great Marty Stuart summed it up best when he said, “When we all get to Heaven, we’re gonna find out that Everett Lilly is God’s favorite mandolin player… and mine too!” *** Everett Lilly is survived by his wife of 64 years, JoAnn; sons Everett Alan, Daniel, and Mark; four daughters; a sister; and numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. The family has asked that donations in his memory be made to the Everett Lilly Memorial Fund, care of City National Bank, One Park Avenue, Beckley, WV 25801.

Written and collected by Caroline Wright for IBMA, May 2012.

Ibma KATHERINE COE & CAROLINE WRIGHT JOIN IBMA STAFF We're excited to tell you about two new faces on the IBMA staff who both began work on May 14, 2012.

Katherine Coe, originally from Raleigh, N.C. and a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State Univ. in Blacksburg, Va., has been working for Denise Stiff at DS Management for the past year helping to promote Sugar Hill artist Sarah Jarosz.

Katherine's new title is Administrative/ Media Assistant.

In addition to managing information and databases, coordinating office communications, assisting with accounting, coordinating member service delivery, and assisting with World of Bluegrass planning and operations, the job has expanded to include graphic design, website design and digital video production.

Katherine came up with the design we're using for World of Bluegrass marketing and merchandise this year, and we're also premiering her gorgeous new full-color graphic magazine of this issue of International Bluegrass.

Caroline Wright, is the new Interim Publications Editor/Special Projects Director working for IBMA on a temporary, part-time basis while Nancy Cardwell continues to serve as IBMA's Interim Executive Director. The daughter of two founding members of the Adirondack Bluegrass League, one of the oldest bluegrass societies in the country, Caroline lives on Oahu and has been a freelance writer and publicist since 1997. She is the co-author (with Tim Stafford) of Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story, the authorized biography of the pioneering flatpicking guitarist, and the former editor (print and online) of Bluegrass Now magazine.

Caroline is also the founder and president emeritus of Bluegrass Hawai‘i, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to promoting bluegrass and traditional music in the Aloha State. Caroline will be outbased from her home office in Hawaii, working online and by telephone. Her duties will include managing content for BluegrassNation.org, editing International Bluegrass, working with the Education Committee and the Distinguished Achievement Committee, and also helping with the production of IBMA's Special Awards Luncheon during World of Bluegrass Week. Check out Caroline's tributes to two of bluegrass music's beloved pioneers, Doug Dillard and Everett Lilly, as well as a reprint of her wonderful 2002 interview with Doc Watson, in this issue of International Bluegrass!

We owe an enormous "THANK YOU" to Echo Propp, who has been filling in as a temporary, part-time Administrative Assistant for the past few months. We hope to keep Echo busy on several IBMA committees and projects in the future!

Please join us in welcoming Katherine and Caroline to the IBMA staff. We are thrilled to have them on the team, working together with you all for the future of bluegrass music.

Ibma BLUEBIRD IN THE BLUEGRASS: A New IBMA Songwriting Venture Next Round: June 8 at The Bluebird Café in Nashville!

By Louisa Branscomb IBMA’s next Bluebird in the Bluegrass show is a special songwriter round on Friday, June 8, the week of the CMA Music Fest in Nashville. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and will feature the uplifting songs of stellar vocalist and banjoist Pam Gadd, the bluegrass country soul vocals and songs of Marty Raybon, the traditional blues-tinged bluegrass compositions of Chris Henry, and Becky Schlegel’s soaring vocals and hauntingly beautiful compositions. There is no cover for the show, although the hat will be passed for The Bluegrass Trust Fund. Reservations may be made online at www.bluebirdcafe.com beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 4.

June 8 will mark the third show this year in the new IBMA-Bluebird Café venture whimsically dubbed “Bluebird in the Bluegrass.” This exciting project is the outcome of the IBMA Songwriting Committee, with the goals of presenting established bluegrass songwriters and their compositions to the community and raising money for The Bluegrass Trust Fund (to help individuals from the bluegrass world in times of emergency need) and The Bluebird Café, for their support of songwriters. Between our inaugural show during World of Bluegrass Week in 2011 and our first two shows in 2012, we’ve raised over $1,000 in donations, with packed houses at each event.

Not only have the shows created quite a buzz in the bluegrass community, but they have been called “magical,” in the blend of songs, on-stage banter, harmonies and instrumental prowess that are the special hallmark of bluegrass music--and are not always seen in the typical singer-songwriter round.

Some of the highlights of our last show (May 15) can be seen on IBMA’s YouTube Channel in a video titled “Bluebird in the Bluegrass.” This evening presented original music of Johnny and Jeanette Williams, Craig Market, guest Jennifer Strickland, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Donna Ulisse, and guest Larry Cordle. Both sets had guest banjoists to add the bluegrass flair--Richard Cifersky and Greg Davis, respectively.

This community showcase is the most recent new project of the IBMA Songwriting Committee, which has sought to find new venues and opportunities of different kinds for IBMA bluegrass songwriters since its inception in 2006. Many of these, such as the open participation Song Circles, an open mic event, and a wide variety of new workshops for songwriters, have come to fruition at World of Bluegrass over the last five years.

Selection of artists for the series is based on a number of factors, including presenting out of state writers as well as local songwriters; the professional caliber and the longevity of the writer in bluegrass; his or her experience on stage as songwriter or singer-songwriter; and the writer’s recorded contribution to the bluegrass genre. When possible, other factors are also considered, such as balancing gender and types of compositions (traditional versus contemporary). An added element is that we attempt to include at least two writers who have co-written or performed together, which adds interest and collaboration on stage. With or without previous collaboration, these shows have brought a spirit of camaraderie and spontaneity that bluegrass players and writers manifest so well. The songs have taken audiences from “pin drop” moments to raucous laughter, and to more than a few tears (all at the right times!)

The Bluegrass Songwriter Committee and the Bluebird Sub-committee recognize that this series of shows can only accommodate a few of our wonderful writers per year, and we are encouraging other community venues that may also offer potential. If you feel you are a good match for The Bluebird in the Bluegrass series with regard to criteria above, you may submit a CD and a letter about your songwriting accomplishments to Clint Alphin, c/o IBMA, 2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203. To inquire about whether you may be in the “pot” of songwriters currently in the “pipeline,” please contact Nancy Cardwell at IBMA, or Louisa Branscomb via Facebook.

Louisa Branscomb is an award-winning songwriter. She was the original co-founder and chair of the IBMA Songwriter Committee and currently chairs IBMA’s Bluebird in the Bluegrass Sub-Committee. Other members of the Bluebird group are Donna Ulisse, Clint Alphin, and Julie Pennell, with Nancy Cardwell, IBMA staff liaison.

foundation Foundation for Bluegrass Music Announces Grants to Honor Bluegrass Music Innovators The world of bluegrass music lost two very important innovators in 2011 and 2012, Mr. Warren Hellman and Mr. Earl Scruggs. The Foundation for Bluegrass Music will be funding grants in their honor this year and has set August 15, 2012 as the deadline to apply for these resources.

Earl Scruggs was perhaps one of the only musicians in any genre who created the definitive sound of his instrument in the genre; banjo players around the world will forever identify the sound of the three-finger style of bluegrass banjo playing as “Scruggs style.” Warren Hellman was a visionary who created, funded and grew his California-based “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass” free event into one of the largest of its kind in the country. Mr. Hellman passed away on December 18, 2011, and Mr. Scruggs passed away on March 28, 2012.

“In remembrance of these two highly creative individuals—both who have left huge footprints in the performance and presentation of American music---we will allocate funds to foster innovation in the world of bluegrass music,” said Foundation president Greg Cahill. “We are very pleased to honor the memory of these brilliant men in this way.”

A fund of $8000 has been earmarked to support public projects that foster innovative development in the world of bluegrass music. Individual grants ranging from $2000-4000 will be given in memory of Earl Scruggs and Warren Hellman. Of special interest are bluegrass music-related projects and programs that involve education or youth. This is a competitive application process and candidates must meet the Foundation’s Grant Application Guidelines. Grants awarded will be announced no later than October 1, 2012 with funds available after January 1, 2013.

