Monday, October 26 was a big day for bluegrass singer and songwriter Gary Brewer. His hometown of Shepherdsville, in the bluegrass state of Kentucky, had proclaimed that date as Gary Brewer Day. A high honor indeed!
Gary Brewer Day was declared in recognition of his 40th anniversary as a professional bluegrass entertainer, and the ongoing success of his current record, 40th Anniversary Celebration. It features Gary with his sons, Wayne and Mason, along with many of Brewer’s friends from his long career including Sam Bush, The Travelin’ McCourys, Russell Moore, Dale Ann Bradley, Doug Phelps of The Kentucky Headhunters, T. Graham Brown, Ron Stewart, and Ralph Stanley II.
Gary was invited to city council chambers with his sons, where he met with Mayor Curtis Hockenbury and City Attorney Tammy Baker, who read the following proclamation:
Kentucky’s own Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers is a legendary 6 generation, 2-time GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and Americana/roots band that celebrates their 40th Anniversary in the music in 2020. With a lot of ups and downs throughout the year —both personally and globally—their silver lining for this year has been the success of their newly-released monumental album, 40th Anniversary Celebration.
Since before its release in the early summer, the project has propelled Brewer and his band, The Kentucky Ramblers, to new heights. 40th Anniversary Celebration has been covered and praised by top publications including Medium, American Songwriter, Music Row Magazine, Thrive Global (Huffington Post), and many more. It’s being helmed by Roots Music Report, Midwest Record Entertainment, and others as, “The biggest bluegrass record since Dueling Banjos!“
The collection has been a runaway success for the bluegrass troubadour, hitting #1 in the nation twice on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart (the most prestigious chart in the world), and spending a total of 16 weeks (and counting) in the top 5; Gary is critically acclaimed and has received great recognition from his peers in the industry as well.
The record serves as a full-circle moment for Brewer. After garnering attention and gaining respect from some of the biggest names of all-time across multiple music genres, he has no plans in stopping any time soon. With a lifetime of experience and dedication to the music, Gary Brewer & The Kentucky Ramblers will take that inspiration on the road for the 40th Anniversary Celebration Tour, which will resume as soon as venues begin to open again following the COVID-19 outbreak cancellations and postponements.
In accepting, Gary noted how all this has come their way during a time when their touring has been restricted.
“We were very honored. Perhaps the success of this record is even more impressive to us personally since it is has reached these new heights for the group during a global pandemic.”
Congratulations to Gary and all his Kentucky Ramblers!
