All bluegrass instruments welcome No jamming experience necessary You will be jamming right away! Friendly, encouraging, knowledgeable teaching. Mistakes allowed/expected! Singing not required, but encouraged and taught. Easy 2- and 3-chord songs, slow speeds. Soloing not required! "Faking" solos taught.
Do you qualify? It's easier than you may think! If you play guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, or dobro... you can be part of a bluegrass jam.
Only requirements: You must be able to tune your instrument (electronic tuning devices welcome) and change smoothly between G, C, D, and A. (Fiddles and basses need to know which notes work with which chords)
Gilbert Nelson is a banjo and guitar player, and certified teacher of the Wernick Method of learning to jam. Using this approach, beginning and intermediate players can get comfortable in a group setting, progress at their own rate, learn to sing and harmonize new tunes and learn... Read More →
Pete Wernick is renowned worldwide for his contributions to bluegrass music: the hot-picking force in several trend-setting bands including Hot Rize, respected author and teacher, songwriter, and long-term President of the International Bluegrass Music Association. His Wernick Method... Read More →
More and more universities are developing bluegrass music-related degree programs with ensemble opportunities for young musicians interested in bluegrass scholarships and careers. Come and hear the latest bluegrass education news from 15 universities, hear their student bands perform, and take the opportunity to meet the directors of these programs and ask questions. Parents of young musicians interested in bluegrass scholarship and degree program info are especially encouraged to attend, but all are welcome!
Fred Bartenstein has had the privilege of working with virtually all of the music's first generation. He has been a magazine editor, broadcaster, musician, MC, composer, record producer, compiler of market research, regional association founder, college professor, and a lifelong fan... Read More →
Allen Mills is a bluegrass legend. As a founding member of The Lost & Found bluegrass band, and a pivotal figure in the early days of IBMA, he is beloved by the bluegrass community. Allen is a 2019 recipient of IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award. Daniel Mullins of the Walls of Time: Bluegrass Podcast will be interviewing Allen about his career and legacy for an upcoming podcast episode.
Allen Mills is a bluegrass legend. As a founding member of The Lost & Found bluegrass band, and a pivotal figure in the early days of IBMA, he is beloved by the bluegrass community. Allen is a 2019 recipient of IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award.
Daniel Mullins is a full-time radio broadcaster and IBMA award-winning journalist from southwestern Ohio. He is heard weekdays on Real Roots Radio, and has had work published in Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Today, The Bluegrass Situation, and Singing News Magazine. His multi-faceted... Read More →
There are many of us in the songwriting world who have hopes of someday make a living as a professional songwriter. Our panel features three of the most successful songwriters of our time: Donna Ulisse, Jerry Salley, Irene Kelley. Each has insight on songwriting as a career path based on their knowledge and many years of experience. Whether you are a songwriter or not, hearing from these talented folks is sure to be fascinating!
Irene Kelley left Pennsylvania for Nashville in 1984 and signed with MCA Records. Carl Jackson, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas appeared on her first album. Irene’s trademark is the heart-felt songwriting that exposed her music to millions through hits like “A Little Bluer Than That... Read More →
David Morris is an award-winning songwriter and winner of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest. He has co-written two number ones and four top 10 songs. His weekly radio show, Songwriter Showcase, appears weekly on bluegrasscountry.org. Dave also reviews CDs, compiles... Read More →
Referred to by Billboard Magazine as “One Of Music Row’s Greatest Veteran Tunesmiths”, Jerry has had over 500 songs recorded in his multi-award winning career. Bands that have covered Jerrys songs include The Steeldrivers, Del McCoury Band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Lonsome... Read More →
Donna Ulisse is a key figure in the Bluegrass, folk and acoustic music scene as a singer and songwriter, being awarded 2016 IBMA Songwriter Of The Year and 2017 Song Of The Year with “I Am A Drifter”. Her 10th album “Breakin’ Easy” was released September of 2017 on Mountain... Read More →
The Henhouse Prowlers have toured more than 25 countries as musical diplomats, bridging cultures through the shared language of music. This workshop brings listeners to countries seldom visited by Americans; teaching traditional dances from Kyrgyzstan, Nigerian Hip Hop songs done bluegrass-style and so much more. Join these Bluegrass Ambassadors as they share stories of wild adventures in far off lands...and where you just might walk away with a deeper understanding of places unknown.
Chris's love for John Hartford comes in handy when it comes time for the Ambassadors to learn to sing in another language. His ability to bend and shape his voice brings a sense of authenticity to languages like Czech and Uzbek. While he's only been in the band for 20 months, his... Read More →
Jon is a co-founding member of both the Henhouse Prowlers and the group’s non-profit, Bluegrass Ambassadors. The non-profit's mission is to educate and inspire through the cultural exchange of music. When not performing around the globe and teaching, Jon handles much of the back-end... Read More →
Kyle grew up playing in the O'brien Family Band and toured across the US from a young age. His effortless rapport with youth and love of teaching is an absolute boon to Bluegrass Ambassadors. Kyle's equally comfortable on the fiddle and mandolin and has brought those skills to nearly... Read More →
Host Tony Williamson (mandolin), banjoist Terry Baucom, guitarist Will Jones and legendary bassist Tom Gray will exhibit, discuss and perform on a priceless collection of vintage Bluegrass instruments.
