Our friend D.A. Calloway, entertainment manager with Silver Dollar City, shared some information about the winners of their KSMU Youth In Bluegrass Band Contest, held annually during the park’s big Bluegrass & BBQ festival.
The festival is unique in that it runs for three full weeks inside the Silver Dollar City entertainment park complex. Dozens of bands perform over this span, usually for two days at a stretch, including both top headliners and up-and-comers.
One of those days is given over the youth competition, where semi-finalists chosen in advance get a chance to win cash prizes. This year’s contest was held on May 24, with the top honor going to Kentucky’s Lindsey Family, who took home $1200.
Here is a list of the winers:
- The Lindsey Family – Greensburg, KY
- The Baker Family – Birch Tree, MO
- The Burie Family – New Berlin, WI
- Charlie & The Girls – Ellis Grove, IL
- Prairie Fire – Ponca City, OK
Another nice thing about the Bluegrass & BBQ festival, which continues through June 1, is the ability to catch so many bands on the rise. Here are a couple of videos from strong young bands set to make a name for themselves in bluegrass, who performed in Branson during the festival.
First up is The Meyer Band, made up of four siblings from Missouri, who have won the SPBGMA Bluegrass Band competition, and have performed as part of the youth bluegrass showcase at the IBMA convention in Raleigh, NC.
The Meyers are John on banjo, David on guitar, Mary on mandolin, and Jimmy on bass. You can visit them on Facebook.
This next is from Driven, a band from Kansas and Utah, who have been selected to perform as an invited Showcase Act at World of Bluegrass 2014. Here they sing their original Gospel song, John 6, from You’ll Be Lonely, I’ll Be Gone, their current release.
The video omits their lovely and talented fiddler, Rebecca Workman, who performs in the band with her husband Jake Workman on guitar, Brandon McLemore on mandolin, Blake McLemore on bass, and Jimmy Campbell on banjo and resonator guitar. Be sure to look them up at WOB.
There’s still a few days left at Bluegrass & BBQ if you can make the trip to Branson.
