Bill Monroe’ s Bluegrass Festival
June 10 – 17, 2017
Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper 2016. photos by Cindy Steele
~ by Mark Blackwell
Back in nineteen and seventy-two a countryrock outfit called the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released an album titled“ Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” This album was a collaboration that featured classic country performers such as Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, and Merle Travis pickin’ and singin’ classic country and Bluegrass songs. It also introduced a lot of
Doyle Lawson 2016. my generation to veteran Bluegrass musicians Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements, and Earl Scruggs. One of the highlights of the album was a song by Hylo Brown called“ The Grand Ol’ Opry Song.”
In that song the refrain calls out a roster of Grand Ol’ Opry acts:“ There will be guitars and fiddles Earl Scruggs and his banjo, too and Bill Monroe singing them old Kentucky blues …” and I remember hearing that and thinking about how important Bluegrass music had been to the
60 Our Brown County May / June 2017
“ Opry” at one time. Bill and the Bluegrass Boys had a regular segment and so did Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. But not so much these days. It seems like it’ s getting hard to get a weekly dose of Bluegrass music. But what you can do is an eight day Bluegrass binge in beautiful Brown County.
Starting Saturday, June 10 and running through Saturday, June 17 the 51 st Bill Monroe’ s Bluegrass Festival will be hosting 70 top-notch Bluegrass acts. This year will feature classic Bluegrass bands such as Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top Express, Jesse McReynolds( of Jim and Jesse fame), the Seldom Scene, and Eddie and Martha Adcock. There will also be old favorites like Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Special Consensus, the Grascals, the Gibson Brothers, IIIrd Tyme Out, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, and a whole bunch of other amazing pickers. All-in-all, the festival features 8 to 9 bands on the main stage every day. That is a lot of talent in one place.
But you’ re not required to listen to all the bands, nor are you restricted to the main stage area. There is a lot to do at the park. You can hang out in the campground, join one of the pickup bands, or start one of your own. And it is always a good thing to visit the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum. You can see the cabin where Bill Monroe“ batched it” with his Uncle Pen and learned the old fiddle tunes that he later worked into classic Bluegrass arrangements. There are also daily music, instrument, and vocal workshops to hone your skills. Or you can eat.