The Brewgrass mister himself, Gary Brewer, and his bluegrass family, i.e., The Kentucky Ramblers, in the persons of sons Wayne and Mason Brewer, have kept themselves plenty busy so far in 2024.
They’ve been out on tour supporting Gary’s latest album, House of Axes, which is a celebration of the many vintage Martin guitars in his collection, dragging along a slew of instruments and with his sons backing up dad. Meanwhile Wayne and his wife Alyssa have been touring their George Jones and Tammy Wynette tribute show as Alyssa & Wayne Brewer, with Mason on drums.
But they aren’t done yet. Gary has recently purchased an additional 150 acres of land adjacent to his farm in West Point, KY, and carved out a large green space he calls the Brewer Nation Outdoor Venue. Next month he will host a new free bluegrass event called Finley Fest, in honor of his father, Finley Brewer, who was responsible for Gary’s interest and entrance into bluegrass music.
Known as Jim to family and friends, the elder Brewer passed away in 2020 after a lifetime’s commitment to bluegrass. During the 1970s he performed with a number of groups, and recorded with Wade Hill & The Bluegrass Professionals. His own father had also been involved in traditional music, playing with the original Carter Family in the 1920s.
Jim had also been part of a touring country band called Foxfire, who often opened for George Jones, which is no small part of Alyssa & Wayne’s dedication to that traditional country sound.
Gary is launching Finley Fest on Sunday, September 15, with a one day show that will feature music from Gary Brewer & The Kentucky Ramblers, Alyssa & Wayne, the Dean Osborne Band, and The Bluegrass Kuzins. Craft and flea markets vendors will be set up, plus food and drink, and auto enthusiasts of all sorts are invited to the cruise in car show. They will also have a bouncy castle for the kids.
The Brewer family farm is located just south of Louisville, and all are invited to join them at Finley Fest on September 15. They are hoping to repeat this as an annual event to recall the time when Jim died on September 12, 2020.
Full details can be found online.