Donations to the Foundation for these and related efforts are welcomed in any denomination and these grants will be funded regardless of donations received.

The Foundation for Bluegrass Music is a non-profit (501c3) organization created to serve as an “umbrella” under which funds may be placed and disbursed to support educational, literary and artistic activities related to bluegrass music, of public benefit. Examples of programs that can grow under this umbrella include Bluegrass in the Schools (grants, workshops, programs); academic conferences; literary works and related efforts; public artistic presentation of an educational nature; historic preservation; and other works of a charitable nature.

For more info, please go to http://bluegrassfoundation.org/Grants or write to The Foundation for Bluegrass Music; 2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100; Nashville, TN 37203.

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“In remembrance of these two highly creative individuals — both who have left huge footprints in the performance and presentation of American music — we will allocate funds to foster innovation in the world of bluegrass music. We are very pleased to honor the memory of these brilliant men in this way.”

}

webinar: Negotiating contracts with bands & venues

Join Alan Tompkins for IBMA’s next webinar, “Negotiating Contracts with Bands and Venues,” on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. CST (7:30 p.m. Eastern; 5:30 Mountain; 4:30 Pacific).

Alan Tompkins is an experienced event producer, musician, and the founder of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of bluegrass music in America with a focus on promoting bluegrass in Texas. Alan has been responsible for eight bluegrass festivals and numerous other musical events since 2006, including the Frisco Bluegrass Festival and the Bloomin’ Bluegrass Festival in Farmers Branch, Texas. Alan is licensed as an attorney and CPA in Texas and has negotiated dozens of performance agreements from different perspectives (including as a producer, venue operator, and artist) involving artists ranging from local bluegrass bands to KISS.) Presenting a successful musical performance is the common goal and responsibility of both the artist and the promoter or venue operator. This webinar will present the wide range of issues that may be addressed in a musical performance agreement, from the perspective of both the artist and the promoter, and a framework for reaching a “middle ground” where both parties are comfortable.

The webinar will be aimed at artists, event producers, venue operators, and association leaders, but anybody with an interest in contract negotiation may want to attend also.

The fee to join the webinar is only $20 for IBMA members or $40 for non-members. Please call (615) 256-3222 to register.

And don't miss our upcoming IBMA webinars on these topics: July – How to Write an Effective Press Release August – Creating Video Content to Connect Bands with Fans October – Bluegrass Events & Social Networking November – Keeping a Band Together December – How Do Endorsements Really Work?

Only $2 Memb 0 for IBMA ers Non-M , $40 for embe rs!

Lousia Branscomb’s tips on exposing

your Original Songs

* Explore venues such as cafés, lounges and listening rooms in your area to see if they would allow you to put together an evening of songwriters from your area. * Work with your local bluegrass association to create venues for exposure of your work and other songwriters in your area. Offer to do a warm-up set for shows they might be doing, along with several other songwriters. * Come to World of Bluegrass and attend the events open to all writers, including workshops and the Song Circles. If you have ideas for songwriter events, submit them to Mark Brinkman, Chair of the IBMA Songwriter Committee, at brinksongs@insight.rr.com or to staff liaison Nancy Cardwell at nancyc@ibma.org.

Often songwriters feel that they have few venues to expose their original work in the gap between the isolation of writing the song and the “long shot” of having that song recorded by a touring artist.

However, exposing and gaining feedback on your songs is essential—that’s how you learn how well that song communicates its message, and whether it reaches the hearts of others.

Further, it is a good way to increase your skills as the singer of your songs along with your instrumental skills, and to get feedback about where you are with your craft.

Even if you do not feel you are a good singer, remember there are more than a few well-known songwriters out there who were not considered “good singers,” until their songs became wellknown, and their style of singing them became part of the magic!

But many family rooms were filled with song, and many stages were crossed with only a few listeners out there in the dark before that happened!

Here are some tips for creative ways to get your original material to new ears:

* Send a composition to the IBMA Songwriter Showcase, which selects songs for presentation at IBMA each year. (The 2012 deadline has passed, but there’s next year! And you can attend and get an idea of the kinds of songs selected by attending this event.) * Plan a trip Nashville to explore other songwriter rounds! There are regular songwriter nights at the Commodore Hotel, Hotel Indigo, Willhagan’s Bar and Maddonna, among others. These venues have different formats and are usually headed up by a songwriter who volunteers their time to coordinate the songwriter rounds. Note: Check online to see whether an event is occurring, as venues not infrequently change their schedules and events. * Work with acquaintances who might be willing to host a house concert for you. House concerts are an excellent way to present original material to an interested audience! This approach can range all the way from offering to play at a private party you may be attending to finding someone willing to host a house concert for a minimum donation and help you promote your show. * Volunteer to help with IBMA songwriter events. (Contact Mark Brinkman at brinksongs@insight.rr.com or Nancy Cardwell at nancyc@ibma.org.) * Participate in The Bluebird Café’s regular audition process to be a part of their songwriter rounds (see details on the Bluebird website). * Find an experienced songwriter to give you professional feedback on your song, or mentor you as a songwriter, which some writers informally as colleagues, or for a fee for more formalized artist development. Networking at IBMA is a wonderful way to find such a writer. IBMA also offers a Songwriter Mentor service to member writers, which pairs new writers up with an experienced songwriter for feedback and advice on one song. Contact the IBMA office for info on this program managed by Tony Rackley. * Last but not least, keep writing! There are no bad songs, just songs that reach their mark and those that teach us how to aim.

Louisa Branscomb is an award-winning songwriter, co-founder and past chair of the Songwriter Committee, and chair of IBMA’s Bluebird in the Bluegrass SubCommittee.

INDUSTRY NEWS ARTISTS & COMPOSERS Congratulations to the following artists topping bluegrass charts at press time: Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart: Stars and Satellites, Trampled by Turtles (BanjoDad 09/Thirty Tigers) Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 30 Hot Singles: “A Far Cry from Lester & Earl,” by Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice (Rebel), written by Tim Massey, Rick Pardue & Harry Sisk, Jr. Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 10 Bluegrass CDs: Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Prime Tyme (Rural Rhythm) Bluegrass Today Monthly Chart: “Life Finds a Way,” by The Grascals, written by Jamie Johnson, Dierks Bentley & Ronnie Bowman Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey: “A Far Cry from Lester & Earl;” by Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice (Rebel Records); written by T. Massey, R. Pardue & H. Sisk Jr. Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey – Top 15 Bluegrass Albums: Sounds of Home, Blue Highway (Rounder)

Berklee College of Music president (and former IBMA World of Bluegrass keynote speaker) Roger Brown presented honorary doctor of music degrees to Alison Krauss, The Eagles and Mulatu Astatke May 12 at their commencement ceremony at Boston University's Agganis Arena.

Honorary doctorate recipients are recognized for achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Congratulations to Dr. Krauss and Dr. Leadon!

The video featuring Marty Raybon’s exclusive interview on Inside Music Row--in which he talks about Hand To The Plow and Southern Roots and Branches, his brand-new releases for Rural Rhythm Records--is available for your enjoyment; click here. Congratulations, Marty!

May 2012 marked the passing several bluegrass pioneers and members of the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. The staff, officers and directors of IBMA extend our deepest sympathies to their families and loved ones.

Mandolinist, tenor singer and songwriter Everett Lilly died May 8 at his home in Clear Creek, W. Va.—the same community in which he’d been born and raised, before he and his brother Bea and banjo wizard Don Stover took New England audiences by storm with their music. Peter Rowan, Tex Logan, Larry Stephenson, Rhonda Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Everett Alan Lilly, Kitsy Kuykendall, Tim O'Brien, Ira Gitlin and Bill Wolfenbarger all pay tribute to Everett in an article written by our new staff member, author and journalist Caroline Wright. Click here to read the story.

