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 Bluegrass in Indiana
Brown County’s town of Bean Blossom is known throughout the world as a mecca of bluegrass music. The annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival is the longest running bluegrass festival anywhere, and each year brings thousands of bluegrass lovers from around the world together for six full days of pickin’, fiddlin’ and fun. The Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park and Campground is ready to welcome around 40,000 thousand fans on June 13th through the 18th this year. In this issue we will take you along on a visit to Bean Blossom, give you a look at the roots of bluegrass music, and introduce you to some of Indiana's bluegrass musicians.
Pictures of the inductees to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame The common thread between all of these styles of music is the instruments. These include fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar and bass, and mandolin. “Old-time” music actually goes back to the European traditional Irish folk dances and English country dances. Old-time music generally has a slower tempo suited for square dances and contra dances, while bluegrass often has a faster tempo and features vocals. Other styles that have influenced bluegrass are “blues” and gospel music. Bluegrass is a relative newcomer on the traditional music scene, having been created during the 1930s and ‘40s by Bill Monroe.
Bill Monroe memorabilia from the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum As the youngest of eight children, Bill was born into a family where music was a part of life. His mother played fiddle, his father was a good dancer, and by the time Bill came along, his seven siblings had already settled into their chosen instruments. Bill was, in a sense, left to play mandolin. Bill’s Uncle Pen was an early musical influence. Bill’s mother died when he was very young, and Uncle Pen Vandiver moved in with the family. Bill and his Uncle Pen would play for parties at people’s homes, with Bill on mandolin and guitar and Uncle Pen on fiddle. By the early 1920s Bill and his brothers Charlie and Birch had formed The Monroe Brothers, and were “discovered” in 1932 at a square dance in Hammond, Indiana. From that point on, his musical career took off. In 1938, when Bill was around 27 years old, The Monroe Brothers disbanded and Bill formed a new band called The Kentuckians. Three months later he moved to Atlanta and formed the Blue Grass Boys. His Blue Grass Boys would live on as Bill’s backup players for the rest of his career. Over the years there were over 100 Blue Grass Boys, many of whom are still alive and playing. Just a year after the Blue Grass Boys were formed, Bill Monroe joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. Over his lifetime, Bill Monroe became a musical legend. His songs were often near the top of the charts, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he even performed and was honored at the White House. “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, the first song Elvis Presley recorded, was written by Bill Monroe. Monroe’s song “Uncle Pen” was recorded by Ricky Skaggs in 1984, and was the first solo bluegrass song to hit #1 on the country music charts. In 1989 Monroe won a Grammy Award for his album Southern Flavor for Best Bluegrass Recording. He was also honored by the Smithsonian, and received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The stage at Bean Blossom The Brown County Jamboree Barn was a popular music site beginning in the 1940s. Monroe loved playing at the Jamboree Barn and was a frequent visitor. In 1951 he bought the Bean Blossom music park. In 1966 he founded the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, which brought the country’s best bluegrass musicians together. In 1984 he opened the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum. The Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum now stand where the Brown County Jamboree Barn once stood. Monroe hand-selected each musician to be in the Hall of Fame, and today visitors can learn about the artists and their contributions to bluegrass music. They can also learn more about the life of The Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe, which sadly, ended in 1996. Bill Monroe’s Memorial Music Park and Campground Today
Some of the cabins at the Bill Monroe Music Park and Campground The park offers a full-service campground, with up to 500 tent sites, 237 sites equipped with water and electric, and 13 cabins that are heated and air conditioned. The cabins sleep from four to eight people, and some include stoves, refrigerators, microwaves and are fully furnished. Several of the cabins are new this year. The park also has a five-acre fishing lake. If you enjoy good old fashioned music, there will be plenty in the air throughout the campground during the festival. Manager Ray Flook says the campsites are usually full of people who enjoy gathering and playing music together. If the weather is bad, musicians can gather in the Pickin’ Parlor. The Pickin’ Parlor and all the rest rooms are air conditioned as well.
The Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum This Year’s Bean Blossom Festival Dates 3rd Annual Bean Blossom Jam Fest: July 28 through 29. 2nd Annual Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee: August 18 through 20. Enjoy three days of the best Southern Gospel and Bluegrass Gospel Music. Worship services daily, and approximately 23 different performers over three days. 2nd Annual Bill Monroe Country Music Classic & Lefty Frizzell Days: September 8 through 9. 26th Annual Bill Monroe Hall of Fame and Uncle Pen Days Festival: September 21 through 24. For information on these events, as well as a list of performers, please see www.beanblossom.com. |
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All Feature Articles, artwork and photographs ©2000 by Southernin.com. Some information on the 'County Info' pages is taken directly from brochures published by Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.
