Veteran bluegrass mandolin player Dewey Murphy has promised to donate his mandolin to the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM), in Owensboro, when he retires from music.
The 79 year old from North Carolina still plays at bluegrass festivals, but his 1924 Lloyd Loar mandolin will go to a good home. Gabrielle Gray, the museum’s executive director, has described the instrument as…
“…worth a mint. It’ll be right up there with Pete Seeger’s banjo among our most valuable assets. We’ll install a special case for it.”
The full story, which appeared originally in the Owensboro Messenger-Enquirer, is available on-line at Kentucky.com. It also references recent staff cuts at the museum.