Doug Dillard, an original member of The Dillards and a solo artist who performed and recorded with some of the world’s greatest musicians in a variety of genres, passed away on May 16. To read Caroline Wright’s exclusive tribute to the banjo player/songwriter, with tributes and quotes from Rodney Dillard, Dean Webb, Ginger Boatwright, Byron Berline, Vic Jordan, Alan Tompkins, Tim Carter, Jonathan Yudkin, Peter Rowan, Alan Munde, Kathy Chiavola, Diana Jayne, Randy Campbell, John McEuen, Béla Fleck, Bobby Osborne and Tony Trischka, click here.

On May 29, 2012, Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, a National Heritage Fellowship, and eight Grammy awards, died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. The guitarist, singer and composer was known and loved all over the world for his flatpicking and endless repertoire, and was famously called "a living national treasure." IBMA staffer Caroline Wright would like to hear from the people who loved Doc Watson and his music. She invites Doc’s fans to send her their favorite stories, memories and reflections of the beloved American musician at caroline@ibma.org (about 100 words or less would be fine). A selection of tributes will appear in the story Caroline is planning for our July edition. Deadline for submission is June 15.

Bearfoot Bluegrass Band launches a tour on June 8 that will take the band from Colorado to Germany over the next six months, with dates in Owensboro, Ky., Bristol, Va. and La Roche sur Foron, France, among others. The band, which just released a video for its new song, “Moonlight in Montana,” is looking forward to a rafting tour of Idaho's Salmon River of No Return this summer, from August 22-27th; they’ll explore Salmon Canyon by day and play music for their fellow rafters in the evening. Check them out at www.bearfootband.com.

Congratulations to Ray Edwards & Hard Rock Mountain on the release of their new single, “My Name Is Jimmy Martin (Do You Remember Me?),” on Rural Rhythm Records. Marty Raybon, Russell Moore, Darrell Webb, Lou Reid and Christy Reid, and Ray Edwards all contribute their vocal talents to the new single, a cut from the upcoming album, Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter. Musicians on the project include Ray Edwards (banjo); Bobby Wood (mandolin); Mike Wood (rhythm guitar); Doug Campbell (e-bass); Jimmy Martin, Jr. (snare drum); and special guest Michael Cleveland on fiddle.

It isn’t surprising that both Emmylou Harris and Dry Branch Fire Squad will perform at The AmerEquine Festival of the Horse on June 1-3 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. After all, Emmylou’s love for animals is well known in the industry—she is generous with donations of performances and public service announcements for related causes—and Ron Thomason of Dry Branch has participated on horseback distance racing for many years. Visit http://amerequine.com.

After a year that included both a major IBMA award (for Song of the Year) and a life-threatening injury for fiddler and lead singer Buddy Melton, Balsam Range has been inspired to create a new fan-sourced member benefit program. Called Balsam Nation, the program offers fans an advance copy of the group’s upcoming release, Papertown; an additional song each month for a year; a live recording; a digital copy of a new music video from the album; a feature called Pick With the Band®, which gives fans the chance to play along with the new CD; an interactive mobile app; and opportunities for fans to visit with the group at pre-show hangouts. Signup ends June 30, 2012 or when membership availability reaches its limit, whichever comes first, at www.balsamnation.com.

Next month Chatham County Line sets off on a tour of the West Coast that includes July dates in Seattle, Yakima, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and the folk festivals in both Calgary and Vancouver. Good luck, guys!

Rhonda Vincent has been added to the lineup of the five-day “Larry’s Country Diner” Caribbean cruise, featuring Larry Black, host and creator of the top-rated “Larry’s Country Diner” on RFD-TV. Musical guests on the cruise include country stars Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius, Gene Watson, Moe Bandy, T. Graham Brown and Ronny Robbins.

Visit www.cfrcruise.com.

Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Sergio Lara has released a new all-instrumental project, Guitars & Mandolins, that combines traditional Mexican songs and "corridos," and a selection of traditional American fiddle tunes. The multi-instrumentalist plays all the instruments on the recording, including mandolin, acoustic and Spanish guitars, and banjo, on old traditional tunes made popular in the early 20th century during the Mexican Revolution like "La Adelita," and "La Valentina," as well as American folk standards like "Wayfaring Stranger," “Old Joe Clark,” and "Red Hair Boy." As Lara points out, many tunes in the bluegrass and stringband songbook were played by rural people, real "Vaqueros" from around the Mexico/Texas border, before Bill Monroe's bluegrass music and even before Robert Johnson's blues recordings. The new album is available as a digital release only from Amazon.com and from iTunes.

Audie Blaylock and Redline, who appeared in a recent issue of Hot Rod Magazine, will perform in the Hot Rod Power Tour on June 3, 2012 in downtown Muskegon, Mich. “These guys are gear heads at heart, and they play incredible music, with a great Southern style that is sure to make the Michigan crowd take notice,” said Corky Coker, owner of sponsor Coker Tire.

Audie and the band are celebrating a new radio single release, “A Natural Thing” from their upcoming album, Hard Country, set for release on Rural Rhythm Records this month on June 19.

James Reams & The Barnstormers will perform this summer at Pennsylvania’s Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival, Wind Gap, Penn. on June 10

INDUSTRY NEWS (www.windgapbluegrass.com); at Brantling Bluegrass Festival in Brantling, N.Y. on August 4; at Boulevard Music, Culver City, Calif. on August 11; and at Tall Pines Bluegrass Festival, Pinetop, Ariz., August 18-19, with The Grascals. James and the rest of the Barnstormers will celebrate their 20th anniversary next year with a Coast-to-Coast Celebration. They’re preparing a 20th Anniversary Photo Scrapbook for the occasion, and invite fans and friends to email their great Barnstormers photos to james@jamesreams.com .

The first of Lonesome River Band’s new trilogy of recordings, Chronology, Volume One, debuted on SiriusXM Radio’s popular Bluegrass Junction TrackBy-Track with Kyle Cantrell last month. Volume One is the first of three 2012 releases by the group, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Rural Rhythm Records will release the second volume in the trilogy on July 3. Interestingly, Lonesome River Band invited fans to choose songs that will appear on Chronology, Volume Three, set for release this fall. Visit www.LonesomeRiverBand.com and www.RuralRhythm.com to learn more about the band, and Chronology, Volumes One, Two and Three.

Carrie Hassler’s new Rural Rhythm project, The Distance, debuted at #10 on Billboard Magazine's Bluegrass Album Chart. The title cut, written by Ashley McBryde, debuted in May on the U.K. Hot Disc Country Radio Airplay Chart with “Luxury Liner” (written by Gram Parsons) making its debut at #15 on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart (5/4). Carrie’s new project includes Tim Stafford (guitar); Ron Stewart (banjo); Justin Moses (fiddle); Alan Bibey (mandolin); Mark Fain (bass); Mark Laws (percussion); Dale Ann Bradley (harmony vocals), and the album’s producer, Steve Gulley, on harmony vocals. Visit www.CarrieHassler.com.

Rural Rhythm Records is proud to announce the May 22, 2012 album release of New Bluegrass & Old Heartaches by Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press. Produced by Glen Duncan, Bobby Osborne and Boj (Bobby Osborne, Jr.), the project celebrates Bobby’s impressive 60-year career with tunes like “I’m Going Back To The Mountain,” Phil Rosenthal’s “Muddy Waters,” and a rediscovered song Bobby wrote many years ago titled “The Last Bridge You’ll Ever Burn.” From his first recorded hit in 1949 to his membership in the Grand Ole Opry in 1964 to "Rocky

Top" in 1967 Bobby has been one of the most influential singers and mandolin players in the history of Bluegrass and Country music. He was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2002, inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Fame (Lonesome Pine Fiddlers) in 2009, and has recorded two State songs - “Rocky Top (Tennessee)” and “Kentucky” (Kentucky). For more information visit www.bobbyosborne.com and www.ruralrhythm.com.

Congratulations to the Steep Canyon Rangers on the release of Nobody Knows You, the band’s first project for Rounder Records, and its new video, for the tune “Long Shot!” Click here to check them out. The Steep Canyon Rangers are confirmed to appear at our Fan Fest this year—don’t miss it!

Yonder Mountain String Band has a very busy summer ahead, with dates throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and way out west in California and Oregon.

