Lee Marcus, banjo player, songwriter and noted bluegrass evangelist, has started an online effort to have December 12 celebrated as International Bluegrass Music Appreciation Day each year.
Armed with nothing more than an idea and a Facebook page, Lee is hoping to capture the imagination of his fellow bluegrass lovers across the globe, and build support for this annual celebration from the bottom up.
The concept occurred to him during Thanksgiving last week, and he choose the numerically alliterative date of December 12 (12/12/12) as a good candidate for the first IBMAD.
“It falls in between two holidays that center on giving thanks. Why not have another holiday for bluegrass lovers that focuses on our gratitude for the music? We needed one, so I decided to set it in motion.
I’m not wealthy, so I can’t pay to promote this. I’m not an elite star or person of high authority, so I can’t convince multitudes on my own to make this day possible.
But, good ideas tend to spread like wildfire. I believe this is a good idea.”
Since he began pushing this on Facebook over the weekend, Marcus has received enthusiastic support from fans and bluegrass media, and is encouraging people to post about what they will be doing to celebrate International Bluegrass Music Appreciation Day next month on the page he set up for that purpose.
Lee emphasized to us that he has no desire to own or control this effort. He simply wants to get the ball rolling in the hope that bluegrass associations, artists, radio and fans will take it up in whatever manner they choose.
It does sound like a good idea, one we’ll support as well.
Anyone wishing to take part can contact Lee through the IBMAD Facebook page or his personal web site.
