The Price Sisters at the 2024 Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival – photo © Roger Black
Noon on Wednesday (6/12) opened the 2024 Bill Monroe Bluegrass Music Festival at the Bill Monroe Music Park in Bean Blossom, Indiana. The festival started with a prayer and The National Anthem, followed with gospel music by The Miller Brothers and sermon by the MC, Roger Black. The first day was filled with great music by Cicada Creek and Elkridge, followed by the annual bean dinner. The evening saw an amazing open jam session followed by a great music by Derek Dillman and Friends.
Thursday’s sun was brutal to say the least, but the biggest crowd in recent memory braved the heat and lined the hillside to see five great bands that included SpringStreet, The Price Sisters, The Kody Norris Show, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out finished off the night in typical Russell Moore fashion with an incredible performance.
Sage and Prairie Wildfire opened the show on Friday followed by the Wilson Banjo Company. Larry Stephenson was joined on stage by his daughter, Whysper, who seems to be following in her dad’s footsteps very nicely. The superstar band Southern Legacy then took the stage with Don Rigsby on lead vocals and mandolin, Josh Williams also on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Thomas on fiddle, Mike Anglin on bass, and the amazing Ron Block on banjo. They played two amazing sets during the day that had the fans begging for more. The evening finished off in fine fashion with a great ninety-minute set and four encores by none other than Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys. It was a great day for bluegrass music in the southern Indiana hills.
The final day of the festival seemed to come much too fast. Saturday was another hot one, but another very large crowd brought their chairs and placed them in front of the stage, to be entertained by The Red Mountain Boys, Hammertowne, Fast Track, and Dale Ann Bradley. Darin & Brooke Aldridge finished off the 2024 Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in fine Bean Blossom style bringing the crowd to their feet at the evening’s end.
The Bill Monroe Bluegrass Music Festival is the longest continuously running bluegrass music festival in the country. It was voted the number one must see American Music Festival. It is also home to the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Here’s the first half of Roger’s Bean Blossom photos. More to come.