Check their website for details of their action-filled tour. Then they’ll come home to Lyons, Colo. for their Kinfolk Celebration on August 24-25. They’ll be sharing the stage with Todd Snider and Split Lip Rayfield. The Celebration takes place at Planet Bluegrass Ranch on the banks of the St. Vrain River in Lyons, Colo.

“String Wizard” John McEuen, with his sons Jonathan and Nathan, performed in several shows last month to support their new album, The McEuen Sessions—For All The Good, released on MesaBluemoon Recordings. The McEuens played at the Station Inn, Grimey’s, Music City Roots, and the Grand Ole Opry, where they were joined by Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Kristen Kelly, Scotty McCreery, and Love and Theft.

As a solo artist and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen has released more than 40 albums, appeared on more than 300 TV shows, and performed more than 8,500 concerts since 1965. McEuen Sessions—For All The Good, recorded at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross, Ga., features Jonathan and Nathan on vocals; John and his sons act as each other’s “side men” for overdubs.

Jonathan is featured on acoustic and electric guitar, bass and piano; Nathan plays piano, bass, acoustic guitar and percussion; and John plays a broad range of string instruments, including banjo, mandolin, fiddle and Dobro.

Travers Chandler and Avery County welcome several new band members this month. Tom Isaacs on banjo and second fiddle, John Bryan on guitar, and Blake Johnson on bass will join Merl Johnson on fiddle and Travers Chandler on lead vocals and mandolin for a June tour that includes dates at the Borderline Folk Club Concert in New City, N.Y. on June 3; the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, on June 8-10; the Blistered Fingers Bluegrass Festival in Litchfield, Maine on June 14-16, and the Tidewater Bluegrass Association Concert in Suffolk, Va. on June 23. The band is also excited to launch a new YouTube channel, with new videos to share. Visit www.averycountyband.com for details and their full schedule.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver had the honor of kicking off NASCAR Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., with a performance of the National Anthem in front of 165,000 fans.

The band Steel String Session announced in May that it has changed its name to Playing On The Planet, “just a better fit for how we like to live OUR lives and approach our relationships,” according to the press release. Members spent much of the month at Ben Surratt's TheRecRoomStudio recording their new album, which will go to Nickel City Music for mixing and mastering this month.

Also in May, Lisa Jacobi, who handles fiddle, mandolin, guitar and vocal chores for the band, was appointed chair of the IBMA Education Committee, a group that determines the slate of topics, presenters and speakers at the annual World of Bluegrass convention, which will take place during the last week of September in Nashville. "I'm working with an amazing six-person team and though we have a monumental task ahead of us, with the guidance and creativity of IBMA Interim director Nancy Cardwell, we will have one of the best WOBs to date," says Jacobi.

The Roys, who hosted 650 AM WSM Radio's Guest Artist Series last month, will return for a second Guest Artist Series appearance on Tuesday, June 26. The show, unique to radio, gives the guest artists a chance to play some of their own hits, along with some of their all-time favorite tracks by other entertainers. Fans can listen to both shows online at 650 AM WSM and can catch up with Lee and Elaine on www.theroysonline.com .

High lead and tenor vocalist Larry Stephenson released his first album with Compass Records, What Really Matters, last month. Larry and his band will take the show on the road this summer for a long tour that includes Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival, Bean Blossom, Music in the Mountains, and Mineral Bluegrass Festival. Click here to see their schedule.

This summer, banjo master Tony Trischka will lead the band in New York City for Steve Martin’s five-song bluegrass soundtrack for the New York Public Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” in Central Park. The show’s director, Daniel Sullivan, decided to set the action in the rural American South around 1840, and asked Martin to compose five bluegrass songs to accompany the Bard’s lyrics. Martin persuaded progressive bluegrass master Tony Trischka to lead a small band onstage that includes banjo, fiddle, bass guitar and a guitar.

Interestingly, Steve Martin is presently putting together an album with singersongwriter Edie Brickell. He wrote 13 banjo tunes, emailed them to her, and she has emailed him back with lyrics. Brickell (with her New Bohemians) is best known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, which went #4 on the US Albums Chart.

Congratulations to Rob and Lisa McCoury, and the entire McCoury clan, on the arrival of Vassar Edwin Carroll McCoury, born May 29 at 8:06 a.m. Baby Vassar joins Rob and Lisa's other children: young Monroe, who sang "Jambalaya" onstage at DelFest with her granddaddy this past weekend, and little Del, his granddaddy's namesake. This is the seventh grandchild for Del and Miss Jean. Welcome, Baby Vassar, from your friends at IBMA.

INDUSTRY NEWS Association news Congratulations to new Central New York Bluegrass Association board members Kay Betts von Sneidern and Neil Smith.

The Central Texas Bluegrass Association’s 16th annual Band Scramble & Garage Sale will be held Sunday, July 1. Eddie Collins will serve as the host to more than 30 of the top bluegrass musicians in central Texas as they mix it up in this fun-for-all fundraiser. Location: Waterloo Ice House, 38th St., Austin, Texas. The garage sale happens from 2-5 p.m. and the music goes from 3-6 p.m. Info: tuneman@austin.rr.com The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA) will host their Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff Music Festival June 1-3 at El Rancho Manana in Richmond, Minn. Their flagship Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival Aug. 9-12 at the same site will headline Marty Raybon, Larry Stephenson, Chris Jones, Robin & Linda Williams and many more. Info: www.minnesotabluegrass.org

BROADCASTERS Internet radio listening is surging, according to new data unveiled this week by TargetSpot, which operates a digital audio ad network, and Pandora, the leading online audio platform. Terrestrial still remains the Number 1 way Americans listen to radio but Internet radio usage is increasing.

Tablets and smart phones are contributing to the rise in popularity. And Internet radio pays performance royalties!

Internet radio has penetrated to 42% of adult U.S. broadband households, up 8% from 33% in 2011.

42% are households with children, 64% own their own homes, and 22% have a household income of $100,000 per year or more -- up 29% from 2011.

The data was compiled using the Digital Audio Benchmark and Trend Study, based on a survey of adult U.S. broadband households.

Digital audio listeners display significant engagement with the medium, with 80% listening from one to three hours per day. Pandora’s online audio service now constitutes 6% of all radio listening, with 1.06 billion listener hours in April 2012.

Arbitron data from March of this year shows that broadcast radio reaches 241 million listeners per week, representing 93% of the total U.S. population, while Arbitron data from January suggests average total listening of about 14.6 billion hours per month. To read more, click here.

EVENT PRODUCER NEWS The Springer Mountain Farm Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman schedule has been announced for the summer at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.: Vince Gill with Sarah Jarosz (June 21), Chris Thile & Michael Daves and The Boxcars (June 28), The Gibson Brothers, The Steep Canyon Rangers & The Roys (July 5), Rhonda Vincent with Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers (July 12), Dailey & Vincent (July 19), Ricky Skaggs (July 26). Eddie Stubbs of WSM-AM/ The Grand Ole Opry will host. Info: (615-458-BLUE, www.ryman.com Darrel Adkins & the Bluegrass Classic’s Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) festival, scheduled for July 18-21 at the Hoover Y-Park in Lockbourne, Ohio, is known for unique onstage musical combinations. The “Tribute to J.D. Crowe” will include JD and The New South along with Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, Josh Williams, Bradley Walker and friends.

“The monster Mash” will feature Michael Cleveland, Josh Williams, Steve Sutton, clay Hess, Randy Kohrs and Irl Hees. The “MACC Opry ‘Murder on Music Row’” is Carl Jackson, Randy Kohrs, Aubrey Haynie, Bradley Walker, Val Story, Jerry Salley, Larry Cordle, plus more. Dudley Connell and Marshall Wilborn will perform with Sammy Shelor and Larry Stephenson.

Ronnie Bowman will appear with Don Rigsby, Kenny Smith, Terry Baucom, Randy Kohrs and Aubrey Haynie. Info: www.bluegrassclassic.com The Ogden Music Festival at Fort Buenaventura in Ogden, Utah takes place June 1-3. The line-up features The Claire Lynch Band, Junior Sisk &

Rambler’s Choice, Royal We, Swamp Cabbage, The Get Down Boys and more. Info: www.OFOAM.org

like sports, a video arcade, youth and teen program, and interactive family activities.

