Gary Brewer & the Kentucky Ramblers get the Key to the City

Gary Brewer & The Kentucky Ramblers received a signal honor on Monday of this week when the Mayor of their hometown of Shepherdsville, in Bullitt County, KY, presented them with the Key to the City.

Mayor Curtis Hockenbury invited Gary and the band to the City Council chambers for the presentation on December 3, to both thank and congratulate them for their success in bluegrass music. The Kentucky Ramblers are primarily a family band, featuring Gary’s dad, Finley, on guitar, and his sons Wayne and Mason on bass and mandolin, respectively. The only non-Brewer in the group is Ethan Vivian on banjo.

Here’s video of the Mayor with Gary and the boys…

In addition to Shepherdsville being home base for the band, Gary and his kin operate a number of businesses in the region, including a martial arts studio and a farm. It is also the site for their annual concert series, Friday Night Bluegrass. Each Friday from November through early May, they bring a recognized touring bluegrass act to town to appear at the The Shepherdsville Music Barn on Highway 44.

Brewer and The Ramblers open each concert with a set of their own, and serve as hosts for the Friday shows. Ticket prices vary based on the featured act, but are kept in the $12-$15 range.

You can see all of the shows for the 2018-19 season online.

Wayne Brewer picked up an honor of his own last month, becoming an endorsing artist for NS Design, makers of the Ned Steinberger designed WAV series Upright Bass and Violin. Those are his instruments of choice, and he is delighted to be recognized thusly by the manufacturer.

Congratulations to all the Brewer clan!

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.