Dear friends upon the Internet,
And Facebook pals I’ve never met,
Let us pause in late December
To gather ‘round and remember,
The year that was two-thousand-twelve,
(Old arguments for now let’s shelve).
I’d have to say, if I were pressed,
Twas not the worst, but not the best.
Too many souls gone-on we’ll miss,
Like Everett Lilly and Snuffy Smith,
John McGann and Dillard, Doug,
Doc and Rosa, and Earl Scruggs.
The season seems such a silent night,
But we were lucky to have their light,
To guide us through so many years,
Let’s give thanks as well as tears.
So many bands, so many artists,
But by far I think the smartest,
Was Chris Thile, by all adored,
He won the MacArthur Genius Award.
And lest you think that a rarity,
JD Crowe got a PhD.
This year, some of our favorite discs,
Were LRB and Junior Sisk.
And while awards went to others,
Entertainer of the Year – The Gibson Brothers.
On TV we heard a joyful noise,
From the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys,
And though he’s still spry as a pixie,
Samuel Bush this year turned 60!
To the Hall of Fame went Rinzler and Lawson,
And the Steve Martin prize went to Mark Johnson,
The Grammys extended the well-deserved reign
Of AKUS for Paper Airplane,
And because they are by far the best team,
They got to play the Simpson’s theme.
Mojo & Nedski, Vincent & Dailey,
The next bluegrass instrument? The ukelele.
Dale Ann Bradley and Della Mae,
Alan Bibey and Blue Highway,
And if you have any questions,
Just go see the Porchlight Sessions.
Let’s hear it, then, all high-fivers,
For Chris Jones & the Night Drivers,
And the first Songwriter of the Year,
The hardest to rhyme, Jon Weisberger.
Tom Adler, Fred Bartenstein, and Marty Godbey,
All came out with books I wanted to copy.
And at IBMA, there were no objectors –
Nancy Cardwell for Executive Director.
Jerry Douglas, Del & Dawg,
Bill Evans, Tim Stafford, pass the grog!
So, as we sing of boughs of holly,
Let’s plan on meeting up in Raleigh.
Put down your kindle, iPad, and Nook,
Drink some eggnog, read a book,
Hug your loved ones, keep them near,
And let’s hope for a better next year.