On the occasion of his 70th birthday, the Southeastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) honored IBMA Hall of Famer Little Roy Lewis with the first SEBA Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations to Little Roy!

The 46th Annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival will be held June 9–16, 2012 at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Music Park & Campground in Bean Blossom, Indiana. The 8-day event includes more than 50 bluegrass bands, Youth Bluegrass Boot Camp, instrument and vocal workshops, jam sessions, camping, food, vendors, and much more.

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion received two Pinnacle Awards (and shared a third) from the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association at a ceremony in May, in recognition of the festival’s creative marketing and advertising efforts. Its “Stateline” was released on Bristol Rhythm’s YouTube Channel last year and went “viral.” The two-minute music montage of photographs includes images of Blue Highway, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Del McCoury and others, taken by Virginia Intermont College Photography students during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. “Stateline” was written

by Clay Prewitt and performed by his band These Undowners. To watch the video, click here.

Producers of the Bristol Rhythm & Roots event also deserve accolades for making Virginia Living Magazine's “Best of Virginia 2012” issue, placing third in the online reader's poll as one of Southwest Virginia's Best Large Music Venues. Floydfest, another event along the Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, placed first.

Mountain Song at Sea. For this February 1-4, 2013 event, the group that produces the Mountain Song Festival have booked a lineup that already includes the Steep Canyon Rangers, the David Grisman Sextet, Peter Rowan, the Kruger Brothers, the Del McCoury Band, the Travelin’ McCourys, Tim O’Brien and Bryan Sutton, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Shannon Whitworth, Town Mountain, and Della Mae. Promoters promise “experiences that you can’t get anywhere else – shows with your favorite artists in intimate venues, spontaneous artist collaborations, jams, interactions with artists,” who will “host Q&A sessions and other activities, like a poker tournament with Steep Canyon Rangers, beer and wine tastings, workshops, games, and more!” The ship will sail from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the Bahamas. Mountain Song at Sea, Sixthman and The Steep Canyon Rangers are also offering a "Kids Sail for Free" promotion for ids 14 years old younger, sailing with adults as third, fourth or fifth guests.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers supervised activities

The festival includes performances by Tim Graves, Daryl Mosley and Farm Country, Newfound Road, Jesse McReynolds and Virginia Boys, Larry Stephenson Band, Gene Watson, Larry Gillis and Swamp Grass, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Tommy Brown & County Line Grass, Marge Sullivan Family, Pastor Baggett, Cumberland River, Don Stanley and Middle Creek, Tommy Brown and County Line Grass, Volume Five, Chris Jones and Night Drivers, Grasstowne, Jr. Sisk and Rambler's Choice, Darrell Webb Band, Bankester Family, Lonesome Highway, Common Strings, Moron Brothers, David Davis and Warrior River Boys, Ronnie Reno and Reno Tradition, Lonesome River Band, The Boxcars, HillBenders, Don Rigsby and Midnight Call, Spinney Brothers, Jimmy Bowen and Santa Fe, Moron Brothers, Glen Bonham and Southern Tradition, Little Roy and Lizzy Show, Randy Waller and Country Gentlemen, The Expedition Show, Spinney Brothers, Wildwood Valley Boys, Goldwing Express, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Karl Shifflett & Big Country Show, Kenny & Amanda Smith, The Grascals, Longview, Special Consensus, the festival’s Boot Camp attendees, Kyle Ramey Band, Larry Efaw and Mountaineers, James King Band, Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Karl Shifflett, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, David Parmley & Continental Divide, Audie Blaylock & Redline, Special Consensus, Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain, Dale Ann Bradley, Charlie Sizemore Band, Larry Sparks & Lonesome Ramblers, JD Crowe & The New South, Ralph Stanley II, James King Band, Magnolia Drive, Tommy Sells & Big Country Show, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dr. Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, Tony Rice Unit, JD Crowe and Former New South Reunion Show. The Bill Monroe Music Park is located at 5163 SR 135N, Bean Blossom, Ind. 46160.

INDUSTRY NEWS Bean Blossom’s Youth Bluegrass Boot Camp takes place June 11-13, 2012. The camp is open to ages 6-18 years and offers over 15 hours of professional instruction in all levels, beginner through advanced for banjo, guitar, fiddle, bass and mandolin. The event is sponsored by CIBA, J.D. Crowe & The New South, Martin Guitars, and the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation. For anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or requesting more information on the camp, please contact Sarah Wasson via email swasson@setel.com The award-winning Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, July 19-22, on the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, N.Y. has added the Claire Lynch Band, the Old-Tyme Kozmik Trio (with Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger and Rushad Eggleston); The Deadly Gentlemen, Della Mae, the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, the Dixie Bee-Liners, and Milk Drive to its lineup. The bill already includes Hot Rize (and their alter egos, Red Knuckles and the Trail Blazers), Del McCoury Band, David Grisman Sextet, Infamous Stringdusters, Punch Brothers, David Bromberg, Mountain Heart, Gibson Brothers, Chris Thile & Michael Daves, SteelDrivers, Blue Highway, Noam Pikelny & Friends with Aoife O'Donovan, Tony Trischka & Territory, and hosting band Dry Branch Fire Squad. This year’s festival will also feature an Earl Scruggs Tribute on the High Meadow (Main) Stage Friday at 5:00 pm.

Visit www.greyfoxbluegrass.com for info.

A new music festival in Bristol, Tenn./Va. was announced on May 29, and community leaders are speculating that the day-long event might be as big as Rhythm & Roots. The event will feature popular British crossover act Mumford and Sons, whose sound blends folk, rock, country and bluegrass musical styles, in one of only four shows on their U.S. tour.

The band will perform here on Aug. 11, along with seven other groups.

International Focus The British Bluegrass News, the publication of the British Bluegrass Music Association, published a comprehensive article about the history of bluegrass instruments in its spring 2012 issue.

The magazine also includes notices of the following events: The 24th North Wales Bluegrass Festival July 5-8 in Conwy www.northwalesbluegrass.co.uk Didmarton Bluegrass Festival Aug. 30-Sept. 2 at Cotswold Airport near Cirencester www.didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk Yorkshire Dales Bluegrass & Americana Roots Picking Weekend July 20-22 at Dalesbank Farm in Silsden, West Yorkshire www.yorkshiredalesbluegrasspickingweekend.co.uk Monaive Bluegrass Festival Sept. 28-30 at Moniaive, in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland www.moniaivebluegrass.co.uk Surrey Mini Bluegrass Festival Summer Party Aug. 4-5 in Michleham, U.K. www.surreybluegrass.com Cornish Bluegrass Festival Sept. 14-16 at Hendra Holiday park in Newquay, Cornwall www.cornishbluegrass.co.uk Kentucky to Kent UK: Music from Appalachia in the Garden of England Aug. 27 at St. Julians Club in Sevenoaks Kent www.ricktownend.co.uk/KtoK.htm Gower Bluegrass Festival Sept. 7-9, at Gower heritage Centre in Gower, U.K. www.gowerbluegrass.co.uk Bluegrass by the Lake June 15-17 at The Radnor Arms in Ilowes, U.K. (Info: Christine at 01981-510674) 16th East Anglian Bluegrass Festival June 23-24 at Steeple Morden VH & Grounds in Royston, Hertfordshire, U.K. www.eabg.blueapples.co.uk Wharf Bluegrass Weekend May 25-27 at the Stoke Prior Sports & Social Club, Nr Bromsgrove, U,K. www.wharfbluegrass.com Coastline Bluegrass Festival June 8-10 at the Bryn Ffanigl Farm in Llanddulas, U.K. www.coastlinebluegrass.co.uk The European Bluegrass Festival Directory for 2012-2013 has been published by Bluegrass Europe magazine, the EBMA Festival Network (EFN) and the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA). Info: www.ebma.org, www.ebma.org,editor@ebma.org

John Wirtz, present chairman of the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA) reports that banjo player John Breese has been elected chairman, and will take over the office officially in September 2012. Mo Jackson (Kitty Hawks and former production manager of FOAOTMAD’s Old Time News) is the new production manager for British Bluegrass News.

