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Three B’s - Bluegrass
THE BLUEGRASS MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM
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Those visiting Owensboro may well be curious about the building at 311 W. Second St. The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has resided in Owensboro since the 1990s and opened its muchcelebrated facility on Second Street in fall 2018 as the world’s only site dedicated to the history and preservation of bluegrass music. But why is it in Owensboro? The hall of fame’s tagline is “American Roots. International Treasure,” and visitors may well be surprised to discover its western Kentucky roots run very deep.
WHY OWENSBORO? The birthplace of bluegrass
The popularization of bluegrass music is credited to musician Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. Hailing from Ohio County, Monroe built a collective of talent that included Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers. Although the Bill Monroe Homeplace is located in Jerusalem Ridge, Kentucky, bluegrass migrated north to Owensboro with the establishment of the International Bluegrass Music Association in 1986. Plans for a permanent facility dedicated to bluegrass music grew from there.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX MO R G A N
ROMP Unending spirit
Originally created as the River of Music Party, the annual ROMP festival at Yellow Creek Park serves as a yearly celebration of bluegrass music while paying homage to the genre’s resurgence. After falling out of style in favor of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and ‘60s, the bluegrass festivals of the 1970s re-energized its music, brought in new fans, and introduced new adaptations of the genre. ROMP celebrates the spirit of those festivals while showcasing the evolution of bluegrass music.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES The appeal of bluegrass
Bluegrass is a fusion of Americana and African-American jazz and blues, while also drawing influence from country/western and folk music. Traditional bluegrass is more folksy; progressive bluegrass, or “newgrass,” involves more electric instruments and takes inspiration from rock ‘n’ roll. Bluegrass music’s famed jam sessions lend to its ability to attract players of all different kinds of music. Whether musicians are holding a mandolin, fiddle, guitar or banjo, bluegrass music’s fluidity of genres makes it compelling and easy for others to pick up and join in.
