Bluegrass Songwriting News

Like so many things in our lives these days, the calendar for MerleFest is a bit twisted this year. After canceling the 2020 festival, organizers have moved this year's to the late summer with an eye towards remaining uncertainty about

Like so many other instructional events over the past year, the Ola Belle Reed Songwriter's Retreat has decided to go virtual for 2021. These weekend getaways for songwriters have been held in honor of pioneering artist Ola Belle in her hometown

The DC Bluegrass Union has today announced the winners of their 2021 Hazel Dickens Song Contest. The annual competition chooses from among dozens of submissions from writers who receive less than half of their income from songwriting royalties, with proceeds

The Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival, held each summer in Connecticut for the past 25 years - except for 2020, when pandemic restrictions made that impossible - is all set to go forward with their 2021 event. It is wonderful news

On the list of recipients for the 2020 Governor's Awards in the Arts from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, are two figures prominent in our music world. Country and bluegrass singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall, and Michael Johnathon, host of the popular

It's that time of year again... Time for all you bluegrass songwriters to sharpen your pencils and get ready to submit your latest creations to the DC Bluegrass Union and their 2021 Hazel Dickens Song Contest. This annual event is held

Like every other music festival these days, last weekend's Walnut Valley Festival, normally held in Winfield, KS, will be hosted online. What would have been their 49th annual running of the festival, along with its prestigious picking competitions, was postponed until

This year’s bleak bluegrass festival season left both musicians and festival lovers disappointed. While bluegrass fans held out hope that late summer and fall festivals might not have to cancel, one by one festival promoters all reached the same conclusion,

Here's an interesting story about how a chance meeting at World of Bluegrass 2017 put two experienced bluegrass songwriters onto a co-writing opportunity, that is coming full circle at the 2020 virtual event. Mike Finders and Aaron Bibelhauser saw their co-written

The IBMA Songwriter Showcase Selection Committee has announced the finalists for the Songwriter Showcase, to be held in late September during their 2020 World of Bluegrass convention. Writers are chosen for this honor each year when the committee considers submissions from