Gary Payne of A Band Like Alice, Home Territory, and numerous other bands over the years, has been awarded the Jan Jerrold Award for his contribution to bluegrass music. Congratulations, Gary, and thank you for all you’ve done!

Also in the UK: Lynne Butler, Internet radio broadcaster, invites artists, promoters and fans to send her news and events for her newsletter, which is rich with information about bluegrass events and bands in continental Europe. “Butler's Boudoir Bluegrass” may be heard on ukcountryradio.com and “Lynne Butler’s Eurograss” on www.bluegrassplanetearth.com.

E-mail her at lynnebutler99@hotmail.com.

In Newfoundland, promoters of the 8th Annual Bluegrass & Old-Time Country Music Jamboree invite Newfoundland and Labrador groups to apply for performance slots at their event, which will take place Sept. 29-30 2012 at the Comfort Inn, Airport Rd. St. John’s, NL. The Group Application Process Deadline is June 25, 2012. To qualify, a group’s repertoire must consist of bluegrass and/or old-time country music, must include at least two musicians playing acoustic stringed instruments only (with the exception of electric bass and steel guitar), who are capable of performing a set of at least 45 minutes. Auditions require a live (not multi-tracked) demo recording consisting of two tunes with vocals on a CD. Each invited group musician must be an individual member of the Society. For information on where to send audition CDs, click here or contact Marie Yetman at 709/473 5431 myetman@xplornet.com.

A new video from Bulgaria’s only country/bluegrass band, Lilly of the West, is now available. It’s a cut from their newly released album, Swings & Heartaches. Click here to see the video. For more about Lilly of the West, visit www.lillydrumeva.net .

Eddie & Martha Adcock will embark on a European tour this month! It’s a rare opportunity for our friends in Europe to check out this legendary banjo player and Bluegrass Hall of Fame member. The Adcocks will be joined by their pal, himself a legend and Hall of Famer: bassist Tom Gray. Here are the dates and locations of their shows; please confirm before you go.

June 16, Czech Republic: Banjo Jamboree, Caslav June 17, Germany: Langenau-Pflegehofsaal, near Ulm--7 pm June 18, Switzerland: Neustadt 51, Schaffhausen--8 pm June 19, Austria: Innsbruck June 20 Private concert June 21, Germany: Beavers - Miltenberg, near Frankfurt June 22, Belgium: Toogenblick, Brussels

MERCHANDISERS & LUTHIERS The Deering Banjo Championships will take place June 16 at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park in Victorville, California. For more info call (951) 780-8810 or email huckfinn@huckfinn.com.

INDUSTRY NEWS PRINT MEDIA & EDUCATION NEWS The Midwest Banjo Camp will take place June 8-10 at Olivet, Michigan. Ken Perlman and Stan Werbin are the directors.

The program features hands-on classes, demonstrations, two faculty concerts and lots of time for jamming. Info: midwestbanjocamp.com The Artistworks Academy of Bluegrass has posted new content on its blog, including an interview with banjo player Ned Luberecki, who performs with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers and also tours with Stephen Mougin (of the Sam Bush Band) as Nedski & Mojo. The update also includes six performances by Bryan Sutton and Mike Marshall and three new banjo lessons with Tony Trischka. Check out the Academy at www.academyofbluegrass.com.

The Acoustic Music Camp is a three-day camp for banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, songwriting, Dobro, vocals, bass and fingerstyle guitar slated for Aug. 9-11 in Arlington, Texas. Instructors include Ron Stewart, Cia Cherryholmes, Gerald Jones, Roland White, Nate Lee, Kenny Smith, Jim Hurst, clay Powers, Stetson Adkisson, Texas Shorty, Nate Lee, Amanda Smith and Alan Tompkins.

Info: 214-236-0783, info@AcousticMusicCamp.com A group of 16 cloggers from the Czech Republic visited the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn.

March 19 during a week-long tour of the Southeast.

They attended workshops, met local cloggers and learned more about traditional Appalachian dancing.

Headliners at the Museum of Appalachia’s Tennessee Fall homecoming Oct. 12-14 include Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Leroy Troy, Dixie Gray, T he Hilltoppers and more. Info: www.museumofappalachia.org Two positions at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn. are pending, with a search beginning in the fall of 2012 and jobs beginning in August 2013: Chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies and a Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies. Info: http://www.etsu.edu/humanres/employment/opportuni ties.aspx.

Call 423-439-7997 or email herrinr@etsu.edu to be put on a list for notification when the searches are formally announced.

Larry G. Aaron has written a book called The Wreck of the Old 97 (The History Press, www.historypress.net) about the true story behind the popular song by the same name.

Bluegrass television pioneer Stan Hitchcock, Chairman and CEO of BlueHighways TV, was inducted into the Cable Television Pioneers as part of a gala ceremony in Boston, Mass. on May 20. Our sincere congratulations to Stan, who earned the award in recognition of his creation of BlueHighways TV, the independent multi-platform network that explores the people, stories, traditions and music of America.

Stan's partners at BlueHighways TV are Ronnie Reno and Denise Hitchcock.

Visit www.BlueHighwaysTV.com.

The Fiddle Pal Camp Midwest 2012 kicks off this month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 609 5th St S Stillwater, Minn., with four days of instruction in bluegrass, Canadian, jazz, Appalachian, Irish, and blues for fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass, on June 19-22, Tuesday-Friday, from 9:00 a.m.-4 p.m. (evening activities are also scheduled). The event will include instruction from many award-winning professional musicians, as well as time for soccer, jamming, a barn dance and an amazing concert. Instructors and staff include Brian Wicklund, Lissa Schneckenburger, Megan Gregory, Trevor Krieger, Jeff Troxel, Matt Flinner and Kevin Rowe. For youth and adults ages 9-and up; registration is limited.

Fiddle Pal Camp New England 2012 will return to Newton, Mass. on August 21-24, 2012 for four days of instruction and fun at the Suzuki School with fiddlers Brian Wicklund, Lissa Schneckenburger, Megan Gregory, plus cellist Ariel Friedman and guitarist Flynn Cohen. For youth and adults ages 9 and up (lots of adults sign up, too). Register before June 30 and save $80! Visit www.fiddlepal.com.

ROMP, the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s annual flagship fundraiser/festival that celebrates the roots and branches of bluegrass music, kicks off this month at Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro, Ky.. The lineup for the June 28-30 event includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Vince Gill, Punch Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Deadly Gentlemen, Jesse McReynolds, Lonesome River Band, Town Mountain, The Expedition Show, Farewell Drifters, Greensky Bluegrass, Monroeville and more. Visit www.rompfest.com for more information.

Bluegrass Mountain, a new television show that features new and vintage videos from established artists like Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent, plus clips by newer artists including Cumberland River Band and Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, debuted last month in New Zealand on Country 99 TV.

In June, outlets CMC Australia and Sky TV (U.K.) will begin airing the 13-episode season to a potential 20 million viewers. Seven episodes of the series will be hosted by The Roys; Marty Raybon and The Grascals hosted the first six episodes of the program. "This is a natural extension to our other music-based programming," says the show's Executive Producer Jeff Moseley. "Bluegrass is an incredible and underserved music genre, so this is a win-win situation for all of us and the fans."

Bluegrass Mountains' Producer/Director Brian Covert believes that "having entertainers host the show gives viewers opportunities to hear stories about the videos that they otherwise would not. That gives fans a very personal and intimate insight."

Dyann and Rick Arthur, two Washington State residents who turned their retirement into an important video project, have spent the past three years traveling from New England to the Deep South and back to the West Coast interviewing women, ages 18 to 93, and recording their music. The Arthurs’ nonprofit MusicBox Project is about women musicians who are experts in Appalachian folk music, the blues, bluegrass, old-time country music, gospel, jazz, Cajun, American Indian music, klezmer, maritime folk music or zydeco. It’s already catalogued in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., The collection of "Americana Women" documentary videos includes music and interviews with fiddler Violet Hensley (captured with her family, picking around the kitchen table); Casey Henry, playing her banjo instrumental “Real Women Drive Trucks”; and Red Molly performing “Honey on my Grave.” Much of the video collection is available on YouTube. Journalist/author/banjo player Red Murphy, of The Murphy Method and IBMA's Nancy Cardwell are two of the women who provide commentary during the film.