Rural Rhythm Records recording artist Edgar Loudermilk’s signature voice, bass skills, and songwriting are a family tradition for this Louvin Brothers’ descendant. Loudermilk’s distinctive and powerful vocals cut to the heart of a song, while also winning over audiences with... Read More →
We'll have festival promotional items to give away, music from Unspoken Tradition and Radney Foster, snacks, beverages, and our Artist At Large and host extraordinaire Jerry Douglas on hand for the festivities! Be sure to join us in the lobby of the convention center on Friday September 27th between 4-5pm ET for all the news and our first round artist lineup!
All bluegrass instruments welcome No jamming experience necessary You will be jamming right away! Friendly, encouraging, knowledgeable teaching. Mistakes allowed/expected! Singing not required, but encouraged and taught. Easy 2- and 3-chord songs, slow speeds. Soloing not required! "Faking" solos taught.
Do you qualify? It's easier than you may think! If you play guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, or dobro... you can be part of a bluegrass jam.
Only requirements: You must be able to tune your instrument (electronic tuning devices welcome) and change smoothly between G, C, D, and A. (Fiddles and basses need to know which notes work with which chords)
Gilbert Nelson is a banjo and guitar player, and certified teacher of the Wernick Method of learning to jam. Using this approach, beginning and intermediate players can get comfortable in a group setting, progress at their own rate, learn to sing and harmonize new tunes and learn... Read More →
Pete Wernick is renowned worldwide for his contributions to bluegrass music: the hot-picking force in several trend-setting bands including Hot Rize, respected author and teacher, songwriter, and long-term President of the International Bluegrass Music Association. His Wernick Method... Read More →
Pete Wernick is renowned worldwide for his contributions to bluegrass music: the hot-picking force in several trend-setting bands including Hot Rize, respected author and teacher, songwriter, and long-term President of the International Bluegrass Music Association. His Wernick Method... Read More →
All songwriters hone their craft by stealing—well, borrowing!—techniques from master songwriters, then making them their own. Writers on this panel all learned from songs of first-generation bluegrass songwriters, and from earlier traditions that influenced those writers. In this participatory discussion, we’ll each offer a fresh listen—with songwriters’ ears—to a song by an admired earlier writer, then share a song of our own that echoes or answers that source.
Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator. She was a founding member of the Good Ol’ Persons and the Grant Street String Band. Laurie has performed/recorded since 1986 with mandolinist... Read More →
Joe Newberry is an IBMA Award-winning songwriter and musician. A frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the 2016 Transatlantic Sessions, and at the Transatlantic Session's debut at Merlefest in 2017. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing... Read More →
Mark Simos is a respected songwriter and tunesmith, with songs and instrumentals recorded by many prominent bluegrass and progressive acoustic artists. Simos’ signature style blends deep grounding in traditional forms with contemporary lyrics and themes. Teaching at Berklee College... Read More →
This session is geared toward banjo players interested in maximizing enjoyment of their instrument. Tom Nechville and his professional partner will demonstrate and explain the steps you can take yourself for setting up your banjo for optimal sound.
Tom Nechville has been an innovative force in advancing the state of the art of banjo design since the mid 1980's. His designs are celebrated internationally in the hands of grass roots players as well as some of the world's most prominent musicians.
Gilbert Nelson is a banjo and guitar player, and certified teacher of the Wernick Method of learning to jam. Using this approach, beginning and intermediate players can get comfortable in a group setting, progress at their own rate, learn to sing and harmonize new tunes and learn... Read More →
Joe Newberry is an IBMA Award-winning songwriter and musician. A frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the 2016 Transatlantic Sessions, and at the Transatlantic Session's debut at Merlefest in 2017. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing... Read More →
Liam Purcell & Mallory Blackwood feature a dynamic combination of creative talent. Liam is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist who got his start in the Boone JAM program at age 7. Liam quickly excelled to become one of the youngest teaching artists in traditional music education... Read More →
Just like Bluegrass, Bourbon is distinctly American. Join Heaven Hill Bourbon Ambassador Jason Bradley and we talk and taste through the styles of whiskey made in America from the early settler days through to today.
Join us for a discussion and demonstration involving the intimate relationship between the Fiddle and Banjo in African American and Anglo American folk music and how that relationship evolved over time into the present day. Featuring discussion by Dr. Jocelyn Neal and artist demonstrations by Tatiana Hargreaves & Allison DeGroot, Dwight Hawkins, Justin Robinson and Hank Smith & Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw.
Jocelyn Neal is Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she directs the UNC Bluegrass Initiative and teaches courses in songwriting, country music, and bluegrass. She is the author of Country Music: A Cultural and Stylistic History (Oxford Univ... Read More →
Sixteen SPBGMA nominations, three wins for Female Vocalist, two IBMA awards (2009 Recorded Event of the Year, Daughters Of Bluegrass), winner of (2007 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, 2008 IAMA Songwriting Contest)Twice named PICABO Songwriter of the Year. He won Chris Austin Songwriting... Read More →