At last weekend’s Bloomin’ Bluegrass Festival and Chili Cook-Off in Texas, Del McCoury was presented with the Bluegrass Star Award from the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation.
Since 2010, the Foundation has presented this award to a bluegrass artist who exemplifies contemporary bluegrass, and carries it to audiences of all types. Previous recipients include Rhonda Vincent, J. D. Crowe, Peter Rowan, and Sierra Hull.
The trophy was presented by Foundation President Alan Tompkins, who shared these words about its 2015 honoree…
“Del McCoury has had an incredible lifetime career in bluegrass music spanning the better part of six decades. He’s won almost every award given to musicians in our industry, including a GRAMMY and a National Heritage Fellowship Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, has played bluegrass music on national television, and was a Bluegrass Boy alongside Bill Monroe. You just can’t get much more ‘true bluegrass’ than that. Del McCoury has played and recorded with artists as diverse as Phish, the String Cheese Incident, and Steve Earle, bringing the bluegrass sound to audiences far and wide. Del has brought bluegrass music to many who might never have heard it or been interested in it before hearing him, and is an ideal recipient for our Bluegrass Heritage Foundation Bluegrass Star Award.”
The Bluegrass Heritage Foundation is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) non-profit which serves to promote and preserve the heritage of bluegrass music. It is staffed by volunteers and donations are always welcome. Their Play It Forward program offers a bluegrass instrument lending program for young people who want to learn to play.
Congratulations to Del McCoury, now a certified Bluegrass Star!