"The project isn't about female vocalists who front male bands, but more about women instrumentalists who seek to be taken seriously as a roots musicians," Dyann Arthur said. "Women need to see that other women are a huge part of these musical genres." To donate to the nonprofit work of the MusicBox Project or to volunteer time, contact the Arthurs at Arthur@MusicBoxProject.org. More information is available at www.musicboxproject.org.

RECORD LABELS & PUBLISHERS Rounder Records will release Foggy Mountain Special: A Bluegrass Tribute to Earl Scruggs on June 5. On this 12-tune collection of never-before-released material, produced

by Tim Austin and recorded in Nashville over a couple of years, each track is based on Earl Scruggs' playing as captured on studio recordings and live tapes made between 1949 and 1969. Tunes range from traditional pieces like "Sally Goodin" and "Reuben" to the western swing instrumental "Steel Guitar Rag" to Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline Rag." The majority of the collection's remaining tunes were written or co-written by Scruggs.

Banjo players Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry Perkins, Craig Smith, Ron Stewart, David Talbot, and Tony Trischka are supported by Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, Cody Kilby, Clay Hess, Wyatt Rice, Ben Isaacs, Barry Bales, Dennis Crouch, Ron Stewart and Jason Carter.

BlueHighways TV presented the exclusive premiere of the Rural Rhythm Records series Behind The Dream, on May 24, with a segment featuring recording artist and performer Marty Raybon of Shenandoah fame. In his show, Marty kicked off the 30-minute bi-monthly series by taking viewers behind the scenes of the making of his new CD, Hand To The Plow.

“Rural Rhythm Records is proud to launch our new Behind The Dream series on BlueHighways TV,” said Sam Passamano, president of Rural Rhythm Records. “Our artists will be able to share with the viewers their new recordings in a words & music format that will give insight to their goals, inspiration and, of course, dreams for their album. We want to thank the good folks at BlueHighways TV for giving our artists the wonderful opportunity to present their music in their own words & music.”

Behind The Dream is hosted by Mike Scott and takes viewers into the recording studio with some of the biggest names of bluegrass music. Future installments will feature bluegrass artists Carrie Hassler, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band and Bobby Osborne. Each episode focuses on the motivations behind the music and delves into the personal inspiration of each artist as they record their latest CD. For more information on BlueHighways TV visit www.BlueHighwaysTV.com.

fresh sounds in the World of Bluegrass - 2nd Quarter 2012 (April, May, June) Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry Perkins, Craig Smith, Ron Stewart, David Talbot & Tony Trischka; Foggy Mountain Special: A Bluegrass Tribute to Earl Scruggs ( Rounder Records, www.rounder.com ) “Producer Tim Austin assembled a dozen cutting edge banjo players and ten stellar backup musicians to record the 12 tunes in this collection,” Tom Adams reports in liner notes. Each banjo player chose the Scruggs song he wanted to play. “In tribute, Earl, for all the music you’ve given us, on behalf of all of the musicians on this recording, and the thousands of banjo players and millions of fans whose lives you have touched, we say a heartfelt ‘Thank You!’” Adams says.

The Box Cars, All In ( Mountain Home Music Company, www.crossroadsmusic.com ) The sophomore release from The Box Cars, IBMA’s 2011 Emerging Artists of the Year Keith Garrett, Harold Nixon, Adam Steffey, John Bowman and Ron Stewart. This new release features a set of songs from Tim Stafford & Bobby Starnes, Earl Scruggs, William Joseph Colwell and Sonya & Becky Isaacs, along with originals from band members Garrett, Stewart and Steffey.

The Brothers Comatose, Respect the Van ( www.thebrotherscomatose.com ) The original members of this quintet with brothers Alex and Ben Morrison bonded at the Morrison family acoustic music parties before taking a youthful foray into punk and rock bands before circling back to the music they learned in that living room. They credit both beginnings for the attitude of their current music. On the new album, their music is not a wavering mélange of assorted styles, but decided and strong bluegrass-influenced folk rock.

With the addition of members Philip Brezina (fiddle) and Ryan Avellone (mandolin) the band aims to offer a no B.S., good time. The all-original set was tracked “live in one big room – treating the studio like a stage,” he explains.

Joe Craven Trio, All Four One ( Blender Logic Arts, www.joecraven.com ) The latest from this veteran north California trio features eight instrumentals and two songs that pay tribute to the blues, New Orleans, swing, funk and bluegrass, as well as music of Brazil, Haiti, Ireland and Puerto Rico. In liner notes Craven, a favorite every year at Wintergrass in Bellevue, Wash., says, “I’ve always enjoyed creating extreme makeovers of vernacular music—part of the history of what I call ‘the ongoing tradition of the perpetual transition of folk’…. This recording is a reflection of my desire to celebrate the individual writing and collective arranging of the four colleagues and friends who have comprised The Joe Craven Trio over the years…. We hope you dig.”

Kathy Joy Daugherty, Heart of Dreams ( JoySong, www.kathyjoydaugherty.com ) Nine of ten songs on Kathy Joy’s debut album are originals or co-writes. Her lead vocals are backed by Jennifer Strickland, Kim McClean, Randy Kohrs and Robert Jason. Guest instrumentalists include Kohrs, Scott Vestal, Tim Crouch, Dustin Benson, Aaron Ramsey and Josh Williams, plus more. Kathy dedicates the CD to her grandma, Anna Laura Stephens. Songs include “I Am That I Am” with Marty Raybon, “Kentucky Memories,” “Stay Outta My Kitchen,” “Jesus, If It Weren’t for You” and more.

Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein, Home from the Mills ( Rebel Records, www.rebelrecords.com ) Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein have played together in several bands, but there’s something uniquely striking about their duet. Fans of the first duo album and tour will be happy to hear songs like Tim O’Brien’s “Bending Blades,” “Close the Door Lightly when You Go” by Eric Andersen, John Starling’s “C&O Canal,” “If I Needed You”

by Townes Van Zandt, Gordon Lightfoot’s “Shadows” and more.

Carrie Hassler, The Distance ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com ) The latest from Carrie Hassler features her memorable lead vocals backed by Tim Stafford, Ron Stewart, Justin Moses, Alan Bibey, Mark Fain, Dale Ann Bradley, producer Steve Gulley and more. Included are a number of songs written especially for Carrie's voice, from writers like Carl Jackson, Stafford, Gulley, Mark Wheeler and Jennifer Strickland, among others. Standouts include “Luxury Liner,” “All I Have to Do Is Breathe,” “Eugene & Diane” and “Give Me Warm.”

Lilly of the West, Swings & Heartaches ( Musicautor, www.lillydrumeva.net ) Bulgaria’s premier bluegrass band, fronted by lead singer Lilly Drumeva, swings a set of music on their latest CD. There are two Patsy Cline songs, one from Hank Williams, a couple of Western swing standards, plus material from June Carter & Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Juice Holland & Sam Brown and two Bulgarian folk melodies. Included: “Gotta Lotta Rhythm in My Soul,” “Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “My Window Faces the South,” “If I Were a Carpenter” and more.

Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press, New Bluegrass & Old Heartaches ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com ) After 62 years in the music business this Bluegrass Hall of Famer continues to nail the high notes, straight from the heart. In liner notes producer/fiddler Glen Duncan says, “As you think about all of the history that Bobby represents, also know that he continues to work at his craft, with that same love of the music that first inspired him to start his musical journey back in 1949. Millions of miles, thousands of shows, untold hours playing and singing; you can hear all of that accumulated musical wisdom in every note that Bobby sings on this recording.”

