Bluegrass Now at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum (12/19/19) – photo by John Partipilo
Last Friday night saw an historic concert at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, with an all-star cast of bluegrass celebrities on hand for the taping of a special for PBS television.
Bluegrass Now is set to air on February 29 of next year, featuring performances from hosts Rhonda Vincent and Jim Lauderdale, along with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Alison Brown, Molly Tuttle, Missy Raines, Dan Tyminski, Becky Buller, and the great Larry Sparks.
The PBS crew not only captured the stage show before a live audience, they also conducted interviews with the various artists throughout the Museum, offering a look at the facility for the wider bluegrass world.
Hall of Fame Executive Director, Chris Joslin, tells us that they had been in discussions with the network for some in advance of this event.
“Conversations about Bluegrass Now began with PBS earlier this year. They felt strongly that a historic event around bluegrass music should come from the Bluegrass State of Kentucky, close to the source, and that the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum embodied the kind of authenticity to help PBS viewers connect and engage with the music. Of course, we could not have agreed more.
The genre is growing because bluegrass music is represented by a broad spectrum of artists offering a lot of variety stylistically. I feel the PBS special captured the spirit of that very well. And now new fans of the music will also know all about a place called the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky!”
The entire concert was recorded, and will be edited into its final form for broadcast in February. The various artists on stage performed with their bands, and in various collaborations to show three generations of bluegrass music all in one program.