The set list includes Paul Craft’s “Heartache Looking for a Home,” two Jake Landers compositions, Fred Rose’s “Low and Lonely,” “Phil Rosenthal’s “Muddy Waters” and more. Bobby, Glen Duncan and Boj (Bobby Osborne, Jr.) sing the trio parts.

Marty Raybon, Hand to the Plow ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com ) Fans of Marty Raybon’s trademark soulful lead voice will enjoy this new album of bluegrass/blues/gospel influenced country music. Titles include “I’m Working on a Building,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” “You Get Me,” “He’s Still My Little Man (Matty’s Song),” “You’ve Got to Move,” “When He Reigns It Pours” and more.

Marty Raybon, Southern Roots & Branches – Yesterday & Today ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com ) Raybon presents driving, blues-tinged bluegrass on his new album backed by a Who’s Who of great instrumentalists. His brother, Tim Raybon, plus Paul Brewster, Glen Harrell and Edgar Loudermilk, sing harmonies. In addition to his own songs, the material comes from Rodney Crowell, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Hugh Prestwood, Flatt & Scruggs and more. Justin Moses, Bryan Sutton, Ashby Frank, Kenny Smith, Tim Stafford, Terry Smith, Mark Fain, Shad Cobb, Justin Moses, Rob Ickes and Dave Talbot guest, among others.

Red June, Beauty Will Come ( www.redjunemusic.com ) Red June starts out their liner notes with a big “thank you” to everyone who contributed to their album via kickstarter.com. many of the songs are originals from band members Will Straughan, John Cloyd Miller, Natalya Weinstein and Jeff Hersk: “These Old Chains,” “Every Hard Mile,” “Piney Branch Breakdown,” “All That the Fall Leaves,” “Soul’s Repair” and more.

Lou Reid & Carolina, Callin’ Me Back Home ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com ) Lou Reid and his band present a set of Carolina driving bluegrass and high lonesome vocals on a new set of music from Dennis Duff, Dave Lindsey, Ray Edwards, Michael Bentley and Daniel Salyer. “Big Old Red Guitar” will take ever picker back to that first good instrument that landed in your hands as a kid learning to play. Carolina also features vocals from Christy Reid, Shannon Slaughter and Trevor Watson. Ron Stewart, Tony Rice, Rob Ickes and Mike Auldridge guest.

fresh sounds Larry Stephenson, What Really Matters ( Compass Records, www.compassrecords.com ) On his debut release for Compass Records Larry Stephenson showcases his high sailing, tenor range lead vocals backed by a road-tested band including Kenny Ingram, Kevin Richardson and Danny Stewart. The set list features Jimmy Martin & J.D. Crowe’s “Bear Tracks,” the title track penned by Harley Allen & John Wiggins, Ronnie Reno’s “Big Train,” a reworking of Woody Guthrie’s “Philadelphia Lawyer” with Sam Bush on fiddle and harmony vocals and more. Also memorable: Larry’s original “God Will” and Ed Snodderly’s “I See Love.”

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Nashville, Volume 1: Tear the Woodpiile Down ( Sugar Hill, www.sugarhillrecords.com ) Marty Stuart’s second release for the Sugar Hill label is a 10-song collection, almost entirely written by Marty and featuring his touring band of musical missionaries The Fabulous Superlatives. Buck Trent, Kenny Lovelace and Robbie Turner are joined by country music royalty Hank Williams III and Lorrie Carter Bennett (The Carter Family) on harmony vocals. Stuart says when he came to Nashville in 1972 “the most outlaw thing you could possibly do around here was to take country music and blow it up into rock & roll. Mission accomplished! Today, the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville, Tennessee is play country music.”

Wayne Taylor, It’s About Time ( Wayne Taylor Records, wbassman2000@yahoo.com ) In liner notes Taylor says, “After nearly two decades working with some of the most talented musicians on the planet, those being my brothers in Blue Highway, I finally decided to step out on my own for this solo project.

Upon telling folks I was doing this, the overwhelming response was, ‘It’s about time’—thus the name of this collection of songs.” Sharon & Cheryl White and Darrin & Brooke Aldridge sing harmony on several cuts.

Wayne wrote nine of the twelve songs on the CD himself. Included: “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin’,” “Cedar Creek,” “You’re Gone,” “Bluest Eyes in Tennessee,” “All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers,” “Little Maggie” and more.

Alan Tompkins, No Part of Nothin’ ( Bluegrass Heritage Music, www.alantompkins.com ) WAMU’s Katy Daley says, “Who doesn’t dream of working with bluegrass greats like Sam Bush, Stephen Mougin, Ron Stewart, Randy Kohrs, Ned Luberecki and Kenny & Amanda Smith? Very few people change dreams into reality, but I’m not surprised that Alan did. His baritone is up to the task of fronting the Dream Team Bluegrass Band on the old gospel standard, ‘This World Is Not My Home.’ Good job, Alan.” Titles also include “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” “Blue Kentucky Waltz,” “More Pretty Girls Than One,” “Shenandoah Waltz,“ “I’ve Been Redeemed," and more.

Various Artists, Pa’s Fiddle ( Pa’s Fiddle Recordings LLC, www.laura-ingalls-wilder.com ) Charles Ingalls was a central figure in the autobiographical stories told by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little House on the Prairie books. He was an old-time fiddler whose music is captured by the 127 songs referenced in his daughter’s books. Produced by Joe Week, Matt Combs and Dale Cockrell, the tunes are performed by Bryan Sutton, Matt Flinner, Matt combs, David Grier, Jeff Taylor, Dennis Crouch and others. Included: Buffalo Gals,” “Jesus Holds My Hand,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Mary of the Wild Moore,” “Yellow Heifer,” “Boatmen’s Dance” and more.

New Compilations & Re-issues: Various Artists, Putumayo Presents Bluegrass ( Putumayo World Music www.putumayo.com ) The first bluegrass album by World Music label Putumayo includes singles from Alison Krauss & Union Station, Railroad Earth, David Grisman & Jerry Garcia, Andrea Zonn & Alison Brown, Frank Solivan, Peter Rowan, James Alan Shelton, Crooked Still, The Seldom Scene, Uncle Earl, Town Mountain, Sam Bush and more.

report from the 2012

european world of bluegrass The new award will be presented annually, in addition to the European Bluegrass Band Award (based on the votes of musicians) and Audience Popularity Award (based on audience votes).

Liz Meyer (1952-2011) was widely regarded as an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter, and always a great support to other musicians in her field.

In the earlier part of her career, Liz was best known for her innovative songwriting and for performing and recording with a succession of legendary musicians, including Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas.

The 15th European World of Bluegrass Festival was held on May 17-19, 2012 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.

Thanks to Dagfinn Pedersen for sharing the earliest results of the annual EWOB awards with us. Looks like bluegrass is white-hot in the Czech Republic. Congratulations to ALL of the bands that took home awards that night!

European Bluegrass Band 2012: #1 Goodwill (Czech Republic) #2 East-West (Czech Republic) #3 Jaywalkers (United Kingdom), Rawhide (Belgium), and Sunny Side (Czech Republic)--three-way tie Audience Popularity Award 2012: #1 G-Runs 'n Roses (Czech Republic) #2 Sunny Side (Czech Republic) #3 The Old Time Hayride (Germany/Netherlands) The very first Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award was presented on May 19, 2012 to the Louvat Bros of Belgium, who had played on the Thursday night concert. This award, which rewards the most innovative European band in bluegrass music, is given in memory of Liz Meyer, who always encouraged promising and creative musicians throughout her career.

But beyond her own musical pursuits, Liz’s career is also typified by her generosity towards other musicians. Always willing and able to offer practical advice and creative outlets to aspiring musicians, she helped numerous European bluegrass artists to set and achieve new goals within their art form.

Liz’s own songwriting and musical arrangements stem from a broad range of influences. Likewise, her name is often cited by European bands as an inspiration for implementing aspects of their musical heritage into their songs in a way that is at once tasteful and innovative.

This award was devised both to honor Liz’s memory and to encourage promising musicians to bring their music to a broader audience. The European World of Bluegrass Board is proud to present this year’s Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award to the Louvat Bros.

Vol. 27, No. 6 June 2012